I'm about ready to dunk my head in my tank!!!!!

[chickers]

I am totally confused about lighting. Some say I don't have enough watts to support soft corals and some say that I do. Some say not to worry about watts but to worry about Kelvins. I'm worried about everything now, especially my 6 hermit crabs and 4 snails that I have become quite attached to.

This is what I have for lights.
I have a 30 gal tank that is 36" long, 12" wide, and 18" deep. I have 1- double light fixture that holds 2- 24" 20 watt lights and a single that holds 1- 24" 20 watt light. I have 2- 20 watt Aurora 50/50 and 1- T03 - 20 watt actinic bulbs in them.

I don't have anymore room on top of my tank for any more light fixtures.

The Aurora 50/50's are supposed to be VHO lights. They say they are 50% 5000k daylight and 50% 7000k actinic.

I was a vet tech and know all about heartbeats on four feet but this part of science completely baffles me. Could someone please help me and let me know if I have enough light for a few soft corals and a couple of clown fish. If not, do they have a solution for what I have to work with.

Thanks ever so much.
Cheri

 

[malkore]

Ok, we have 3x20 NO lights, and 2x20 VHO's. That adds up to 100 watts for me.

I'd say you can for sure keep most mushrooms, and probably yellow colony polyps. Beyond that, I'm not enough of an expert to say...but you should have some options.

 

[Hara]

I am thinking that they arent VHO lights. Kelvin rating does not make them VHO.

 

[chickers]

Thank you for your advice.

You were right. The Aurora 50/50 lights are not VHO. When I called my usual LFS, which isn't really local, it's 2 hrs away, I was given the run around, but in the end, told that these were the best that they kept in stock to fit what I had to work with. When I asked if they were exactly what I needed, they told me no. Needless to say, I told them that I wouldn't be back.

I called another LFS suggested by a friend. They told me that I needed completely different lights than what I have. Thank Heavens that I have another fish tank with pond goldfish in it to use these other lights on. They cost me $100.

What this new LFS told me I needed is the following.
1 Marine Glow
1 Life Glow
1 Power Glow.

They also told me to invest in timers so that it would be easier to simulate a more natural lighting process for my tank.

Are you at all familiar with these brand names of lights, and if so, do you agree with this advice.

Thanks alot. I really appreciate your help.
Cheri

 

[Hara]

First you need an understanding of the different lighting FIXTURES available. VHO bulbs do not function in normal output flourescent lights. You have a 30 gallon tank, so the minimum recommended amount of lighting would be 120 watts for corals. Yes, there are corals that can get by with lower lighting, but you would most likely not be satisfied with this for long. Some lighting option would be power compact (PC), or a pendant metal halide fixture (MH), for just a couple that come to mind. Kelvin rating is the color spectrum of the bulb. Most people use a range of 10k to 20k and actinic, or a mixture that satisfies what they want to see. the higher the number the "bluer" the light.