Canopy Lighting How To's

Hate to revive an old thread but I am looking at doing this as well with a custom canopy and halides- These seem like the best deal I can find- Coralvue 250watt Complete Retro Kit Includes 250w ballast, Coralvue Bulb, Reflector
It seems kelvin is somewhat subjective, recommendations on which bulb? Is 400w overkill if I will be keeping sps on a 65 gal 36"w x 18"d x 25"h tank?

 

Yes.. and no.

A pair of 400W would allow you to have SPS at all levels of the tank. LPS, Softies, and Leathers would struggle to survive in that massive amount of light. You will also have heat issues if not dealt with properly.

A pair of 250W will allow you to have SPS in Most levels of the tank. Montis, Digis, LPS in the bottom 6 inches.

This is all dependent on what ballast / bulb / reflector combo that you use.
Personally, I run 250W on a 27" deep tank and have sps down to 4 inches from the sand bed. Good reflectors are worth their weight in gold.