Im looking into setting up a 30 gal reef and fish tank

The friendliest place on the web for anyone with an interest in aquariums or fish keeping!
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
See posts with no answers
Not trying to poach your thread but this is some information I have been dying to get! But bigben what type of lighting do you have.

I saw you suggested 4 bulb for sps and anems but are you running this set up or something less?

I have been asking for light suggestions to do a reef setup exactly like yours a 29 gal with only softies and everyone has been suggesting 400+ dollar lighting.
 
A 4 bulb t5ho would be iffy for sps and nems. I tried it on my 36 gal and they all died. If the unit had individual reflectors it would he doable for less light demanding sps.

For t5ho units, it is either 6 or 8 bulb units that can support sps and they can be pricey without bulbs for coral growth. Because of this, i usually recommend the taotronics leds that can be found on ebay. It is a simple led unit that you hand above your tank. The best part about them is that they are around 200 in price, the price of 4 bulb and lower quality 6 bulb t5ho units. Ill post a link when i get to my computer.
 
Yeah I understand that , I just don't think I want to drop 170 on lighting for a secondary tank..

Would really like to know what Bigben has
 
I have done plenty of research and I have seen people growing only soft corals with cheaper lighting structures. I understand the benefits of LED believe me, however all I am attempting to get out of this is how BigBen is having success without LED and then I can weigh my options. I am a college student and I do not have the funds to necessarily just throw 170 out there
 
techo said:
Not trying to poach your thread but this is some information I have been dying to get! But bigben what type of lighting do you have.

I saw you suggested 4 bulb for sps and anems but are you running this set up or something less?

I have been asking for light suggestions to do a reef setup exactly like yours a 29 gal with only softies and everyone has been suggesting 400+ dollar lighting.
Click to expand...

I don't think you need that much light but you will be suggested that. My lighting is a double t5 ho fixture that they sell at petco for about 70 bucks it has reflectors. its the zoomed one.
 
Yes for softies only a 2-4 bulb t4ho is all you would need depending on tank depth and placement of coral of course.
 
Thanks for all the great info to everyone. And please if you can think of anything that I didnt ask that you think I should know please feel free to chip in. Bigben you've been a great help especially with the power heads I greatly appreciate it!
 
Some thoughts for you!

fish need it;lights; food;Sponge
Aquatraders - Guaranteed Best Prices on Aquarium Lightings + Free Shipping!

Both have cheaper light fixtures but as mentioned the Tao tronic led is the least expensive when you account for the bulbs. I have a single hanging over my 24 inch deep 60g rimless and it's more than enough light to keep just about anything. The corals in my tank that are doing the best under the leds are the SPS and other hard corals. The light is just way bright. So no worries about not having enough light with that led.

On 4 other tanks I run t5's in various color combinations. They are grow any coral I keep under them. I do however have individual reflectors on each bulb and a minimum of 4 bulbs, a double bulb isn;t gonna do the trick for much other than soft corals and maybe some LPS.

I use almost all koralia powerheads and really like them. I have the cheap maxi jets, aqueons, koralias and even the vortech. In my opinion, the best bet for your money is koralia. The vortech is nice and all but not worth the $300 in my mind.
 
Thanks for the info Carey! Im not a fan of the Tao Tronics though because im not a fan of hanging the light from my ceiling, Id rather have it sitting on the tank, and the sites you provided were very helpful but also not at the same time as they have made me kinda question if i want just led or a mix of led and T5HO haha. And as for the power heads i think im gonna take both yours and bigbens ideas together. I think I will by the koralia for my reef and and do the power sweep on my freshwater and see which i like best that way. But reading through some of your posts i believe i may like the koralia better for the reef tank. If i may ask you Carey, whats your opinion on using a Protein Skimmer and/or Sump for a 30 Gal tank?
 
You'll love the koralias. They are great and the price is right. Just watch out if you unplug/lose power to them. They have a habit of going in reverse. They supposedly fixed the issue from what I've read, but I haven't bought any newer ones.

If it is hanging for lights you don't like, you could do something similar to what Kio did on his tank. He customed a hood with the L shaped pieces from an aluminum shelf. He used them to hold his LED units in place rather than hanging them. Only issue I would see with that would be rusting, but coating them with either rustolium or rubber would solve the issue.
 
Sniperhank said:
You'll love the koralias. They are great and the price is right. Just watch out if you unplug/lose power to them. They have a habit of going in reverse. They supposedly fixed the issue from what I've read, but I haven't bought any newer ones.

If it is hanging for lights you don't like, you could do something similar to what Kio did on his tank. He customed a hood with the L shaped pieces from an aluminum shelf. He used them to hold his LED units in place rather than hanging them. Only issue I would see with that would be rusting, but coating them with either rustolium or rubber would solve the issue.
Click to expand...

Ok cool thanks I appreciate your input on both the powerheads and the lighting. Im new on the forums when you mentioned Kio i went to search for him to see if i could find a pic of what you were talking about but found a few people with Kio in their name, would you by chance have a link to his page? I really like not only the look of LEDs but the fact that they do save money in the long run and that they dont produce the heat that T5s do as well so if i can find a solution whether buying an all LED light that stands on the tank or if i can find a solution like Kio did that would be fantastic!
 
Thanks sniperhank for the link as well a the info on the LEDs I never would have known youll have just saved my future corals :) do you have a preference to the brand of lighting?
 
What do u mean lighting brand? Bulbs or a lighting unit? Im biased due to paying too much for crappy t5's so i went all out on my leds and run 2 ecotech radions above my 55.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

T
Setting up an Indian Tank
Replies
8
Views
773
Andy Sager
Andy Sager
A
Tank set up
Replies
1
Views
370
Andy Sager
Andy Sager
Q
Newbie - Help in setting up new acquarium
Replies
3
Views
639
Aiken Drum
Aiken Drum
N
Getting back into fish life
Replies
1
Views
234
Aiken Drum
Aiken Drum
Y
40gallon breeder filter
Replies
6
Views
323
Andy Sager
Andy Sager

Latest posts

Back
Top Bottom