lighting opinions for 92 gal. corner tank

[mlnowak]

I ordered my 92 gal. RR corner tank from the LFS. I was upgrading from a 55gal FOWLR. I ordered myself some lights from Champion to go with the new tank. I got the following:

36in 2x96w (1 daylight, 1 actinic)
24in 2x65w (1 daylight, 1 actinic)

Fortunately, or unfortunately (depends on how you look at it), the vendor dropped my special order tank and broke one of the sides. So, I haven't installed the lights yet and Champion will take them back.

I'd like to make this a full reef and eventually put some clams and maybe SPS into this tank and need opinions on lighting. The tank is one of those odd "pie-shaped" tanks, so getting stuff to fit is one of the challenges. Dimensions are 34in per straight side and 24in deep. Right now I'm leaning toward the following CSL retro kit from Champion:

1 250w 6500k Iwasaki
24in 2x32w PC actinics

Will this be enough light? What about going with an e-ballast?

Thanks for your opinions

 

[Alex1]

Since you want to have clams and SPS I would go with the 250w MH as for the other lighting the PC's are great. I would also look into JBJ retro kits because they have a 13 month warranty on them so if there is a problem take it back to your store or send it to the company. CSL are good lights to but they don't have a warranty. I would defenatly get a electronic ballast. Blue Lines are pretty god MH ballasts.

Alex

 

[Totlxtc]

I have a 250watt MH and (2) 75watt VHO's on my 54g corner and dont think this is enough light. So on a 92g tank it would be iffy. If going MH, go with the 400watt or (2) 250's. That or you will have to keep everything isolated right under the lamp.

 

[Anonymous]

I have a 92 gallon corner tank with 1 96W Smartlamp, and 1 150W HQI MH fixture. It is PLENTY of light, and my clams are just fine including some maximas. Keep in mind a 150W HQI is more equivelent to a normal 250W bulb.
Jim

 

[mlnowak]

Thanks for the advice. Question on the orientation of the lights. I'm planning on placing the 36" PCs across the front of the tank closest to the bow. Now for the MH, would you mount that "vertically" (with the socket closest to the overflow, perpendicular to the PCs), or "horizontally" (in ths same orientation as the PCs, behind the PCs)?

 

[Circa]

Slime Coat I know this is off topic but do you notice distorion with the corner bowfront tank? And how much space is on the bottem of your tank is their lots of room for a sump, skimmer etc...

 

[mlnowak]

As I mentioned in my original post, the bastards at the LFS managed to break my tank after I waited over 12 weeks for it. So, I can't say with certainty whether or not there is distortion on the bow front corner tanks.

What turned me onto these tanks in the first place was a visit to a different LFS where they had two 54 gal AGA tanks up and running. They looked great and I don't recall any major distortion. I ordered the Oceanic 92 gal because I wanted a thicker glass for durability, but that, in and of itself, might cause more distortion. That said, have you ever looked at a "normal" tank near a corner? There's some serious refraction going on there.

With regards to your question about space under the stand for sumps, pumps and such, It is a quirky space to fill. While I don't have the exact dimensions of the base on the Oceanic, I did measure a used AGA base for sale at a LFS. Each side is 34 in. (~86cm) and if you draw a straight line across the bow its about 48 in (~122cm). I'm planning on going the sump, skimmer, external pumps route. At least on graph paper, the equivalent of a 20gal tall sump (24Lx12Wx16H) will fit. Since I have a few Iwaki pumps laying around, I'm using those and having my bulkheads cut in the sides rather than on the ends of the sump. I'm thinking of going with an Aqua C EV skimmer in the sump. I'd love to put a Refugium in the sump too, but need to see if I can fit one in the limited space. I did see a nice Lifereef Refugium setup, which is external to the sump, that I might be able to squeeze under there. The access "port" isn't huge in the front of the base, so I hope all this will be accessable.

Let me know if you find anything else out.