I have a 135 gallon tank so far its just rock and reefsafe fish i want to convert to reef what should my 1st step be i am already putting in coral vite and some other kent products to start having the stuff in the water tha coral eat or wutever i think this is a good idea idk so let me kno i really want a light fixture for this tank one that i will onli have to buy once and not need to mess with anything else again is there any place or website perffered? and what kind of light fixture should i buy and what are athentic blue lights for is says they are good for coral but not sure why please help
Light HElp
- Thread starter tntfish
- Start date
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Kurt_Nelson
Aquarium Advice Addict
First step is stop dumping stuff into your tank. If you don't know if it's needed, or don't know what it's for... then stop. Good water and good lighting is all coral really need to thrive. If there's fish in the tank, they'll find enough to eat. And once you get coral and understand WHAT they eat (they all don't eat the same stuff), then you can spot feed them if you want. But just dumping in stuff that is advertised to "help" usually just fouls up your water and causes more problems down the road.;
OK - now that you've stopped, now the research begins.
What type of corals do you want to keep? If you want the ability to keep anything and everything, then most likely you'll want metal halide lighting for a tank that size. High Output T5 (T5HO) fluorescent lighting will give you quite a range also. If you're only interested in LPS/softies/zoanthids/low-light SPS corals and not high-light demanding SPS, then you can get by with compact fluorescent lighting.
OK - now that you've stopped, now the research begins.
What type of corals do you want to keep? If you want the ability to keep anything and everything, then most likely you'll want metal halide lighting for a tank that size. High Output T5 (T5HO) fluorescent lighting will give you quite a range also. If you're only interested in LPS/softies/zoanthids/low-light SPS corals and not high-light demanding SPS, then you can get by with compact fluorescent lighting.
I agree with Kurt Nelson. If you put something in that is not currently needed then it will make the water dirty. Your saltwater will provide most nutrients as long as you stay on water changes. Once you decide what you are going to grow then you can pick lights. Lots to consider. If you go with metal halide then you will have to consider the heat from the lights. Compact flourescent are good but then you are limited on coral.
I knoe to start i wil have to go with soft corals i want to be able to do soft and hard tho i have a feather duster in there he is doing just fine, im just not sure what lights to buy and what is the reason for athinc blue lighting?
Ahh, I'm the kind of person who googles to find answers when unsure...
Aquarium Lighting information
I would reccomend T-5 lighting , power compact are good at first but they dim down fast and don't put out a lot light. Then MH are great but throw off a lot of heat, and would not be neccesary (spelled wrong) for softies, also you should think about moonlights if you don't have some already.
Aquarium Lighting information
I would reccomend T-5 lighting , power compact are good at first but they dim down fast and don't put out a lot light. Then MH are great but throw off a lot of heat, and would not be neccesary (spelled wrong) for softies, also you should think about moonlights if you don't have some already.
