Hey,

Im looking at a tank at the mo and really like it, but before i buy it or put it on layby, :unsure: , i wanna know how much room i need underneath the hood because i wanna closed in system, not open, and if MH's or similar lights arnt gonna fit, there aint much point in buying it is there! :P So how much room do i need underneth for reef lighting, and by the way, ill probably need some help deciding on apropraite lighting also!

If its retrofit kit then you need at least 8-10 inches of clearance between the bulb and the top of the tank. If your buying a fixture to put on it like the popular 2 x 150 watt halides with built in 2 x 96 watt actinic then about 6 inches (using the legs that come with it is adequate as the fixtures are heavily vetilated. If the tank is acrylic I would suggest at leat 10-12 inches on a retrofit kit to avoid warping or damaging the acrylic top! just a suggestion......

What would be better?

A tank without lids, so MH's can hang from my ceeling or

A tank with a hood. Which may limit my choices....???

WHats ur opinions guys?

Without A hood, makes it alot easier on you. And id suggest 1 or more (depending on size) 400watt MH, not much more epxensive, infact sometimes cheaper depending on the supplier, and much more lighting. Your corals will thank you.

What sort of system are you going to setup? FO, FOWLR, Reef??

Shae

Im goin Reef, although who knows when ill be able to afford one. I was lookin for one, but recent issues set me back. IM still keen and hungry for information though! :D Money shalt not stop me! Muahahhah :laugh:

Reef is quite advanced, generally hobbyists start off with a FOWLR system and turn it slowly into a reef system, but have a light bioload (fish). thats the generaly idea anyway.

If you've got any questions im more than happy to try and help, Im setting up my marine in the next few months, Sumped 600l system. Ive been researching it for the last few years, making sure i have everything perfect before jumping into the saltwater side of things.

Shae

FO or FOWLR is definitely a good way to start but dont get too itimidated on a reef tank though...Just got to make sure you got things well thought out and your ducks in a row.

In fact thats exactly how I started out with my first SW tank. I set everything up got it running, cylcled the tank with my new live rock and frequently tested my water almost daily. Once things were looking good and the cycle over I added a healthy clean up crew and some damsels and waited a couple of weeks and then added my first small coral. While things went well with the first few corals I did loose a couple over the next year, all of which were SPS corals. The corals out lasted the couple of damsels I started with.

I think too adding a couple of the more hardier corals is better than adding a fish as its less of an impact on the system as far as bio-load goes. Something such as StarBurst Polyps, Mushrooms and such should work out well. Doing so though will require that you have something decent in the way of lighting right up front though...