Lighting CF or MH questions???helppppp

[Adam101]

OK so I was looking at getting a compact flouresent (2) 96 w or (4) 55 watt, but then I thought would (2) 250w MH be enough for a 50 gal? as in let me be able to get more light requiring corals eventually in the future? The tank would still have th 80 watts of Flouresent on it, that brings up a impoirtant question Do I use actinic in the flouresent and daylight bulbs in the MH? what do corals really need the most? It would look retarded of One side was a daylight MH and the other is a Actinic. Also what holds its spectrum longer? what would you get, Money isnt the object. Thanks for any input.

Edit: or would 2 175w MH be enough? if so how should I arrange the bulbs( Color wise)

[Doug1]

whats the tank dimensions?
Heres a few examples from Hello lights, for typpe comparison only
http://hellolights.com/4lamvhoretki1.html
http://hellolights.com/364x96wret.html
http://hellolights.com/25methalretk.html
the MH is single each so times 2 add $65 each for XM 250 20000K(hot setup)
comparing system price, I think the PC or CF is the least desirable alternative IMO

[Adam101]

Doug Ok so MH is the way to Go for brightness etc( how long does a MH bulb last before its spectrum is no longer correct....IE replace?) This begs another question what would work for My tank 2 175w or 2 250 w? and either way do I use my Flouresents with Actinic and the MH with daylight bulbs?

[manderson0805]

Adam, yes, Actinics with PCs, Daylight with MH

[StellaMN]

Adam, I have a 40BR, light with 2 x 175 10K and 2 x 55 W PC Actinic. I'm getting new bulbs today and will post some pics this evening....then you can see what the 175's look like.

J.

[Doug1]

MH bulbs usually last about a year before the color spectrum shifts and they are less than optimim for a reef.
the 6500K Iwasakis supposedly last longer but usually require lots of actinic to offset the yellowish tinge. The 20000K Radium should be OK without a lot of supplemental actinic, Same with the 20000K XM I would think, these are nearly as cheap as the Iwaski on that site $58 vs $65
250w MH has better bulb selection and more power than 175, so are a good compromise, unless tank is real tall then 400w may be needed.
The examples were quoted based on assumption the tank is 3' Prices would be similar for 4' with a slight upcharge for 46.5 " or 48" VHO.
I still think VHO as the starting light with dual MH added after is a good way to go.
PC or CF isnt bad on smaller tanks but on bigger tanks I just dont see the cost justification.
Compare price on replacement 55 or 96 watt PC bulbs versus VHO tubes, remember you can use a normal flourescent in a 4' VHO setup in a pinch.
Using 2 VHO actinic and a double 250 with the XM bulb should allow keeping virtually anything in a 3-4' tank
I have never seen the advantage to PC on larger tanks