I know little about MH lighting; I know it has very good penetration. I
think you could certainly all CFs if you wanted-- even if your tank is 27
inches deep. That is only a couple of inches deeper than mine, and I have
used CF lighting to good effect. MH might be better though-- I'll leave
this question to the lighting gurus.

As for heating cable, I can only tell you that in my 135 gallon, I installed
a heating cable. It worked for a couple of weeks, and then quit. Of course
it was under waranty, but I did not want to break down the tank do get it
out for return. Frankly, it was a pain anyway, because it was hard to keep
the tank temp down during the summer with all the lighting I had. I have
survived quite well without it, and am still irritated about how quickly the
darn thing gave out on me. I say, don't waste your money. IMHO, I have had
a good looking tank going now for a couple of years, all without benefit of
cable heating. Use a qaulity substrate (flourite) and you will be fine.
(Now, my cable is beginning to surface because it has been "uprooted" as I
have replated. Its a pain to try to keep burried.)

I got my drift wood and lava rock from a lfs. Where I am, Petsmart has a
lot of that kind of stuff, and it is usually pretty well priced. (Drift wood
probably needs to be evaluated piece by piece according to your needs and
preferences, so on-line ordering may not be ideal for this purchase.) -Bruce
Geist


Bryan Casalegno wrote in message
news:emeN9.257935$pN3.19853@sccrnsc03...
I'm looking for some guidance as to the best set up solution for a 150
gallon tank.That is very deep
18w X 27H X 72L...
I want mostly plants, but fish also....
I plan on 2 150w MH and two 96w PC ...ya or na
I also am thinking of the substrate coil heater....?
any thing else.
also where is the best place to buy large amounts of
plants
drift wood

what kind of filter.
canister/wetdry?


Bryan
I'm switching back from salt to fresh....
thanks in advance for all your help!