new tank

[NewbReefer]

It's completly up to you wether you go with MH or T5. If it were me though i would go with T5 on a tank 18" tall. You could keep almost anything in there. LPS, SPS, clams. There are plenty of Pro's to running T5's, they run cooler, there cheaper, the bulbs last longer and are cheaper to replace, you dont have to run them 12" off the top of your tank, and im sure theres more, but... no lighting give the amount of light that your corals want like MH's. You'll be happy with either way you go

[kyle]

i saw some nova extremes 8x56 4 feet long

[NewbReefer]

If i were to go with a T5 fixture it would be one of Current-USA's nova fixtures. I use there Outer Orbit HQI/T5HO fixture on my 72g and love it.

[Bifferwine]

The Nova Extremes you mentioned are good lights. I'd highly recommend them.

[McCrary]

Corallife doesn't make a very good lighting system and it is cheaply made. Aquatraders has a cheaply made product as well, they seem to be getting better, but new reefers should probably stay away from their products. Current is better than the other two but I would try to find something a little better. Quality lighting is very important to successfully keeping coral, especially SPS. Tek light makes a really good T5 HO fixture that is relatively inexpensive (a 6 bulb unit should be perfect), Aqualight is another company that has good fixtures for a good price. The better companies use individual reflectors inside the fixture that are made from high quality polished aluminum, this significantly increases the light that is produced from the fixture. Giesemann makes a good bulb for the fixture, they also make a really cool fixture, but their fixtures are very expensive. T5's are excellent at penetrating the water column, so you shouldn't have too much trouble keeping a range of SPS with a T5 fixture. If you check out RC there is a range of cool SPS tanks that are powered by T5's. Metal halides have a really cool shimmer effect and are usually used with a pair of T5's or VHO's for actinic supplementation. Halides are going to be more expensive in terms of the cost of the fixture (if you get the T5's as well), they are also usually more expensive to run. But some people prefer them, me included, because of the look of the tank when its lit by halides. You may want to consider keeping the sand to about 1", instead of 5"-6". DSB's are great at removing nitrates, but they can become clogged and sometimes they can cause problems if the sand is disturbed. Instead consider a RDSB (remote deep sand bed), which can be placed in the fuge, in a bucket or on the back of the tank. It will also leave more room for rock, fish and coral. SpectraPure makes a killer RO/DI system that seems to be the preferred company for most experienced aquarists (I'm not sure if you can get one in Canada).

Here are a couple good sites to get stuff from:
Marinedepot.com
Premiumaquatics.com

[kyle]

kool i think i will start saving for the nova's