Watts needed to keep Acropoa

Hello all 3reefers. I was wondering how many watts would be needed to keep Acro's, clams and SPS in my 75 gal. I am looking at getting an HQI fixture when I know the right unit for my needs. Thanks for the help.

 

Some sps and clams can be kept under power compact lighting. Squamosa and Durasa clams under strong pc/t5 lighting (ie. 7 watts per gallon) would do for awhile, atleast while they are small. When clams are small they don't require significant lighting to survive, rather rely on plankton till they reach around 4-5 inches or so in diameter, then they will switch to intense lighting to seek the nutrients required for their survival, due to zooanthellae.
As far as sps go, Montipora and Pavona can be kept also under pc's and t5 or vho's, however the bright colors will not be as evident under those lighting schemes. You are better off going with hqi metal halides of 175 watt bulbs(2) at least, to really capture the brilliant colors of these corals! I have four different kinds of Montipora as well as Pavona, Seriatopora, Turbinaria, and two different kind of Acropora one of which is Millipora Acropora(blue) which is very hardy. The other Acropora is a green one however the green isn't so pronounced due to lower lighting. I will be stepping up to 250 watt metal halides soon as I set up a 125 gallon tank and sell my 75 gallon.
Which ever way you chose, just make sure to acclimate your corals slowly or you run the risk of bleaching or burning them and stressing them out, ultimately, resulting in death of your coral.

 

Im gona agree with coral reefer on the clams...not that great idea unless mh. But, for the sps, with my new T-5HOs and even my PCs the montis had color. With the T-5s they are getting alot of color...good looking stuff. I think people underestimate the power of T-5s...i admit if u can go with mh, i would...but with power comes problems. I know many people say they dont have heating issues and such. Well i have 4 tanks at the lab with mhs and we are really not looking forward to getting chillers...the tanks are always around 80...not that bad, but summer is gona be troublesome.