90 gallon lighting

[crendon2003]

I recently upgraded to a 90 gallon tank from a 55, i have the coralife aqualight 2x metal halide 150w and 2x 96w actinics. But the new tank i got came with a 6 - 54w bulb t5 lighting system. which one should i use?? oh i wanna keep sps, lps, and softies. Dimensions of tank are 48Lx 18Wx 25D.

[pirates]

your MH lighing is about 492 watts = 5.4666666666666666667 watts per gallon and the
t5 is 324 watts = 3.6 watts per gallon so if you are wanting sps they need more lighting a reef tank needs 4 to 8 watts per gallon. There are generally two considerations when planning wattage, tank depth and the requirements of various types of corals. For SE bulbs, tanks 18" and shorter it is recommended to use 175. For tanks 18-24” deep 250 watt bulbs are recommended and tanks 24" and over will use 400 watt MH bulbs. I have found most soft and large-polyped-stony corals to do just fine within 5-15 inches from a 175 watt bulb and 10-24 inches from a 400 watt bulb. Most small-polyped-stony corals survive within 5-10 inches from a 175 watt but appear to thrive within 5-15 inches of 250 and 400 watt bulbs. For DE bulbs it is generally recommended for tanks 22” or shorter to go with 150 watt and for tanks 22-30” deep to use 250 watt bulbs. 70 watt DE bulbs can be used for tanks under 15” deep and for tanks over 30” deep 400 watt DE bulbs are usually recommended. These are all just general statements to assist in going the correct route with choosing wattage. Water clarity and quality will also play a big factor in allowing light to penetrate deeper in the tank And you will have heat problems if you use the MH lighting i have a 90 gallon reef i have sps lps ect. and i am running 716 watts on my 90 gallon i have 2X 250 watts Mh and 4 t5s and i have to have a chiller to keep the water for over heating hope that helps

[sin142]

I'm in the same boat. Friend of mine gave me a MH setup with 2x 175w XM 15K and 2X 55w PC actinics. I've been told the same by my LFS to upgrade to 250w MH and slap on a chiller before getting expensive corals.

[crendon2003]

was thinking of doing the upgrade i saw on another thread by switching the 150s to 250s with new ballast.

[oscar.millan]

Stick with the MH in my opinion a better option.