Lighting Suggestions for a 240

[AQREEF]

Need lighting suggestions for a 240 gallon. I have enough halides for setting it up with 175, 250, 250HQI, or 400. I also have up to 24 T5HO on hand... The tank is 8x2x2, so looking at LED is annoyingly $$$, maybe a few LEDs down the middle and a couple T5 on the front or back? At the minute I was thinking to switch to plusrite halides for cost savings on bulbs, and the fact that it would cost a fortune to put LEDs on the tank. So what do you all suggest?

[larryandlaura]

Well if you got the stuff now set it up! You can always change later if need be!

[Reefing Madness]

4 250w Halides would do nicely. I use the Plusrite Halides, never had any trouble with them. But the recommendations are going to be based off what you are planning on keeping in there. I have 2 Halides over the outter section of mine and LED's in the center, the Halides I use are 175w, but I don't intend on getting any SPS or clams. So 3 lights are plenty if your not going full blown Reef. 250w would get you the light penetration for SPS and clams, if you kept them under the lights and not in the corners that the light would not hit all the way, if using 3 halides.

[AQREEF]

Alright for the sake of cheap and easy I am going to with 3-400 watt plusrite halides and 2-4 T5HO I think... Once those burn their life I might switch up to something that would run cooler (right around summer LOL). We will have to wait and see what I can afford then.