I can't stop dreaming of a reef - Lighting advice?

[GuOD]

Hey everyone,

My tank specs can be seen in myinfo. After looking at all the reef tanks I can't help but want one. I know currently with 260w/120g = roughly 2w/gal @ 2 feet deep. I was thinking of adding another PC fixture (rather than MH) and wanted some opinions.

If I added a 4x130W Orbit fixture (total 130x6 = 780 watts / 120 = 6.5w/g @ 2 feet) do you think that would be enough? My tank is 24" deep and the light fixtures are 8.25" and 12" deep each. I would have them up on legs.

This, of course, would be very expensive. I doubt I could handle any corals with my current lighting so what would be the minimum I could add to just have a few of the corals that don't require much light? I'd like to see what the cheapest route would be to have some corals also

Thanks!

 

[tecwzrd]

WPG isn't the best method for figuring out if you have enough light.

For example a 80 gal high tank which is 48X14X30 with the same lighting as yours is 3.25 WPG. A 55 is 4.7 WPG.

The 80 gal being 30 inches tall would have to use MH to house most corals while the 55 can house medium light corals with the same lighting since it's only 21" high.

Your tank is only about 3 1/2 inches higher then the 55 gal tank and with additional lighting you are considering it would be fine for medium light corals IMO. If considering high light corals I'd use MH.

Sweet looking tank by the way

 

[roka64]

Iagree. I believe light starts to become effected after around 20 inches, some one please correct me if I am wrong.

 

[lando]

First off, decide what you would like to keep. For the most part, the appropriate amount of CF, VHO or T5 lighting will allow you to keep a wide variety of softies and LPS corals. If clams and SPS corals are popping up in your dreams, look toward MH.

 

[melosu58]

I agree that you`ll have enough for softies and LPS corals. Almost all of them are medium light corals.You can check out my gallery for the types you would be able to have. If you decide on clams or SPS corals then most of them take a MH system. Hope all goes well

 

[GuOD]

I posted in my other thread but I'll add it here as well.

Cam is a 30d with various lenses. mainly pics taken w/ 24-70 f2.8 and 135 f2

Thanks for the input everyone. I went to the LFS today to look at corals and stuff and I can't stop thinking about them. The guy there told me with my current lighting I could get away w/ mushrooms/a brown polyp (I think that's what it was?) as long as I keep them in the top half of my tank.

From the sounds of it, getting a second PC setup would be the weaker choice, and the only advantage might be cost? (heat?)

I've tried looking at some MH setups and I'm just concerned about the width of them. My tank is 24" wide, and the current PC setup I have is 8.25" wide. It looks like a double metal halide+actinic setup would be about 15.5" wide. That's 23.75" which worries me. Also, the lights would obviously be spread out unevenly (ie; MH not in the center of the tank). Would this weigh into the decision at all?

I also noticed a 300w metal halide only fixture here:

http://cgi.ebay.ca/Current-USA-48-3...ryZ46314QQrdZ1QQssPageNameZWD1VQQcmdZViewItem

This one is narrow, so I could easily fit both of mine and have some room infront/behind, but it'd only be 560W.

I guess what I'm asking is, if I decide to go MH because it's better, and get this:

http://cgi.ebay.ca/48-529w-Current-...ryZ46314QQrdZ1QQssPageNameZWD1VQQcmdZViewItem

or this:

http://cgi.ebay.ca/48-560w-Current-...ryZ46314QQrdZ1QQssPageNameZWD1VQQcmdZViewItem

Would the uneven lighting and having the MH either more toward the front/back of the tank be a problem?

Also, would I be better off getting the MH+t5 since it would allow me to have MH+T5+PC or should I stick to just MH+PC?

Thanks a lot everyone!!

 

[tecwzrd]

If you go with MH then you definitely want two. MH only covers about 2 feet of tank. Could you hang them and use a couple of 250W pendents. (They are 10.25" wide)

That would give you enough light to house just about anything.

Whatever you do I'd try to use the current lighting you have as well to save costs.

fantasyreef.com has a wonderful database on corals and their needs.

