I'm planning to set up a 30 gallon long (16" deep) reef tank. I was wondering if two 96 Watt power compacts are too much for a 30 gallon. Any advance would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance!
Yes there is such a thing - the technical term is "photoinhibition."
But fear not, your proposed setup is not close to that level. We have setup many 30 gallon tanks with 2 x 96W compact fluorescents with excellent results.