Reef Lighting

[mkiley0598]

originally posted this in the wrong section but: I have a 30" 2x65 watt Current Power compact fluorescent lighting fixture for my 36 gallon bowfront soon-to-be reef. It has 2 what appear to be white bulbs and then 2 blue actinic bulbs. What corals can I keep? and as a side not by tank is about 18-19 inches deep (if depth affects it?) Just wondering what coral would be able to live under these lights....LPS? Softies? assuming SPS need more light but I'm not sure

 

[mr_X]

Softies and some LPS. Yes, water depth/ the distance from the lamp to the coral matters.

 

[mkiley0598]

Softies and some LPS. Yes, water depth/ the distance from the lamp to the coral matters.

So would you suggest keeping the LPS higher up on the rock structure?

 

[mr_X]

Yes I would. I would start everything low, but move them up the rock over time until they are in optimal spots (you will be able to tell this by the way the coral looks).

 

[jjh302]

So my mushrooms, with lights off, are a nice purplish green color about the size of a dime and nickel. With lights on they are the size of a half dollar or bigger and are a pale brown color. They sit about mid tank or maybe a tad higher. Is this normal?

 

[mr_X]

Different lighting would make them appear more colorful, and probably make them color up a bit also. It's normal for corals to open up when the lights are on. They increase surface area exposed to light to absorb as much as possible.

 

[jjh302]

Gotcha. I'm using (2) 150w MH and 2 blue t5's on a 96 gallon corner

 

[mr_X]

Not a lot of light. It's reasonable that they would stretch for more.

 

[jjh302]

What is an easy beginner coral that would work near the bottom of the tank?

 

[Dav3]

Toadstool, Kenya tree, any softy really.

 

[markoaks]

I'm new to all of this . Iv got a 29 gal cycling now . I'm thinking ahead about wat I'm Gona have in this I like zoanthids and sps, Lps I know I can't have a lot of them because of my tank size but I'm wondering wat lighting and how much of it would be good . It's 18 " deep and 30" long . I won't to get a light that can be good for any thing I don't won't to buy a light and find out later that I'm limited to wat it can grow . I have a 30 " compact florescent on it now . Wat should I do

 

[mr_X]

Mark, what did you want to spend? There are many LED options that would work for you.

 

[markoaks]

I don't realy have a budget but I don't won't to go crazy either . Iv found a lot of LEDs out there but iv found that some r under 300 bucks and some r over 1000 . And none of them say how many wats I need for wat I want to do . As far as my budgets goes the more pricy it is the longer it will be before I get it . Witch it realy doesent mater if I don't have it for a few weeks because my tank is not yet ready for any thing that needs stronger light . It will be a few more weeks before I get my clean up crew if my tank continues on the pace it's on now .

 

[mr_X]

First of all, you don't need a cleanup crew. You can save that money for corals.
Secondly, something with 3 watt LEDs would be my suggestion.
One of these-
New Dimmable 120W Aquarium Coral Reef Fish Tank White Blue LED Light Black Shell | eBay
or one of these-
Evergrow Dimmable Full Spectrum D120 120W LED Light for Reef Saltwater Aquarium | eBay
would allow you to keep whatever you wanted.

 

[markoaks]

Realy . I saw thoes but I didn't no how good they r because they r cheep . And I couldn't find any reviews So my next thing is can it be mounted without having it hang from the ceiling my wife doesn't like the look of the wires we saw a similar one at our local marine store .

 

[markoaks]

And wich of the two would be better for me .

 

[mr_X]

Either one will work fine. Many people are using these units now, including myself, and they do a terrific job.
You can use something like a plant hanger and hang it from the wall behind the tank.

 

[TheTodd]

+1 on the first unit that X listed. I recently purchased two and they are actually a very nice unit for the price.

 

[markoaks]

I think im going to get it iv heard good things so far . Should I get the 165w unit and just keep It turnd down incase I ever get a bigger tank

 

[huma-huma]

no. the 120w units usually dont need to be run at 100% to grow just about anything. the 165w ones would be more useful if you had an exceptionally deep tank.