I fully agree with you. Blinding. And with the cross member in the 46 Bow, you get a shadow with a single halide. I have that, but the shadow isn't too bad, and also helps when bringing frags up closer. I don't mind the small shadow. I have to say though, my halide sits across the room to our left, and has never been an issue. It's in a Current Outer Orbit satalite, at eye level, (I'm 6' tall) and 10.5 " from the water. AnDD I hate the idea of rigging a blind to block it from site.
With acrylic, you'll never have a shadow.
There's some cheaper LED units out there that = 250w halide for $299, most tanks needing 2 units or more. But they're econmical and cooler running, + you can drop it down close to the tank. The PAR value is as listed
PAR testing with 1 light: 119w Evolution LED at reefkoi
http://evolutionledlight.com/
http://shop.ebay.com/reefkoi/m.html
- 5" above water line shows 926 PAR at surface
- 565 PAR 5" underwater
- 263 PAR 19" underwater
- 115 PAR 23" underwater at the sandbed
I like this light, but it's only 119w, they also offer a nicer looking 200w unit on ebay and customer service before the purchase, has been excellent. They have other colour renditions, like 10 or 14K (50/50) instead of 20-25K. Also, a unit (white aluminum frame) you can replace the LED's as needed, and $50 more/unit.
Here's your "perfect set-up"
This LED by Vertex (see link at youtube below) is the best one out there I've heard of. But a 36" unit is $2,459, but hey, what it does is nothing short of spectacular. Sun and moon track across tank, simulates clouds and lightning. It is programmed through your pc too, wirelessly. I had a link for a vid that simulated the lightning with no other light on the tank, but the link is no good now at blueworldaquariums.com
http://reefbuilders.com/2010/06/10/illumina-led-light-vertex-charting-path/
Another LED option, is LED pendant light made by Cannon, and for the reef. 50w each no fan needed and around $500+ greater PAR than a 250w halide. This is of highest quality from Cannon. 12,000K white, or 453nM< blue. They also offer a fresh water pendant @ 7000K. Again, 50 w a t t s each. see a gorgeous rimmless reef tank on youtube with 5 of these guns on it. Awsome vid and great tunes. All grown under LED lights. I love the Acans! I'd like 3 of these on my 60" acrylic with blue in the middle. If they were 25w I'd get 3 each.
I love the look of halides, and up front, they're more cost effective. But you'll pay for the electric and replacement bulbs. These higher end LED's give a nice shimmer and last. Are much cooler, and greener for the earth.
And greener for the earth is greener for the great reefs, oceans and polar caps.
Should you spring for another light, T5's are nice, alone, and a single halide would be plenty for a 36" tank supplemented with T5's. But you could sell your unit on ebay that you currently have. Sounds like a nice unit though.
My 90g that broke, had been set up, again, and again. And this time, it had been running with salt water and sand only, for a week while I made adjustments. Then it just cracked diagonally, top left corner to bottom right, with glass shifted out enough to absolutely POUR. I opened the window catching what we could in totes, and tossed it out as fast as we could, feet getting shocked along the way. Then I cut the carpet out, and put fans on the sub floor a few days. Thank God we were home!!! I had alot of scratches on this all glass tank. Perhaps that was the cause. Maybe the stand, but deffinitely, when I purchased an acrylic.