NEWBY Im a little confused and neew help with my fowlr

[wilson]

the type of lighting i have reefrunner is a bulb that doesnt screw in so i thought that was fluorescent right or am i wrong. it has two prongs at either end of it.

 

[wilson]

im confused about wat an incandescent light is and waht a fluroescent one is. can someone clear it up for me

 

[wilson]

i tihnk i might just skip lighting for now and stick with what i have. unless my lfs has a really good deal on lights maybe i will just upgrade the bubl to the marine one, and then if i wanted to later on i could just get better ones. i guess i would be ok with now colour. do they have plants u can buy for saltwater or no.

 

[wilson]

i am looking through different diy forums on lighting and was wondering if this would wrk if i do upgrade my lighting , and would i just put like a piece of plastic on top of the tank

http://www.nano-reef.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=16346

 

[wilson]

hey i think i might just leave my lighting the way it is now and mayb upgrade the tube to marine grade. it will b fine for a fowlr right i just wont have good coraline growth, give me some of ur ideas on that diy lighting though and if u think it would b easy thansk

 

[steve-s]

Depending on your hood, retrofiting a new PC strip won't be hard at all. I do not think you will find anything locally for $50.00 CND though.

Incandescent = screw in bulb (mogul base)
Fluorescent = pin mounted bulb.

Cheers
Steve

 

[wilson]

k thnei have fluroescent. and i really dont know what to do lol

i know that they have lights like that at my local hd or sumthin. but i really have no icdea wat to do . what would u suggest for mayb gettin minimal coralline growth, or being able to have low light corals in the next years. i am still trying to keep this very much a low cost thing so any ideas would be great. also do lfs's usually sell this pc lighting or sumthin

 

[wilson]

hey sry for all the questions too but ur help is greatly appreciated.

 

[wilson]

lghiting i have now is alright for fowlr or no sryu i just thought of this lol

 

[wilson]

sorry im jumpin all over the boards lol but mayb ill just skip ll corals all together too, easier, and cheaper for me. still dont know bout lights thoguh

sry to bug ya if i ask to much just tell me lol

 

[reefrunner69]

lghiting i have now is alright for fowlr or no sryu i just thought of this lol

The lighting you have is fine for the fish, it is not intense enough to maintain or grow coraline. If you have 1 20W flo bulb, you should be able to add another 1 X 20W fixture for around 20-30 dollars.

 

[wilson]

i dont know if the hood i have is made to hold 2 though. it is just the regualr hood that came with the tank, and i dont know what is on the inside. i know it has 1 15 wat bulb i think and i dont know if it can hold more. would i have to retrofit it or not. suggestions???

 

[reefrunner69]

i dont know if the hood i have is made to hold 2 though.

It is not, you would have to add another light fixture. If the hoods are the cheap plastic ones that come with the tank, you would need to replace the plastic bottom pieces with a glass top, probably be 10 bucks. You could also simply use eggcrate rather than a glass top

 

[wilson]

or if the one for my tank wont wrk could i just buy one of the ones from a hardware store with 2 20 wat bulbs and then stick them over my tank with chain form the ceiling or in a fancy canopy.b

or could i get sumthin like this:
http://www.petsmart.com/global/prod...older_id=2534374302026262&bmUID=1076987014134

or could i use this and maybe stick it on the back or the part where it flips open for feeding.:
http://www.petsmart.com/global/prod...older_id=2534374302026260&bmUID=1076987014383

my hood is made by marina :
it kinda looks like this :
http://hagen.com/canada/english/aquatic/product.cfm?CAT=1&SUBCAT=105&PROD_ID=01028600010101

i just looked at it and it looks like it can hold the one big bulb and a samller onoe maybe i dunno. it seems to say only fluorescent bulb 15 watts max. i couldnt read it very good though . suggestions still appreciated thanxs. :|

 

[steve-s]

I would go with reefrunners suggestion and ditch the hood you have now. Cover the top with some eggcrate material and use a 2x20 w NO light. Like >>this one<<. Your LFS should actually sell that type and it will help maintain the coralline. The only other option is a PC retro kit that would cost about $150.00+

Cheers
Steve

 

[wilson]

k mayb ill go with that. would i just use the fluroesecent bulbs from the lfs. also what is this eggcrate stuff. wats it look like, i have never seen it.

 

[wilson]

hey how does anyone feel about a Lee's skimmer

 

[steve-s]

would i just use the fluroesecent bulbs from the lfs.

Should be the same and will work fine as long as they are NO and 2 pin.

also what is this eggcrate stuff. wats it look like, i have never seen it.

Eggcrate material is a lighting difuser used in offices. It looks like little squares of plastic joined together (plastic grate). If you go to a larger hardware store with a lighting dept. and ask for the product, they will know exactly what to show you.

hey how does anyone feel about a Lee's skimmer

No worth the money. I would actually suggest skipping the skimmer until you can afford a proper one if at all. Skimmers are not something you want to sacrifice quality for price. For a 20 gal FOWLR, you can easily get by with weekly water changes

Cheers
Steve

 

[wilson]

so is the eggcrate stuff cheap. i think i will do that with the light,it sounds not to expensive and it is easier then n e thing else lol. if i cant find egg creat could i just use glass or acrylic. and i will wait for a skimmer than. i might not get one for a few months thoguh so i will just do weekly water changes about 10% or so hows that sound. how much LR should i start with too, as much as i can afford or waht. i am alos going to look 4 that southdown sand, will any aragonite sand wrk.

 

[wilson]

i wont need any types of fan with that specific lighting will i because it is just fluorescent