Patience sucks

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fijiwigi

fijiwigi

Aquarium Advice Addict
Joined
Sep 28, 2007
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Eastern Washington
Patience sucks, a fellow aquarist with a reef is offering to sell me some frags for really cheap she has an awesome display. The only issue is she has limited LPS available and mainly just SPS. I have 192W PowerCompact lighting on a 46g bow (4.18wpg) So I should stick with low light LPS and softies or purchase a new light fixture. The cheapest I could find a decent fixture was a little under $500 for about 7wpg or like $700 for 12wpg, Metal halide T5's If I am going to purchase that I might as well just go for a 100+gallon reef. Yet The tanks are huge ( I really don't need a diningroom table in my kitchen LOL) So what I am wondering is if there are SPS corals that can thrive with 4.18wpg powercompact lighting if placed high in the tank about 12" from the light source. The girl offering to sell me a frag has this one available Saltwater Aquarium Corals for Marine Reef Aquariums: Green Montipora Digitata - Aquacultured Liveaquaria states it only needs 3WPG of even PowerCompact lighting.
 
Digita's are pretty easy SPS. Get a frag and give it a try. I would keep it as high up as you can. I have mine about 6" directly below a MH bulb, so I can't really say how they will do with pc lighting.

On a side note, I believe UVL either has out now or will be coming out soon with a pc bulb with a built in reflector in it like their VHO bulbs. They are supposed to be a big improvement for pc bulbs.

I just checked UVL's site. Here you go.
 
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Consider the TEK T5 fixtures. slightly pricier, but the individual reflectors provide superior usable light into the tank.
 
fijiwigi said:
Patience sucks, a fellow aquarist with a reef is offering to sell me some frags for really cheap she has an awesome display. ...
Click to expand...

Let's take a step back and look at your intro sentence!...

You're contemplating plunging into SPS because a friend is offering frags cheap. If you have to rebuy lights that you just bought... how cheap are those frags, really?

My guess is that unless that friend is breaking down their tank, the frags will still be plentiful in a year or so. Or if nothing else, I'm sure you can find good deals down the road. You haven't even had LPS in your tank for a month yet, and I think you're still stocking fish-wise. SPS not only requires more lighting, but a little more attention to water quality issues. If it was me, I'd let the tank mature more, get the maintenance routine down, get consistent water quality without having to think about it, THEN consider if SPS is something I want to get in to.

But I have to admit... if those Nova Extreme Pro fixtures were out when I was buying lighting - I'm thinking that's the way I would've went.:rolleyes:
 
Kurt_Nelson said:
Let's take a step back and look at your intro sentence!...

You're contemplating plunging into SPS because a friend is offering frags cheap. If you have to rebuy lights that you just bought... how cheap are those frags, really?

My guess is that unless that friend is breaking down their tank, the frags will still be plentiful in a year or so. Or if nothing else, I'm sure you can find good deals down the road. You haven't even had LPS in your tank for a month yet, and I think you're still stocking fish-wise. SPS not only requires more lighting, but a little more attention to water quality issues. If it was me, I'd let the tank mature more, get the maintenance routine down, get consistent water quality without having to think about it, THEN consider if SPS is something I want to get in to.

But I have to admit... if those Nova Extreme Pro fixtures were out when I was buying lighting - I'm thinking that's the way I would've went.:rolleyes:
Click to expand...
I agree with you Kurt thats why I titled the thread Patience Sucks. LOL

I was looking into lighting I found the Aqualight Pro it has 150 HQI and 2 65w PC lamps. 280watts with Metal Halide (6.08WPG)
And its only 399.99 https://www82.safesecureweb.com/web...ROD&Product_Code=CL53504&Category_Code=CAP1HL $90 more than the Nova T5 If I upgraded my lighting which would be the better choice? With the Aqualight Pro would I be able to meet the lighting requierment of anything I wanted Or Should I Get a higher powered light so that I never had to worry about lighting ever again.


