DIY 340 Gal Reef Tank Lighting Help!

[borillion_star]

I am in the process of putting all the stuff together for my new giant tank, and was wondering if vho or power compact was enough.

This is my first tank of this size and my last was a fish only with 50 gal.

I was planning to keep soft bodies like star poylps and mushrooms, and other similar soft bodies, and later maybe add 2 or 3 stonies when the tanks been running for a year or so.

Here are the dimensions for the tank:
8' wide x 30" deep x 30" high

There's so much info out there frankly I am overloaded :(

[Arthur1]

The possiblities are endless! Well almost. There are so many choices...myself I'd have 250 watt halides with good reflectors and use VHO actinic blues as the supplements and for the dawn/dusk effect. Thats just me I'm sure others will be chiming in shortly.

[borillion_star]

I was hoping to go vho only is that possible?

Hehe I guess that people where not to instrested.

[indydog1]

well if you plan at all to go with any sps, then i would advise mh you can supplement with vho as was previously stated, but if you are going to venture to that large of a tank i would just get what you will eventually need vs buying vho now and then upgrading later. good luck hope to see pics as it is coming along.

[borillion_star]

Ill plan for spots in the hood for the M.H., that way I can pop them in when I want to move up to keeping SPS corals.

Since I haven't had corals before Ill start with the seemingly easy ones like star polyps and the like. After a year Ill pop in the M.H.'s and add sps coral.

I've worrying about drawing to much power and tripping circuit breakers, the circuit that the tank will be on is a little bit funky, I have had it trip when some one uses the microwave, while the space heater was going.