lighting 5 watts per gallon ?

[jaydse]

whats the rule of thumb ? for lighting a 180 gallon tank.

 

[arnjer]

that would depend on what you want to keep in
it i have seen lots of people say don't go by
the watts per gallon rule give us more info
like what you will be keeping if your using
halides then they should cover a 2 square foot area


jerry

 

[srbayless]

Howdy,

Watts per gallon is a little misleading. The more important "measure" is what type of lighting will be the source. Let's see, 5 watts per gallon for a 180 is a total of 900 watts.

You could put 22 NO fluorescent bulbs over the tank to get that wattage. I doubt that is your plan, but you can get an idea of why watts/gallon is not used.

Anyway, lets assume your 180 is a standard 6'x2'x2' tank. I would recommend 3 400w MH, most likely using the Iwasaki reef bulb. Then add 2 6' VHO actinic bulbs to give some actinic supplementation, if you feel you need it. I have a similar setup on my 180, but I am using only 3 400w 10000K bulbs with no actinics.

Good luck,

Scott.

 

[Anonymous]

As long as the tank isn't too deep (say 22" or less) and you don't plan on keeping SPS, clams or anenomes, then 5W/gal should work for VHOs and PCs.

For MH lights, most people use one every 2 to 3 feet.

Ty