Need lighting help

[Sea~Horse~Whisperer]

I'm not sure what kind of lighting to put on the New 45G high sea horse tank. Because of the height (about 24 inches) I'm not sure what to put on here. Will PC's penetrate all the way to the bottom for my softies, zoanthids, and sea grasses? I could go with VHO but the PC's are so much cheaper. I can get 220w of PC for under 60.00.

I'd appreciate any input you may have. Anyone have a 24 in high tank that DOESN'T have MH on it?

Thanks,
Angie

[ReefNeck]

I would recommend T5 HO's. The PC's will get to the bottom but not much intensity.

The T5 HO's are not that much more than PC's and less than VHO.

That is IMHO as far as the Corals go.....As for what the ponies need......No Idea. ;)

[dakar]

Angie how much room do you have in the canopy from end to end, and front to back for lamps/reflectors? Loading it with PC's may be the easiest route to get more lighting overall, 2x more light for the same space, they'll punch through the first 19" of water pretty well, but loose about 50% after that. T5's may gain you a couple of extra inches of penetration, but if your sandbed is 4" or so then the penetration losses may be irrelevant.

[perpetual98]

T5 bulbs will last 2-3x as long as the PC bulbs though too. Something to keep in mind.