too much lighting??

I dont know why you want to up-grade your lights. You just dont like them anymore or you want to have more light demanding corals. If I where you, this would be my plan. Keep what you have now, you said you had a year before you where going to up grade to a bigger tank. Save up your money in that time and do alot of research as to which corals you like and how to take care of them, where to place them etc etc. That way when the time comes, you buy the right tank, corals, lights and equipment and hopefully have saved enough money to buy the good stuff and you dont have to worry about having mix and match lights(150w with a 250w) and having to sell that to be able to buy the other ones. I know its easier said then done, but I wish I knew then, what I know now. I could have saved alot of time and money. Trust me, I've been there, done that and have a freakin T-shirt.;D Luna

 

Agreed Luna!! Just throwing out MO, maybe a little too in-depth, as I tend to plan wwwaaaaayyyyy ahead!!;D

Just do your research, and you will find the right fit!! If your only keeping the 29 for about a year, get the hang of keepin some fish and a few softies, decide what you want, then you should be more than ready for the upgrade with as few kinks as possible!!!

 

right now i am running 2 96w PC. and its an old light, the fans are broken. and to be honest i dont like the fact that i cant turn the attinic on sperate from the 1200k. not to metion i am pretty sure the light shocks me every time i touch the light housing and the water at the same time. i just think its time for an upgrade. plus i want to make sure that i have enough for what ever bitchin coral i come across.

 

I've been "reefin" since 1987 and I wish I started the way I just explained it to you. What ever you choose, I wish you luck and if you need any help, just count on us. Luna
BTW. I had a 45 tall gal tank with (2) 65w Pc's for over 8 yrs and I never had a problem. I didnt have every coral under the sun, but I had the basics.

 

thats why i was asking, thanx for the advice...its not like i am running out in the middle of the night to deposit cash in my bank account so i can use my paypal account. haha;D

 

Well i may be outa my relm here' but i run total combined halide/super actinic (1520 watts) equates to 6.9 watts per gallon ,
My tank of course is 30 inches deep , which means i have alot of room to "play" as far as placement up or down to acheive the corals favorite spot .
but Beware of metals most don't consider when running halides as they generate alot of heat and that transfers into the water and soon you could be over heating your prized animals/ ( hence a need for an expensive chiller )
and ballests get un-godly hot ive had to add a fan to the wall in the back room just to keep the aluminum cases
and i keep a small fan on the wall aimed at the top of the water as to keep air moving across it to keep surface temp down