10g lighting

[Bronco300]

Hi, i was wondering what you all would suggest as lighting for a 10gallon saltwater....i want to be able to have soft corals like pumping xenia, would a single 65W be fine? or should i get something like a satellite dual 2x40W or 2x65W, thanks.

Luke P

[Devilishturtles]

1 65watt bulb fixture would do you good. That would give you 6.5 wpg...definetley a nice thing. I wouldn't go any more than that, or you will soon be resricted to high light corals, and might have issues with some lower light corals.

I have the coralife 2x65 on my 29 gal tank. Very nice fixture, imo.

[Bronco300]

thanks a lot!!

[Bronco300]

actually, do you think a satellite 40W would work as well??? thanks

[Devilishturtles]

A 40 watt would give you 4 WPG. That is still a nice number, and offers you a wide range of corals to choose from from low to moderate lighting. Most beginner corals (leather, zoos, polyps, etc) can adapt well to the lighting and waterflow you give it.

HTH

I have a 10 that I light with one singel 65 watt PC. I have a 12k bulb and the following softies.
Xenia
Yellow polyps
Mushrooms
Zoos
Leather
All seem to be doing well

[Bronco300]

thats sweet, do any of you know where a good place you be to get that 65, or 40, or 55...and not have to pay 100 for one?? ive been looking around at some sites, but dont really know which are respectable yet or not. thanks

Luke P

[Bronco300]

i think i'm gonna probably go through premium aquatics, its warehouse is only an hour away so i wouldnt have to pay shipping....now for setting up the 65W satellite...how close should it be to the tank? do i just want to set it on the tank, use the brackets? or should i hang it?? i guess in reality this 65W is 24", which is bigger than what my 10gal actually uses...so what do you think??maybe hanging would be the easiest then? i dont know, lay it on me pals..lol, i just cant wait to get the xenia

[Devilishturtles]

check out www.captivereefs.com. You should ideally try and find a 20 inch fixture so you aren't wasting all of that light.
.

[ellisz]

WPG is not the end all to be all. On a 10 gal tank, the depth is pretty short so a lot of light is not necessarily needed. Not saying you cant. I built a 2x32 fixture for around $50 for my 10 when I had it set up.

For softies, a single 40 watt might work. It is a good thing to get more than you need in case you decide you want more light demanding corals.

[Bronco300]

well, actually i was thinking if i got the 24", then i could use it for part of my lighting for my 75gal later down the road when i set it up...