new tank help please

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Aquarium Advice Apprentice
Joined
Oct 18, 2004
Messages
46
Location
western mass
Hi all, im new to the forum and i am looking for some help. i want to create a reef setup, i had a fish only salt tank so im familiar with cycling and all that... i have a 30 gal tank, and i was wondering how i choose lighting and filtration, watts per gal, and gph, and what are some products that i would use for lighting a reef tank, i currently have a 50/50 blue actinic bulb, for lighting, no filter yet, any help would be appreciated
 
What kind of corals are you interested in? I ask this question as different types of corals will have different lighting requirments. For example softies will take less light on average than SPS corals and Clams would be at the top of the lighting piramid when it comes to need.

Another thing to ask is do you like the ripple effect that MH bulbs produce?

A good all around lighting setup for a 30 gal reef would be one or two MH bulbs and then a VHO actinic to supplment. The number of MH is somewhat dependant on ifyou have a center brace or not. If you do then you cant put a single MH bulb ovefr the middle as the brace would cast a nasty shadow. If you dont have a center brace then you could put 1 MH bulb over the middle but the side edges might be slightly shadowed as compaired to the middle.

For filtration most of us just use a sand bed, live rock and a skimmer. Adding a refuguium will also benifit your tank but is not needed. As for water flow start with a goal of 300-450GPH in the tank itself.
 
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