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Large tank lighting and to sump or not to sump?



Hi everyone,
I found a great deal on a large tank. I will be setting it up after I sell my 
present house and move into another one.

The tank is an Oceanic 240 gallon reef ready. 8 feet long x 2 feet deep x 2 
feet tall.

I am going to be using Metal Halide lighting, 175 watt lamps. I have purchase 
three 2 x 175 watt retro kits. I am debating between using 4 or 5 175 watt MH 
lamps. 6 seems like overkill to me, but I could also do that. I think a 
general rule of thumb is one 175 watt lamp for every two feet of tank length. Other 
considerations are that this is a rather deep tank compared to others I have 
had. I can easily resell one of the retro kits if I only use two of the kits.

So how many 175 watt lamps should I use: 4, 5, or 6?

I'm also trying to decide whether to use a sump or just plumb the Eheim 
Cannisters into the bulkhead fittings like I did my old 125 gallon.

I'd appreciate any input from list members that use sumps in thier planted 
tanks.

Thanks for any help.

Dave 


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