New nano tank...lights?

[lpn4]

Hi there. I am setting up a nano tank this week. The tank is cycled, and I currently have a brackish salinity...am working up the salt level. I currently have 2 25w incandescent bulbs. I do not have any fish or reef in the tank. my plan is to put a goby in here, along with some reef. Can someone tell me what kind of lighting I need?

 

[carey]

How big is the tank? And what kind of corals are you looking to keep?

 

[lpn4]

My tank is 10g. I am very new to this, and am just researching for now. I do not to jump into anything. I want to maybe grow sea anemones, and any kind of coral/reef that I can find at my lfs. Can't I grow reef from live rock? I hope these questions don't sound too stupid, like I said, I'm very new to it.

 

[carey]

Well if you are wanting an anemone you will need very strong lighting. Not the easiest fixture to find since it's only 20" for the tank length.

This is the only thing I come up with

Current USA Nova Extreme Pro T5HO 10k/460nm Actinics

 

[lpn4]

Okay thanks. I have since learned that polyps need low light, but I thought an anemone was a polyp? Also, I worry that my water flow will be too low, but mushroom coral do not require high flow.

 

[carey]

Anemones require an established tank and pristine water so I wouldnt recommend one right now anyway. Nems are actually creatures, not coral. Have you looked at Aquarium Fish: Tropical Freshwater Fish and Saltwater Fish for Home Aquariums yet? they have alot of information on nems and eveyr coral you can imagine.

 

[lpn4]

Thanks for the tips. Looks like I might do well with a small polyp and mushroom coral. Still wondering about lighting though.

 

[carey]

Here's another fixture I found

AquaticLife T5 HO 4-Lamp Light Fixtures w/ Lunar LEDs

You could keep most anything under that light or the other one. You pretty much want at least 2 T5 bulbs, preferably 4 so that you can keep more light demanding corals.

 

[joy13]

You could also go with a 70 watt mh from fishneedit. A 10 gallon is very small for an anemone but you can get hairy mushrooms or a frogspawn that looks a lot like one both are low light. 70W Metal Halide Pendant Lights they are on sale now as well.

 

[Ibrahim]

The best lighting and cheapest lighting is Hydroponics Grow Lights- Blue and White LEDs. Anywhere from $30-100.

 

[lpn4]

Okay. Looks like I have quite a few options here. A good light for my tank is my Christmas gift...hehehe...so I want to make a good decision..and not burn up my little tank. Also, what does anyone know about actinic lighting? Is it necessary? I want the best brightest color from my reef, not solely a brownis-yellow color.

 

[carey]

Actinics are needed for your coral growth.

The more blue you add the less yellow you will see. For instance a 10k bulb is much more yellow and whiter than a 12k bulb. Actinics are the very bluest you can get or purple depending on what bulb you have.

I have an even split of white (12K bulbs) and blue actinics. I happen to like a blue-ish tank over the normal white/yellow light .

 

[lpn4]

Okay, I was thinking about running an even split as well, 50% white and 50% blue. Do you only run your actinic at night?

 

[carey]

Nope, I run them from 9 am til 9pm and the whites from 10am to 8 pm. The actinics arent for moonlight they are for the corals. You can get separate moonlighting if you want to see into the tank at night when all the lights are off.