Lighting input

[fritz]

I have a 55 gallon with mostly zoos, some mushrooms, candy canes and a plate coral. I'm thinking of adding some leathers and maybe some (of the more forgiving) SPS down the line. I currently run two 75 watt 10,000k VHOs and I was going to upgarde to a two bulb 220 watt VHO setup, one 6,500k 110 watt and one Actinic White 110 Watt bulb maybe add another 110 watt 10,000k if I felt I needed it.

My other option is the orbit fixture (4 x 65watt PC). I know that many MRers have used that fixture and liked it so I figured I'd ask for everyone's input. I'm not prepared to switch to MH right now and I prefer VHO to T5, so it's either going to be VHO or PC.

 

[loismustdie]

I had a 55 a few years ago and I ran 4 110w VHO (2 50/50 and 2 daylight from coralife) and 2 NO actinic 03. All DIY with an icecap 660 and a 2 bulb NO electronic ballast I got from HD. 6 bulbs are a lot, but they fit and my tank looked great. I kept SPS in there, but they had to be up top. I lined the inside of the DIY hood with tin foil. At the time I did this, I didn't have a sump, just a DIY hang on back refugium made from black acrylic, so I had no water splashing to cause salt creep. Fairly low budget. It also photographed real well.