Lighting advise

[memphistriathlete]

Ok, so I am just starting my planted discus aquarium. I got a great deal on a 175 gallon bow front tank and lighting system. Now, the guy I bought it from was doing salt water so it is geared towards that.
The plan is to plant alot of sword plants in the background with a few crypts and then have dwarf hair grass in the front.
Here is the problem (not even sure if I have one). Lighting system is 3 175w metal halide lights at 14000k. It also has 2 60inch VHO lights that are blue but the ballist is out for it and I wasnt planning on using it. When I turn on the 3 MH bulbs it looks like a tanning booth! My plan is to just go ahead and use them and when they start burning out replace them with 10k bulbs. Will my swords like the 14k MH ok for now?
Will I fry my Discus or pepper them with the bright light. I could always unscrew the middle bulb and go with 2 175w bulbs if it is too bright.
I need advise!

[Moon]

a 175w MH lamp puts out about 14000 lumens. If the foot print of your tank is 6'x2'. The amount of light entering your tank is 14000/12 = 1166 fc I think that would be adequate for a planted tank. I would go with one MH lamp. If you use more than that might get an algae bloom.

[Apistomaster]

The 14000K is not ideal for fresh water plants. There are 6500K, 175 watt MH bulbs available that are ideal.

It seems to me that the average amount of lumens as Moon calculated are unrealistic. MH fixtures are designed to be directional, one would have a very intensely lit area directly under the one fixture but light intensity is inversely proportional to the square of the distance from the source.
Two fixtures on a timer will provide more uniform lighting.
It takes a lot of plants and CO2 to utilize this intensity of lighting. The cost of sufficient plants seems to me to warrant by passing experimentation with the wrong lamps and spending the $125 it would cost to buy 6500K lamps and knowing that the plants will thrive. CO2 is almost a given unless you use the one 6500K to 10,000K lamp, high above the tank and choose plants with lower lighting requirements. I hope you like having a bright room if you opt to go with my latter alternative.

[memphistriathlete]

I know that 6500 is optimal for plants but I have read that it doesnt make the fish look all that good. 14000 is too blue but I was thinking about going the 10000 route. I plan on doing quite a few plants in there (at least 7 swords and ground cover). I think I will buy 1 10000 bulb and plug it in and see how it looks. If the plants will grow well with 10k, then that might be my way to go. How does that sound?

[Ed13]

3 Iwasaki 6,500k bulbs, Co2, lots of Amazons, wood or rocks between the Amazons and the foreground(anubias on them if you like), dwarf hairgrass up front. SIMPLE:D

If you don't plan on doing reds whether it be fish or plants go ahead and use the 10,000k(it'll grow plants perfect they'll just look odd), lots of green plants and blue fish look great under it, could even use the 14,000k since they are used its very unlikely they are putting numbers similar to new.

[Wahter]

I know that 6500 is optimal for plants but I have read that it doesnt make the fish look all that good. 14000 is too blue but I was thinking about going the 10000 route. I plan on doing quite a few plants in there (at least 7 swords and ground cover). I think I will buy 1 10000 bulb and plug it in and see how it looks. If the plants will grow well with 10k, then that might be my way to go. How does that sound?

I think 6700K lights make the fish look fine. It's a whiter looking light, but if you want everything to have a reddish or bluish hue, then the others (colored) lights are better.

Just my opinion.


Walter