Not sure how much light i will need..HELP

Hi,

im trying to figure out the amount of metal halide lighting i will need over a 24" by 24" square by 14" high tank. will 150 w be enough?14K i want to put clams and other corals in pom pom xenia, torch coral ,ricordias and of course... fish and anemones. you get the picture.
im worried this wont be enough light . but being such a shallow tank im thinking maybe yes. is there a rule of thumb for depth and lighting needs?


my last tank had 3 lights till i got it right. dont want to waste money like that again. want the right one to start with.

 

150 w will be plenty for a 14" high tank.

 

What did you figure out the last time that made it right?
I'm not 100% on your answer but i personally try to target min of 4 watts per gallon for a reef (but it depends on the occupants).

24" x 24" x 14" = 8064in3
8064in3 / 231 = 34.9 gal

34.9 gal x 4 watts = 139 watts

Your 150watt would be plenty

 

thank you both for your answers.

oh with the old tank i had t5 lights ,german bulbs with moon lights.
not so crazy about t5 lights. but had a canopy and halides i felt would heat up to much so thats why i had t'5s ...prefer the shimmer of the halides. the new tank is open top the light will hang over it. so i defiantly want the halide light. just wasnt sure what would be the best set up and watt.

 

is this light over kill? Aquarium Specialty

i dont want to be sorry i didnt go higher end with the light. this seems to be able to shut down the t5's or use them 2 at a time. could try to simulate day light that way.

wish i could see this in person! uuurrrggghhh why is every thing so darn expensive!!!!

 

that light should work just fine for you.

 

first choice WAS this . Current USA 150W 14000K HQI Pendant w/ Hanging Arm & Electronic Ballast

but i think Infiniti 24" Fixture 150W HQI will be better in the long run and not leave me limited. too bad there are no moon lights

 

Hey Pink,check out Hamilton Technologies Belize Sun 24inch at Marineandreef.com,looks like a real nice fixture and is much cheaper than the one you were looking at.Sorry no link,not real computer savvy.

 

thanks i will look into it. it doesnt say if it uses a fan or not. will have to look into it a bit more