GBOY & NUNU 30 gal saltwater build!!!

[Gboy66]

Mhm np

The frogspawn seems to be doing very well, even with our okay light!

If we put zoas near the top of the tank, like on the arch, would they get too much light?

 

[Ibrahim]

They'll be fine but it's best to put them at the bottom of the arch and leave the top for SPS and LPS

 

[Gboy66]

They'll be fine but it's best to put them at the bottom of the arch and leave the top for SPS and LPS

Got it thanks! I just kinda wanted them to grow all over it

 

[Austin.b]

Awesome!! Glad to see you got a new thread going lol i will be following along the whole journey! TBH, I was looking forward to the new thread lol well best of luck!!!!

 

[redsea]

I think i have the second pistol shrimp that you linked. looks just like him.

I love his coloring, its a shame that they kill other shrimp though.

 

[Gboy66]

Awesome!! Glad to see you got a new thread going lol i will be following along the whole journey! TBH, I was looking forward to the new thread lol well best of luck!!!!

Thanks man good to have you

 

[Gboy66]

I love his coloring, its a shame that they kill other shrimp though.

Yeah man. It really is cool how they kill things with their "pistol" though. I dont know how it works but its cool. Youtube it when you have a chance.

 

[severum mama]

Thanks!!! So we added our clown 10 days ago, could we get another fish this weekend? Which one?

Much too soon IMO. I recommend waiting a minimum of a month between fish additions. Your tank is still VERY new. Reef tanks take a long time to get established- it's a whole different ballgame than FW. Rushing into purchases only decreases your chances of success. I see people recommending a fish a week sometimes... for a marine tank, this is a BAD IDEA.

Hahah okay we will try to find a very small and friendly looking one i guess.. Thanks for the heads up!

Doesn't matter if it "looks" friendly. Triggerfish look friendly.

The frogspawn seems to be doing very well, even with our okay light!

If we put zoas near the top of the tank, like on the arch, would they get too much light?

Frogspawn isn't a terribly demanding coral. It should do fine.

No photosynthetic coral is going to get too much light under what you have, even if it is high in the tank.

 

[Gboy66]

Much too soon IMO. I recommend waiting a minimum of a month between fish additions. Your tank is still VERY new. Reef tanks take a long time to get established- it's a whole different ballgame than FW. Rushing into purchases only decreases your chances of success. I see people recommending a fish a week sometimes... for a marine tank, this is a BAD IDEA.

Doesn't matter if it "looks" friendly. Triggerfish look friendly.

Frogspawn isn't a terribly demanding coral. It should do fine.

No photosynthetic coral is going to get too much light under what you have, even if it is high in the tank.

Thanks for all the help!! 2-3 more weeks for the next fish..but could we add coral or inverts this weekend? Small bioload right?

Yea i think theyd be fine in our lame lighting, but what about the 4 bulb T5? that might be too much..what do you think?

 

[EriksFish315]

I'm using a 4 bulb t5 and the coral. Have seem to be doing good.

 

[severum mama]

I'd spend the money on replacement bulbs, if you haven't already. I saw some pics a while back where they were looking really old. Spectrum and intensity shift over time, and this can contribute to algae problems. This is why folks replace their bulbs long before they actually burn out. With power compacts, I believe the rule of thumb is every 6-8 months.

Believe me, I understand the allure of adding, adding, adding to the tank... but slow down! Get your equipment situation under control before you add more corals. If you're wanting to replace your bulbs or your light fixture, put the money toward that. It's going to be pretty tough to upgrade your lighting if you never start saving money for it.

4 bulb T5 HO that Erik mentioned would be a nice choice for your tank. You won't be keeping most of the sps, but it's budget friendly... plus, down the road, you could probably keep a couple easy sps like green birdsnest.

 

[Gboy66]

I'd spend the money on replacement bulbs, if you haven't already. I saw some pics a while back where they were looking really old. Spectrum and intensity shift over time, and this can contribute to algae problems. This is why folks replace their bulbs long before they actually burn out. With power compacts, I believe the rule of thumb is every 6-8 months.

Believe me, I understand the allure of adding, adding, adding to the tank... but slow down! Get your equipment situation under control before you add more corals. If you're wanting to replace your bulbs or your light fixture, put the money toward that.

4 bulb T5 HO that Erik mentioned would be a nice choice for your tank. You won't be keeping most of the sps, but it's budget friendly... plus, down the road, you could probably keep a couple easy sps like green birdsnest.

Oh yes, i looked into replacing the bulbs, but the cost would be pretty close to the cost of a new, better fixture. Ibrhaim sugested a 4 bulb t5ho on aquatraders for 64$ that we could keep most sps with.

 

[severum mama]

I disagree that it would be sufficient for "most" sps. That is JMHO.

 

[Gboy66]

I disagree that it would be sufficient for "most" sps. That is JMHO.

Either way, its better than my current lighting. And you know, im a beginner so im only looking at the easy stuff anyways

 

[Ibrahim]

I disagree that it would be sufficient for "most" sps. That is JMHO.

I said it'd be efficient for most SPS along with the PCs. Tim currently has a 4 bulb t5ho that's 24" over his 54g and he's growing SPS just fine

 

[EriksFish315]

My mushrooms and zoas are doing good under a 4 bulb t5 unit.

 

[Nu-Nu the eel]

I said it'd be efficient for most SPS along with the PCs. Tim currently has a 4 bulb t5ho that's 24" over his 54g and he's growing SPS just fine

Okay cool. Sounds like a good fixture for only 64.

 

[Gboy66]

I said it'd be efficient for most SPS along with the PCs. Tim currently has a 4 bulb t5ho that's 24" over his 54g and he's growing SPS just fine

I am still wondering, how could we get bith fixtures on?

 

[severum mama]

I said it'd be efficient for most SPS along with the PCs. Tim currently has a 4 bulb t5ho that's 24" over his 54g and he's growing SPS just fine

I don't know who Tim is, but sorry, a 4 bulb T5 HO is not enough light for "most" sps. Yes, it is enough light for some of them, and I never disagreed with that statement. There is a big distinction between "grows some easy sps corals" and "grows MOST sps corals". Just sayin'. Gboy and Nu Nu will be restricted to easy sps corals for the time being, as it simply won't be possible to keep the water clean enough for the more challenging sps corals without a skimmer, regardless of lighting.

Adding a 4 bulb T5 HO to the existing fixture is a good idea. In fact, I recommended this a long time ago when the Gboy and Nu Nu first posted photos of the tank and setup. The PC bulbs should still be replaced; as I mentioned, old bulbs can contribute to nuisance algae.

@ Gboy- depending on the width of the fixtures, it may or may not be possible to use both at the same time.

 

[Ibrahim]

I don't know who Tim is, but sorry, a 4 bulb T5 HO is not enough light for "most" sps. Yes, it is enough light for some of them, and I never disagreed with that statement. There is a big distinction between "grows some easy sps corals" and "grows MOST sps corals". Just sayin'. Gboy and Nu Nu will be restricted to easy sps corals for the time being, as it simply won't be possible to keep the water clean enough for the more challenging sps corals without a skimmer, regardless of lighting.

The user TLTGF is who I was referring to. He's got a build on the site. Again I did not say that a 4 bulb t5 alone is enough for most SPS. All I said was that he was growing SPS under it. So I'm sorry if the way I stated it was misleading.