 

[GuOD]

If you go with MH then you definitely want two. MH only covers about 2 feet of tank. Could you hang them and use a couple of 250W pendents. (They are 10.25" wide)

Thanks tecwzrd, though I'm a little confused now.

The fixtures I listed have 2x150w 10,000k metal halides + 4x65w t-5 actinics. I don't know if it's possible to get 2x250w metal halides in there but I thought the 2x150w would be enough?

My concern was for the width of the tank - my current fixture is ~8". That leaves the MH fixture either covering the front 16" or back 16" of the tank only, rather than the middle 16" (with 4" infront of it and 4" behind it, if it were centered)

Hopefully I've made myself clearer?

I also have another concern - I want to be certain that this tank size/shape is ideal for a reef tank before I go buy more lights etc. 4x2x2 could be 5x1.6x2(2 tall) instead, which gives an extra foot of viewing area, but is of course less wide for rockwork. Do you guys think the 4x2x2 shape is good?



Maybe this picture will help. The yellow block = MH, black = my current PC. The yellow has 2x150w MH + 4x 65w actinic.

Also, can I ask what opinions are on running the tank without a sump/refugium?

 

[Devilishturtles]

Why run the PC lights at all? You can just use the MH lights. That will give you plenty of light. I don't understand why in your picture it says "too late!". Sorry, I think I'm just missing something that maybe you already mentioned. Positioning the MH fixture over top of your tank should give you plenty of light.

If you want both fixtures on there, I would do MH in front, PC in back.

 

[GuOD]

Why run the PC lights at all? You can just use the MH lights. That will give you plenty of light. I don't understand why in your picture it says "too late!". Sorry, I think I'm just missing something that maybe you already mentioned. Positioning the MH fixture over top of your tank should give you plenty of light.

If you want both fixtures on there, I would do MH in front, PC in back.

I already purchased a 260W PC light fixture planning to do FOWLR.



I've decided on this light: (in total I'll have 2x150wMH, 2x130w PC, 4x65w t-5 -- all kinds of lighting)

http://cgi.ebay.ca/48-529w-Current-...ryZ46314QQrdZ1QQssPageNameZWD1VQQcmdZViewItem

I will place this light on the front of my tank and have the 2x130 PC at the back.

HERE IS THE BIG QUESTION::

Can this setup be successful without a sump/refugium? I don't plan to add an overflow/drill this tank. I guess the Fluval FX5 sort of acts as a sump, though not entirely.

Thanks all!

 

[tecwzrd]

I think the tank is perfect for reef. Really the only advantage to a longer tank is being able to house longer fish like the larger tangs.

The new light in the front sounds good.

sump/fuge isn't necessary for filtration. The extra volume of water keeps pollution more diluted but your lr will provide the bacteria and the skimmer will keep DOC low. I'd add another 50 lbs of lr though when you get a chance.

Your canister is best run empty or if not cleaned at least every other week since waste traps very easily in it.

 

[GuOD]

Thanks everyone! I decided to take the leap!

I've ordered the 529W Fixture with 2x150w MH and 4x54W t-5 actinics

I'll have a total of 789W with MH, T5, and PC! I'm really excited!

I'm also going to try and pick up a HOB refugium to make things perfect.

I'm really excited!! Hopefully I'll get to post some great pictures soon!

 

[Devilishturtles]

That's a crazy amount of light. Can't wait to see the tank pictures and setup. You thinking sps tank?

Congrats on the big purchase

 

[GuOD]

Thanks! I'm really excited.

To be completely honest I don't even know what SPS is. I just know there's hard/soft, LPS and SPS.

I only first started into aquarium stuff 1.5 months ago, so I've been playing catch up ever since! People here have been really helpful and made things a lot easier! I was going to do a cichlid tank (as per a friends advice of a "cool tank" but then decided on SW, and now a reef).

I'm going to research as much as I can before I decide to purchase anything - I know I was looking at a green coral in the store, I believe it was a Zoanthus. It looks nice - but as I read on fantasyreef, it can release a toxin that causes the flu/possibly death. Something like that is scary to me as I can be careless sometimes so I may have to pick corals based on safety

I'm also moving in 4 months, and I don't want to risk trying to move too much so I won't be heavily stocking my tank until June/later. I will definitely be posting pictures with updates as I go along!

