Lighting recommendation

[3skitch3]

I am new to the hobby but I have purchased a standard 75 gallon fish tank. It is going to be mostly a soft coral tank. I know I want a nice set of metal halides. Does anyone know of a great fixture or had great luck with one?
I was looking at this on in the link below..
Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

http://www.marineandreef.com/Hamilton_Technology_48_inch_Metal_Halide_T5_HO_HQI_p/rhtaa42h1502t5.htm

[WhoDat?]

Do you have a canopy for a retrofit kit?

[3skitch3]

I do have a beautiful canopy but I'm not worried about removing it for the right lighting.

[Catastrophi]

Look for a retrofit kit from hellolights.com. they have some pretty inexpensive kits. I would look at two 150watts if you're just doing softies.

[WhoDat?]

Noooo. don't remove the canopy.... you can leave it on.... just use a retrofit kit... you will save a few hundred dollars... I just bought this kit for my 90 gallon and I love it.. very simple to set up....

http://www.hellolights.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=1358

you need to do some research to make sure you match the wattage to what you want to keep.....

[3skitch3]

okay I looked at the retrofit kit's. I have a few questions. First the fixture for the metal halide bulds is 3" thick making it like an inch from my water. How will that work? Second will I have to install fans inside my tank to keep it cool? Thanks for your time.

[zachfishman]

You definitely will need more space between halides and your water. I don't own halides but from what I understand most reefers keep them at least 8" or so above the waterline.

[WhoDat?]

Yes you will need fans..... Just 2 blowing across the water will do fine.... I've never seen a canopy that low profile? Usually you mount the lights to the top of your canopy and you are good to go... My lights are about 3" off the surface of the water.... My tank stays at 80 degrees..... With mh (whichever you choose) you will also need some sort of auto topoff if you don't have one already,... I evaporate about a gallon a day....

1 inch off the water seems a bit close.... Can you modify the canopy in any way to make it a bit higher?

[williamjhitchcock]

if you get t5s make sure to upgrade your bulbs to some ATI's. the generic TRU bulbs they sell with some of their T5 retrofit kits suck..