Center Brace on AGA 38 Gallon

[squeezix]

I've bought an AGA 38 gallon, and am building a new setup myself. I would like to use metal halides, but using two bulbs would be super costly. Using one bulb means the center brace in the tank will create a shadow smack in the middle of my tank.
I would like to use a 250 watt 12,000K and no actinics. Using a pair of 175 metal halides is prohibitively expensive, as are 150's (and they don't go above 6500K anyway).
Is there any modification I can do on this tank to shed light where the MH misses? would a pair of small actinics on each side help? Any suggestions at all?

 

[fishfarmer]

I had a shadow problem with my 38 gal. I have one 175 watt MH on one side. I added two 28 watt PC on the other. It worked great at getting rid of the shadow and gives me more options with color.

 

[Marcosreef]

Price difference of a 250w single ballast and a 175w dual PFO ballast is about $35. Extra socket and cord, $20. Plus the price of the bulb, Going for 2 175w MH setups is less than you think...

 

[Dragonlady]

My 55 gallon reef tank also has that opaque center brace. I just position the MH light slightly offcenter so the center brace does not get overheated. If the MH light is offcenter enough, there will be minimal shadow from the center brace. Just make sure the MH bulb itself is not blocked by the brace, and it should be fine. I have a 12 inch purple sebae anemone that positioned itself in the center of my tank, and it does not seem to mind the center brace above it. I would imagine that there are similar shadows on a wild reef. Depending on the organisms you wish to keep, 1 175 watt or 2 175 watt MH would be plenty of light for a 38 gallon reef tank.

[ April 03, 2002: Message edited by: Dragonlady ]</p>

 

[squeezix]

Will I get as good growth from a dual 175 as I would a single 250? 500 watts is too much power consumption in my apartment.

 

[esmithiii]

IMO go with the dual 175's otherwise you will have serious shadow if you place the bulb in the center or your tank will look seriously unbalanced if you move it to one side. Keep in mind that the light from both lamps will overlap in the center of the tank where you can put more light demanding corals.

Ernie