My current stock is:
Bluefin Damsel
Three stripe Damsel
Sergeant Major Damsel
Tomato Clown
20x Snails (Astrae or Turbo, not sure) - I don't plan to add more until moved, because I worry about crushing them/not finding them while moving rockwork.
8x hermit crab. I think they have blue legs but not 100% certain

Shortly, I plan to add:
Kole Tang+Yellow tang at same time
1 shrimp - I worry about problems between damsels/shrimp so I might just pick up the cheapest one.

When light arrives:
Some corals


There are of course other fish I'd like to get, schooling chromis for instance, but I will wait until I move. I may give the damsels to my friend when I move. I also need to research which corals go well together to make sure I get the right mix.

Ultimately, I'd like to have:
Tomato clownfish (as long as he isn't too aggressive)
Schooling blue-green chromis x 5
Kole Tang/Yellow Tang. I'd like a third but I don't know if it's a good idea.
2x cleaner shrimp, 1x peppermint or possibly CBS (maybe add CBS last?)
50-100x snails
50-100x crabs
Goby of some kind
Mandarin dragonet
Starfish x 2-3

Other small fish undecided - gamma, dottyback, maybe a maroon clown. etc. this is all long in the future though.

 

[Devilishturtles]

Cool. SPS stands for Small Polyp Stony coral. It's like your acroporas, hydnophora, montipora, etc. The hard, branchy corals. The require bright lights (most of them) and high flow, usually more difficult to keep than others such as LPS corals, softies, zoos, and those.

Zoanthids are a very very safe coral, just don't go putting your hand in your tank with ope sores on it, putting them in your mouth or licking it and you are fine. Palythoas are a little more dangerous, but still very safe. There are other reef diseases that you can get like Mycobaterium marinum, which usually just results as a rash and some swelling, but can get worse especially if you touch your mouth, eyes, lips, etc. So just wash your hands after you get done fulling around in your tank and you'll have no issues. Really, don't not get what you want because you are afraid of the toxin. Not worth it.


Just wanted to add that the Mandarin should be added after atleat a year. They are very finicky eaters that require massive populations of copepods in your tank. A refugium would be neccesary to keep up their populations. Definitley do more research on this species before you buy.

Else, Best of luck!

 

[GuOD]

Ah, ok I've never actually seen what SPS stands for before.

I have about 820+820+920 gph = 2500gph for 120 tank so approx. a little over 20x flow. The powerheads aim at the top and create oxygen exchange and I'll have the filter will shoot towards the live rock.

I may have experienced that rash already - I've had my arms sort of ache and itch a bit after having my arm in my tank. After that i've always washed my arms after

I am aware of the mandarin requirements. That would be the last fish I add - and I would have a refugium and a tank established for 1.5 years at least by that point.

I just talk about it because I'm really excited - and it's difficult because it's such a slow process I will need to keep myself happy with progress pics!

 

[Devilishturtles]

I have had that rash before too. Dunno exactly what is it. It wasn't Mycobaterium though, you will know when you get that, trust me.

Can't wait to see pictures of the tank.

 

[GuOD]

I have had that rash before too. Dunno exactly what is it. It wasn't Mycobaterium though, you will know when you get that, trust me.

Can't wait to see pictures of the tank.

I've added pics to my gallery... but they're pending approval. I'll continue uploading pics to my gallery as things progress. If you wanted to see what I have so far, here is the thread:

http://aquariumadvice.com/viewtopic.php?t=91864

 

[GuOD]

I was just wondering - Will that wattage be enough for me to have any coral/anemone/clam I want?

Power compact:
130w dual daylight
130w dual actinic

MH:
2x 150w 10,000k (spread evenly among the 4')

T5:
4x54w dual actinic (2/420 and 2/460)

I just wanted to make sure in case I should get a slightly better light. I think 789w/4x2x2/120g is enough for anything?

 

[Devilishturtles]

Not much more you could add to that to get more lighting besides going with 250w MH. I think you are fine right now and that pretty much any coral/anemone/clam will be fine in your tank.