Lighting Problem

[zacdl]

Well I may have a problem.

MH is out of the question, it would be wayy to hot for my 30, so dont suggest it..........


The company (Foster smith) told me wrong and said the Coarlife 12" was 56 watts and I discovered they are really just 36 watts. I am wondering if this will be enough for live rock, mushrooms (maybe but I doubt it), polyps (the starburst kind), and possibly some zoos.

I can do without most all of that stuff but I would really like some starburst polyps for sure.

Is 36 watts for my 30 gallon good? After you take out for sand and rock I think there is about 20 gallons in there total, so would it be like 1.3 WPG or so?

 

[Scatcat]

I am no expert here but that is a little on the low side. I am thinking someone here will have some good advise for you. I think I read that zoos need at least 2 WPG. I think mushrooms need at least that too. Is there any chance you can take it back and exchange the lighting for a little more light?

 

[Tangaloo]

At an absolut minimum you musthave 2 watts per gallon in order to even start thinking of keeping corals. Most people tend t keep at least 2-5 watts per gallon. Also do you have any actinic lights on there? Corals need that spectrum of light in order to really grow and thrive. If you have a glass top i would just buy another light and add it on to the system. I have mushrooms and some button polyps that have been living i my nano reef setup for almost a year now and i think i'm averaging about 2.5 watts per gallon. I just nake sure that their up higher so they can get more light.

 

[lando]

the watts/gal guideline is really very subjective. What are the dimensions of your tank? I agree with the rest that the 36watt fixture will not be enough to support corals. Do not discount MH, especially if you have a cube or hex tank. a MH pendant can be raised or lowered over the tank depending on temp.

 

[fishfreek]

If the perceeved heat is the only reason you have ruled out MH I would suggest you revisit it. There are many ways to cool the tank and many have kept tanks smaller than 30 gal at a proper temperature when using MH of 250W or lower.

Other options would be doubling up the bulb with another 36W fixture which would probably be the cheapest of all the options. That should get you in amuch better position for the corals you list.

 

[tiredfish]

i have a 2x65 coralife pc for sale..lol

 

[zacdl]

Well I was thinking I could leave the current light in there (have no clue what it is but there is a sticker on the strip that says 17 watts) for 53 watts total.

It doesnt have fans in it, but I think the fans in the coralife would suck all the hot air in there out.

That would just just over 2 WPG

 

[lando]

Like I said, watts/gal is very subjective. I am guessing it is NO lighting. this does not really have the penetrating power needed for corals. Again...dimensions of the tank?

 

[zacdl]

its like 16x16x16x16x16x16x20

its about 20" high or so.