How Much Light Is Too Much Light?

[Rynofasho]

So I was all ready to go out and get an AquaticLife 4x54W T5HO fixture with 4 LEDs for my new 75 - it is a reef light, but I really want nice LEDs for night viewing and 4x54W puts me at about 2.88W/G on my new tank. I've always been hearing that that is still not a ton of light, and suddenly I'm reading the lighting stickys on PlantedTank and they have all these charts and yada and a lot of people are saying that putting a 4x54W setup on a 20" deep tank with the light suspended 4" above the tank is actually TOO MUCH light. That kind of flies in the face of all other practical knowledge I'd heard before. They said suspending it 12" above the tank is much better and that at 4" you'll have terribly algae, etc.

What are everyones thoughts on this? PS I will NOT be using CO2, at least not at first and will be fertilizing using EI more than likely.

 

[KittyKat]

I am just sitting here quietly wondering why you actually *want* what much light..?

 

[StandbySetting]

If you're not using CO2 then you're asking for Algae, a single T8 or T5 running the length of the tank will be sufficient, you can buy cheap LED's from ebay for night viewing.

 

[RadaR]

That's a mountain of light!
There's also little point of using EI if you aren't injecting CO2. "EI is more for CO2 enrichment only" (EI's founder Tom Barr).