rileyrk190

I currently am looking to upgrade the lighting on my almost cycled 10g saltwater reef tank. Right now i only have an 18w fluorescent light on there, but was looking at a 70 or 150 watt metal halide. Which one would be better? Is that too much light for a ten gallon? I really would like to grow some corals, but would like to keep my options open by having good lighting. Thanks in advance.

Slug

70w will work just fine and is the cheaper route. However the 150w could work too. You have more bulb choices at 150w+ too. Just be sure to hang/mount these enough above the tank somehow so that 1, they don't get water splashed on them (They are VERY hot and could burst) and 2, the corals don't get burned. Also be sure to acclimate your corals to the new light, and watch the water temp.

I have a 250w MH over my 10gal, running that way for close to 2 years, even had it on a 2.5gal at one point. Who wants to argue it won't work?

Like i said, it might be overkill a bit, but 150+ can work. 70w will work very well and let you grow pretty much what you want.

rileyrk190

Thanks! I appreciate the answer. I have been afraid to post on a certain saltwater forum because of how condescending some of the users are . Now obviously my tank is way too new to consider an anemone, but assuming there is one that can go in a ten gallon ( i havent really researched them yet), would the 70w be enough light still? My ultimate goal would be to have one clown fish and something for it to host in.
Also, i am in the process of building an in tank sump with an acrylic sheet. So its approximately a 7 gallon tank with a three gallon sump, but would the light melt the acrylic sheet even though its in the water? I would assume it couldnt, but i thought i would ask just in case.

pepetj

I am working on the set-up of a 20gal tall (footprint of 10gal: 20"Lx10"W). I am going to use six to eight 20W T-8 lamps that will run on two electronic ballasts (e.g. 2 actinic, 2 at 18,000K, 2 at 10,000K). I intend to "center" the lamp assembly since the lamps are 24" long (which I am still figuring out how to build).

MH should be safe for acrylic but you need to place it at certain distance from the top of the tank (I believe it's like 12 or 16 inches but please confirm that info) to keep the water temp within healthy range. MHs dissipate a lot of heat.

Take your time. Your Clown fish doesn't need an anemone to thrive in captivity. If you want to provide one, it is suggested that you find a healthy anemone specimen that is compatible with your Clown fish species. It is also advisable to wait for your tank to reach the six month mark before introducing anemones.

I might do just that.

Pepetj
Santo Domingo

harpua2002

IMO anemones aren't really suitable for a 10 gallon (or any nano tank), although some people would disagree I'm sure. The thing about anemones is that most grow far too large for a nano when given proper care. Also, Pepe brings up a good point- not only do clowns not need an anemone, but there is no guarantee they will host one even if you have one. Certain species of clowns are more likely to host certain species of anemones, but there are no sure bets.

rileyrk190

Ok thanks. I know that they don't need an anemone, it was just something i wanted to try, but i don't want to keep one anyways if a ten gallon isn't suitable for it.

harpua2002

You could try a frogspawn or other euphyllia species. They are very easy to frag when they start to get too big, then you could sell the frag to a LFS or another hobbyist.

rileyrk190

Thats a good idea! I may try some of that.