Do you guys think a 250 m/h is enough for a 56 gallon reef? What size would the refuguim need to be? thanks!

Are you running a sump? Your light depends on what you want to keep & the typr of reflector you are using. 250 is probably ok for most corals as long as you have a good reflector to spread the light out to the whole tank.

GL
Craig

What are the dimensions of the tank?
If it's a 4 ft tank you'll have trouble getting an even light spread.
If it's a cube it should be good.
I've got a ~50g 3 ft tank and one 250 is powerful enough but I still have dim ends.

WELL ITS JUST A EMPTY TANK RIGHT NOW. WE HAVE THE CHOICE OF USING A 20 GALLON SUMP A 29 GALLON SUMP AND A 10 GALLON. THE LIGHT IS A ODDYESSY LIGHT WITH BUILT IN LED AND A FAN. IT DOES HAVE A GLASS COVER OVER IT AS WELL.

WELL ITS 36 INCH LANOG. ITS A OCEANIC TANK IF THAT MAKES A DIFFERNCE

With a good reflector I would think you'd be ok.

HOW DO I KNOW IF ITS GOOD?

Well a 250 should be enough light, it will just be your personal preference if the reflector doesn't get light to the ends of the tank very well. I think with a decent sized reflector you'd be fine. I just have a little double ended mini reflector and it's kind of dark at the ends, which is ok for me since it's kind of a temporary tank.

From the research I have done the Odyssea's do not have very good reflectors on them.  Also they do not have very good bulbs, so if you do buy one of those you should replace the bulbs as soon as possible.

TO WHAT KIND OF BULB? WHAT DO YOU GUYS THINK FOR A REFUGIUM ? HOW BIG?

I now find myself not knowing what we're talking about.

Is this going on a refugium? If so is it the entire length of a sump? 6500k bulb if it is going on a refugium

Also please don't type in all caps. I know I'm not the only one that finds it aggravating to read.

I hope you have good house insurance and aren't a heavy sleeper, if i were you i would do some more research on that Odyssey light fixture.  I had one I bought brand new and it nearly lit my house on fire after a few months of use.  I guess as long as you unplug it while you sleep and aren't standing in front of the tank, you "should" be alright.


Here is another guy who had one start on fire:
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=899012&highlight=Odyssey+fire


I have heard the newer versions with the electronic ballast are a lot safer however, just keep your eye on that thing and try not to get shocked if you have an older magnetic ballast version.


Jeremy

Heh. Now that you mention it Jeremy, my odyssea PC fixture caught on fire a few years back

It should be enough light, but like Ryan said, the very ends might be a little dim. You could probably just put mushrooms or zoas on those ends if you are doing a mixed reef. If you were planning on doing only sps you would probably want something else.

For what it's worth, that is the size of light I would have chose for that size of tank.

...and the size of light I DID choose for that size a tank.

Its is a 36 inch lang tank. So, what size of tank should I use to make a refugium?

What I think we are going to do is make a canopy and use the 250 m/h and retro fit 2 power compact lights in there as well what do you guys think?

Go with the 29g for the refuge, you need to keep in mined that if there is ever a power outage it will need to hold the access overflow from the main tank!!

As far as the lights go I'm not familiar with that brand, but if it only has the one 250 and a led then yes do the 2 power compacts and if it were me, I would give enough space to add an additional 250 later when the budget would allow.

Hope this helps..