Lighting help!!

been in process of getting my 180g wide 72 x 24 x 25 with canopy setup, need help with the lighting the canopy has a middle support so i was thinking going with
Lumenarc IV or Lumenarc A3 Mini(b/c of center brace in canopy) so any thoughts on that and what setup from there, what ballasts and bulbs??

I talked to a guy at aquacave.com and he suggested:
Hi Steve,
>> I would recommend going with single ended lumenarc reflectors like
>> PGS
> minis
>>
>> Here is the link: http://www.aquacave.com/detail.aspx?ID=1210
>> They will give you much wider lamp selection especially if you decide
>> to
> use
>>
>> 400W.
>> They do not require glass lens and when used with electronic ballasts
>> you will get similar output out of them as you would with HQI lamps.
>> Galaxy or IceCap ballasts would be my first choice.

So if i go with his advise i would go with 2- Lumenarc III Mini Reflectors(Cause of the center brace in canopy), icecap ballasts, 400w xm 15k bulbs.

any words?? i posted 2 months ago but some ppl were getting in wars MH VS T5's i want MH for sure, not to affend you t5 ppl. Thanks.

 

does the tank have a center brace or does the canopy? what type of corals are you going to house?

 

The canopy has a center brace, the tank has 3 glass tops.

 

i had a 150 split in two once, the center brace was sitting on the bottom of the tank and the front glass bowed about 4" until it snapped. the glass tops were on the inside held with only silicone. what type of tank are you creating fish or coral, and if coral what type sps or lps?

 

I don't want to be held back, def coral, i would like to do it right once.

 

3 - 400 w mh with
4 -96 w pc
that will provide enough light for almost any coral
1584 watts total puts you at 8.8 w / gal
7-10 w / gal for a reef tank, its a gereral rule of thumb
heres a site to help with the rest of what really matters
Advanced Aquarist's Online Magazine - Lateral Lines: Classification and Terminology For Reef Aquarium Lighting
tangster latched me onto bluelife sps bulbs
Blue Life
you can buy them at marinedepot
400 Watt 10000K Metal Halide Bulb - Blue Life SPS (South Pacific Sunlight), Mogul Base (Saltwater Aquarium Supplies > Lighting > Bulbs > Metal Halide > Single Ended > 400 Watts )
i use a combination pc, there are others though
Current USA 96W Dual Actinic 03/7100K Blue Sunpaq PowerCompact Bulb - Square Pin (Saltwater Aquarium Supplies > Lighting > Bulbs > Power Compact > Square Pin > 96 Watts > Actinic/ Blue )
lighting is personal preference with the looks of the home aquarium the first site is what matters the most.

 

Thanks for the info gave me some stuff to think about, the problem is i can't fit 3 refectors with center brace in the way, there is a cut out in the brace, i may be able to fit 4-96w 48" pc's there. they would fit in between the two reflectors i want to get. attached is a layout of the canopy.

 

what about cutting the brace, get rid of it and or split the canopy into 3 sections with other braces. diy

 

I was thinking of cutting the middle part of the brace and it would still make contact 4in infront and in the back, which i would think that should be enough to hold the weight it diesn't look like it's doing anything now but when i add lighting not sure if it being 72in if it will start to bow and that is where the brace will come in.

 

here is an updated pic i will see if i can get a pic w/o the canopy covers.