Advice on lighting a large tank

[ozzyboo]

I have a 200 gallon tank that I will be starting to set up very soon,I will start a journal once it gets going.
Now I am not sure on the lighting that I should put under the hood,I have enough starters for 6 54w T5 HO,which is effectivley 3 tubes running the whole length on the tank.The tubes will be approx 26-27" above the substrate,I will also be adding a few SMD led moduals for dawn a dusk simulation and moon light,I also like the effect they give.
I am aiming for medium high light,I would like to be able to grow valis,crypts some of the easier red stem plant some thing like one of the Alternanthera variants,one or two of the red sword variants,various mosses attached to wood.I also want to have some fast growing plants to help with the initial start up and balancing everything to avoid algea.I am not really looking for any carpet type plants as I want to keep an area of sand free for the corries and loaches.
So should I go for 4 or 6 tubes to try and acheive the light level I am looking for,the tank will have injected CO2 and will be filtered buy a large eheim and a sump plus additional koralia's to produce good flow around the tank.
Thanks in advance.

 

[sanj]

4 x 54w is ample on a 200 gallon. IMO 6 tubes is overkill and more than likely lead to problems. I am guessing this is a 7ft or 8ft long aquarium?

 

[ozzyboo]

Thanks for your opinion.Yes it is a 7.5ft tank,It will be 2 tubes spanning the entire length of the tank with a very small overlap in the middle.I will also be trying to incorperate some leds more for effect than the abillity to grow plants.

 

[sanj]

I think that would be fine. When you initially start keep your photo period down 6-7 hours. I dont go above 8 hours full lighting even when the tank plant growth has matured.