Lighting Question

[Silver Wolf]

Hi all experts out there. I have a JBJ Power compact like the one on this link : http://www.jbjlighting.com/sys_formosa_dx.html. It's 48" FORMOSA DX (65W*4). My tank is 60x18x24. I'm not sure if I'm having enough lighting. I was told that I would need MH for a reef system. My question is: Can I keep the light I have now and modified it someway to add MH to it? Does anyone have any suggestions? I do have a very tight budget to work with. Thanx all in advance.

 

[taikonaut]

First of, what do you want to keep? Depends on what you have in mind, a upgrade maybe not necessary.

Second, it is a bit difficult to mod the JBJ or other commerical hood. There are just not much space in ther to work with...

 

[Len]

The Formosa DX should be okay for most soft corals and LPS. It's when you start venturing into SPS that you should use halides. That said, there's no easy way to retrofit that enclosure with a metal halide because of the spacing of the bulbs within it. The aluminum housing is perfectly suitable for MH use, but its PC bulb arrangement and the height of the enclosure are both limiting factors in retrofitting it with a MH, even double ended.

 

[Silver Wolf]

I'm thinking of some clams and SPS. My tank is 60" long. My PC is 48" long. My PC is in the middle of my tank on top of my hood. So on each side I have about 6" of free space. Can I add the DIY MH from http://aquarium.union.rpi.edu/articles/DIY_MH.html to each side under my hood? So I would have 2 MH on each side of my tank. Will this work?