How to light 180 gallon tank?

[MisplacedTexan]

Birthday is coming up soon and wife says she will "look the other way" if I wanted to splurge on new lights for 180 gallon tank. Got the tank, stand, sump and most equipment used from various places but can't find any lights I like. I am also trying to buy everything marine grade, so if I want to convert to saltwater at a later date I have the option. Right now leaning towards the Current USA Orbit Marine.

http://youtu.be/wIEe8Z6Hanc

Wife and I like the "Sunrise and Sunset" ramp timer, and she thinks the "Lightning Storm" would be a fun conversation piece. 

The question I have deals with how to best light the tank?  The tank is going in my basement so there won't be much natural light, the tank will have a black background and lighter tanish/white substrate.It's the standard 6x2x2 tank with the two black cross bars.  The longest light bar from Current USA is 48" and I don't know if it will be enough light. Would it be better to buy 2 36" bars or even 3 24" light bars? Any recommendations, suggestions, or words of wisdom on this matter?

[Ron]

What species do you plan on keeping? This might impact what kind of lighting would be best. If you were to keep fronts, I'd suggest not making the tank too bright in order to keep them comfortable. However, if you were keeping a shallow, sand-dwelling species, they'll be much more tolerable of bright lighting.

The color of the fish may also impact your choice, as you'd want to chose a bulb that best shows their colors. If you can get a light spectrum profile on the bulb, you're looking for lighting that is heavy in the colors of the fish you'll be keeping.

With regards to marine, keep in mind that lights decrease output over time. If you switch to a marine reef setup, you'll need to replace any bulbs you already have at that point.