Coral selection / Lighting reqs

[RLG2182]

So the time has come to start thinking about what kind of corals I want... and coincidentally... what kind of lighting I need. Since I know my birthday is coming up soon here, and I'm not in a rush to buy corals, I want to plan for the best setup. I know lighting is determined by what you want to keep, so here's the stuff that interests me thus far:

Colony Polyp, Zoanthus sp
Starburst Polyp, Pachyclavularia sp
Brain Coral, Trachyphyllia, Trachyphyllia geoffroyi
Torch Coral, Euphyllia glabrescens
Bubble Coral, Green, Plerogyra sp (and maybe other colors)
Hammer / Anchor Coral, Euphyllia ancora
Blue Striped Mushroom, Actinodiscus sp
Spotted Mushroom, Actinodiscus sp
Toadstool Mushroom Leather Coral, Brown, Sarcophyton sp
Pumping Xenia, Silver Branch, Xenia sp
Feather Duster, Sabellastarte sp

And maybe down the road in a year or so:

Bulb Anemone (BTA), Entacmaea quadricolor
Crocea Clam, Tridacna crocea
Maxima Clam, Tridacna maxima

I know the VERY optional clams will require MH's, and the BTA and most others need a mature tank. But would you guys take any off that list from bad experiences? What overall lighting would you all recommend would be best to light my 60 gal? 4X65 PC? (2) 175w MH? (2) 250w MH? Some kind of VHO/T5 funny business? (17high X 15wide)

TIA!!! Any help would be greatly appreciated!

 

[RLG2182]

Beuler? Beuler? Anyone? Thanks! (bump)

 

[saberry]

Here are a couple to consider, also, you might check into Deresa Clams - they are the least light hungry giant clams. You could get by with strong PC's for them; For the other clams, you would need halides or place them near the top.

http://www.hellolights.com/pfo6po.html

http://www.hellolights.com/15pfomipe.html (if you go with pendants, you can add another one later if you get a bigger tank - cheaper than having to start over.)

 

[Salttanker]

MH would be the best route to cover your list.

Mike

 

[RLG2182]

Hmmm... never considered those. I was thinking retrofit though since I have my own canopy... should've mentioned that in the first place

Would 250W MH be overkill for me, or should I get 175W?

Thanks for the input... I look forward to more help!

 

[Salttanker]

The retro MH are very easy to setup. For your list, MH will cover everything on there. I think you might come up short using PC only, but grocery lists change all the time.

Mike

 

[saberry]

250's wouldn't quite be overkill, but with a 17" depth, you would do really well with 150's - especially DE's. Plus you'll have less heat to deal with and a lower electric bill.

 

[RLG2182]

Eeeeeeeeek! 8O $228 each for those pendents... captivereefs has Coralvue MH retro kits for $190 each. $80 difference when I get two. What are the bulb life for those things? I'd be alright if it was truly that less expensive to run & maintain with bulb changes

 

[Salttanker]

Maybe cut it down the middle. I would go with the 175w MH retros on your tank. I always take into consideration that the lights should be 8-9" off the water, so 175w would be ideal. I bought replacement bulbs for my 250w's off of Ebay for $51 each. These last about a year, compared to PC, which only seem to last 6-8 months before changing them out. Pendents are nice if you can mount them over the tank and have a clean look to it, but they can be expensive.

Mike

 

[saberry]

Eeeeeeeeek! 8O $228 each for those pendents... captivereefs has Coralvue MH retro kits for $190 each. $80 difference when I get two. What are the bulb life for those things? I'd be alright if it was truly that less expensive to run & maintain with bulb changes

Oh yeah, if you can use retros, you'll definately be able to save some money. I don't think you can get retro's in DE's though; but I could be wrong.

 

[RLG2182]

Pendents are nice if you can mount them over the tank and have a clean look to it

I would LOVE to hang some from the ceiling, or make some kind of setup that they could hang via some cool DIY setup. But I have two cats. They would fall straight through the eggcrate so fast... it's not even funny. I'd come home to either a cat who's swimming, or a wet cat in the corner sulking with a clown fish in its teeth. I was just going to make a new hood just like the one I have right now & mount retro lights.

 

[Salttanker]

Yeah, me too. My concern is dog hair getting into the tank with it being open. I already have that issue, but it is manageable with it closed. I can't imagine the dust bunnies getting into the tank. Yikes! Arizona has plenty of dust, and it is hard to get rid of.

Mike

 

[saberry]

Pendents are nice if you can mount them over the tank and have a clean look to it

I would LOVE to hang some from the ceiling, or make some kind of setup that they could hang via some cool DIY setup. But I have two cats. They would fall straight through the eggcrate so fast... it's not even funny. I'd come home to either a cat who's swimming, or a wet cat in the corner sulking with a clown fish in its teeth. I was just going to make a new hood just like the one I have right now & mount retro lights.

Yeah, or worse, a fried cat if they perched on top of the pendant and brough it down!

 

[RLG2182]

What about the coral list? Anyone think that some of those on the selection would give me issues? Something on there that might not be as "easy" to take care of as some people might think?

 

[saberry]

I'd wait awhile before adding the lps's (brain, torch, bubble) and the clams or anemone. Make sure you do a lot of research before adding any anemone's - they come with their own set of problems. Otherwise it's looks like a good list. Make sure to give everything enough room to grow without stinging neighbors. 8O

 

[RLG2182]

Oh... I won't be adding anything for a long while, no worries about that. I'm huge on research... maybe what I'm doing on all these forums.

 

[Salttanker]

The best experience I have gained regarding Anemone captivity is to have an established tank for about 6 months before adding any. I'm not a coral expert, so someone else can chime in on that one..I just know hardware/water condition requirements for them. 8)

Mike