Information needed

[Dmacaulay]

Hey guys! I'm an owner of a 20gallon freshwater cichlid tank and am wondering what it would take and I would need to turn it to saltwater. The tank I have has LEDs but my friend says he's not sure if it would be able to sustain any coral.. I'm gunna add some pictures and please give me some feedback!!

 

[Antec]

It's 5w of LEDs btw guys

 

[San Raphael Catfish]

It is tough to say. This is just the white on my 130w Taotronics LED. Part of it depends on what corals you hope to have. Than from Tidal Gardens says there is more of a problem with too much light than not enough. A par meter is you need to compare numbers.

SRC

 

[mr_X]

No way will 5 total watts sustain corals in a 20 gallon tank. LED, halide, plasma...nothing humans have invented yet.

 

[Dmacaulay]

Ok so ill need new lighting... Any suggestions then? And any suggestions for a filtration system or skimmer?

 

[San Raphael Catfish]

Happy with my Taotronics LED. It is amazing with separate cords for the blue and white for use with different timers. 139.00 plus shipping on Amazon. About as little frills as possible and gets the job done.

 

[Dmacaulay]

Ok so I'm good on lights.. What about filtration? Is. There anything anyone specifically recommends for a 20 gallon?

 

[Dmacaulay]

http://www.marineandreef.com/Hydor_Koralia_Evolution_425_gph_powerhead_p/rhy00716.htm.
This is the power head I'm looking into

 

[Dmacaulay]

Also looking at this refugium.

http://www.marinedepot.com/CPR_Aqua..._On_Refugiums_Sumps-CPR-CR1721-FIRFEB-vi.html

Let me know if this would all work!!

 

[San Raphael Catfish]

Looks good to me. Place to macro algae and Copepods.

 

[mr_X]

I would buy about 20 pounds of very porous live rock, and some calcium based sand (finer grain) but that's about it. You can replace trace elements and export nutrients via water changes.

 

[Dmacaulay]

Alright guys. I put my rock and sand in and I'm letting it cycle.
How's does this look for lighting wise. It fits my dimensions
http://www.marinedepot.com/AquaticL...xtures-AquaticLife-AK01263-FILTFILDLK-vi.html

 

[Bectan01]

I am by no means an expert but I think in order to support corals each led needs to be 3w, not 1w like this fixture you posted is. Can someone else confirm that?

 

[Antec]

Well logically, only the total wattage should matter not how much wattage each led puts out.

What the difference between having 24(1)w LEDs or 8(3)w LEDs

 

[San Raphael Catfish]

It also matters how the LED are driven. 3 watt LED driven with 2 watts of power puts out less light but should last longer.

 

[mr_X]

There is a difference. Check out page 33 of this thread-
http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums/f11/lighting-your-reef-best-bang-for-your-buck-239661-33.html

 

[Dmacaulay]

Alright so I ended up buying lights off a guy from Craigslist. They're amazing and 120w. I ordered a koralia 425 to get that extra movement in the tank and a test kit. I should b good to go by the end of next week