MH needed for 5 ft Tall - 750 gallons

Another option would be this ballast:

Amazon.com: Lumatek 1000W 120/240V HPS/MH Dimmable E-Ballast: Patio, Lawn & Garden

And you could try 600w or even 1000w MH bulbs. Your electric would be through the roof, and you'd definitely need a chiller, but you'd have some more MH choices in case 400w doesn't quite reach the bottom of the tank.

 

I think you're going a little overboard on lighting. If you're not doing live corals then you don't need that much lighting and it will cause issues with algae growth.

My recommendation would be to start small and add more if you think you need more light after you see it set up. If you really want metal halides then consider getting the Galaxy dimmable ballasts and start with 250W then move up.

 

That's true. On the flip side, if he ever did want to go SPS, then the higher lighting could work to his benefit down the road. I like the idea of a dimmable ballast. That way you can try different wattages out.

 

This is what I was thinking. The whole purpose is just visual light, not par. You will get that easily. More light will simply mean more algae.

I would suggest LEDs with tight optics. Way less power consumption and heat production. The savings of a chiller and all the parts of MH system will probably make even the initial cost close...

You really don't need much light in a fowler system. In my 150g Fowler, I'm using a single t5 bulb and it lights 30 inches of tank depth with no problem.

 

For a fish only I'd get a 5' tek 8 lamp t-5 set up..

 

I would consider LED. Maybe contact Ecoxotic as they have tons of experience lighting public aquariums with their Ecoxotic Cannon. the cost of going this route will reduce electrical consumption, decrease top off water and really won't be much different in startup costs. but any difference will be off-set quickly with energy savings.

 

why not try some LEDs...if part of the tank wont be visible below a certain point and its just for a fish only tank you could also put submersible LED lights since you arent growing corals at the bottom of the tank that would give you full coverage from top to bottom unless im missing something, maybe someone else will chime in on this idea?

 

submersible LED lights? do you have a link?

that sounds pretty awesome.

 

theyre all over ebay but im 90% sure they dont do anything for corals but they come in strips that are fully submersible

theres all different types

http://www.ebay.com/sch/Aquarium-Fi...e led lights&_catref=1&_trksid=p3286.c0.m1538

 

That's awesome. If it's for a FOWLR, then that would be okay. That would definitely light up the bottom of the tank if the LEDs up above didn't penetrate to the bottom.

The more I think about it. If LEDs were used and didn't make the bottom completely bright, I think I'd leave it that way. It would be neat to have a bright upper half and a darker bottom. That's what the ocean is like anyway.