Lighting question

Sorry I forgot to put in that My final goal is to have a mixed reef tank with some hard corals. I want to be able to keep monti and some acro. I was also wondering how many tangs I can keep in my tank. I really want to keep a naso tang. Would that be ok?

A 75g tank is very small for a Naso - I've had mine for almost six years and I have to say that my 6' tank seems small for her.

VHO lighting works well for softies and LPS. I wouldn't expect much luck with SPS though. In that case, T5 bulbs would be the better choice. A 75g is 16" front to back, correct? If so, you have room for 4 VHO bulbs, and perhaps as much as 6 T5 bulbs.

If you go with VHO, you can get an IceCap 660 ballast, and buy two Actinic bulbs from your LFS or online, and two Daylight 6500K bulbs from Home Depot. That's the best money-saving idea I can give you. Those Daylight bulbs are $5 each, and will last 6 months. Just replace them twice a year. The VHO actinics may last longer - that's up to you.

I would go with T-5's. I know they are a little more expensive up front but the long term savings in energy is a major plus! Not to mention, you will get way more par out of the T-5's, grow anything you want, and will be able to get color look you want out of them. I am running 2 t-5's as supplemental lighting to MH's and I am easily going on 2 years without changing them. They are the Giesemann Actinic Plus and they still look good color wise! I would really think hard about T-5's, either a fixture or DIY!! Good lick!