This light is 409.99 10bucks more than the aqualight and has 150wHQI and 2 96w PC's a total 342w (7.43wpg) 36" Outer Orbit 1x150W HQI-MH w/Actinic (Current)


Or I could spend $800 and get (12.5 WPG) .: Sunlight Supply - horticulture and aquarium lighting systems :. Website Probably fry everything in my tank and I would have to buy a chiller
 
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The Nova extreme Pro come with individual reflectors and includes the lights, bracket and splash guards and two fans, unlike the Tek system lights (you have to buy the bulbs, splash guards, bracket and fan)....
 
SW lighting doesn't have to be that expensive. It is when you buy complete fixtures that are sleek and nice looking. If you can handle a little DIY you can cut those costs a LOT!

Kurt has a very good point on waiting a bit. I agree.

SPS corals are going to tax your water more then LPS and softies. CA levels will have to be maintained as well as Mg and others.

PC lighting and SPS don't mix well. I have my frag tank lit with 260w of PC lighting and the color and growth of my SPS is terrible in that tank. I use it as a holding pen for newly fragged corals and then put them back in my main display. I have adjustable shelves that allows me to put the SPS all the way to the water surface and it still doesn't help. T5 or MH is the way to go if you are going to get serious about keeping SPS corals. The old WPG isn't as important as the intensity of the light. If I were to change my PC lights over to T5 at 216w total I would see much better results.
 
AquaReefer said:
Go with a 36" Nova Extreme Pro. Its a nice HOT5 fixture. Its 6x39w with individual reflectors. Overall it gives you about the same output as a 150w HQI. Check them out here.

Nova Extreme Pro T5 High Output Lighting Fixture - 36 in. | T5 Lighting | Lighting Systems | Aquarium - ThatPetPlace.com
Click to expand...

I LOVE this fixture!! I upgraded recently from the pc fixture to this one and wish I would have done it when I got the tank!

C'mon Figiwigi....you might as well just get a larger tank....quit fighting it 'cause you know it's gonna happen sooner or later.

:invasion:
 
If I upgrade I want to have the ability to keep anything I want and not have to worry about lighting again. What needs to happen to accomplish this. That question still has not been answered. Will the T5 lighting accomplish this or is metal halide the only way to go? And how much light do I need to keep anything I want in a 36" 46g tank? My tax rebate check will be arriving really soon!!!
 
I just got an e-mail from Bluezoo Aquatics and they have a 10%off discount I was looking at the lighting and they have an Outer Orbit 2x150w HQI with 2x96w PC for a total of 492 watts. a total of 10.69 wpg for only $432 dollars. Just waiting for the wife's approval hopefully I get it before the sale ends. Blue Zoo Aquatics :: Products Detail
 
Definitely doesn't seem like a bad price. I still prefer T5 over metal halide, but that's all up to you. MH for $432 is a great price!

When you get it, remember to read up on light acclimation and stuff like that so you don't cook your corals. And remember to keep an eye on temperature. Just giving you things to do while you are waiting for the lights, lol.

Oh and plus you get the cool shimmer effect with metal halide. Yay. :)
 
fijiwigi said:
LOL what is MTS exactly its not on the abbrevation list? Multiple tank syndrome maybe.
Click to expand...

Yup, Multiple Tank Syndrome. It's a not-so-rare disease that is spread by hanging out on AA too much. lol

You're right, it's not on the acronym list. Someone needs to fix that.
 
Is that a 46 bow front? If the tank is under 24" high then I would probably go with a 6-bulb T5 fixture. Longer bulb life, cooler running and less electric while allowing you to keep anything (assuming individual parabolic reflectors). Other may chime in and say that T5's will penetrate even the deeper tanks, but I'm not sure about that.
 
looks like my wife won this battle. No go on the light fixture. Instead we ordered a Purebreed Saint Bernard online.. $1000 So that our English Mastiff would have a friend. She wants them to have babies. I am doomed 2 dogs that will be over 150 pounds. The food alone will cost 120 a month not to mention the cost of all the stuff they destroy. That money would have gotten an awesome light fixture. Among other things Maybe I will win the next time. LOL
 
Holy cow!! Or is that horse??!! That is a lot of dog in one house! I spend $30 every other month on food for my dog, and I thought that was a lot. Be sure to post pics of the new pup!
 
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