KJC18

I was thinking about getting soft corals for my reef tank because i heard they are good begginer corals.

1. What kind of lighting do they require?

2. what would be the best lighting, but for a good cheap price?

3. Is a Xp3 Canister filter good?

4. What is a Fluidized bed filter?


**Questions about lighting periods**

1. Can i have a dim moon light on during night?

2. I was reading a book and it says to replicate dusk and dawn, so does this mean to get a dim light for the dusk and dawn, then use the main light to replicate the sun? If so how many hours should i put the main light on for and how many hours for the dim light?

So all in all i'm guessing i should get a blue light to replicate dusk and dawn, and a moonlight to replicate the moon at night. The main light Replicating the sun.

I appreciate all of your help guys! Thanks alot!!

Gozer_1

1. They require around 5 Watts per gallon of somekind of flourescent. Compact flourescent is very common.

2. For soft corals a combo actinic (blue) and regular white Compact Flourescent is a good choice. Here's a link to the light I have for my soft coral tank. http://www.marinedepot.com/ps_Aquari..._fixtures.html You can take a look at their lighting selection to get an idea of pricing. Again, 5 watts per gallon is a good number.

3. I use Rena Filstar XPs in all my tanks. The XP3 is fantastic. The only problem I've ever had was a small hole in the intake tube developed and I started getting massive amounts of air bubbles. That filter ran for about a year with no problems. Still runs fine now. Dot of superglue fixed the hole.

4. A fluidized bed is a type of filtration where filter media is suspended in a flowing colum of water. This increases the surface contact with the media as well as contact time. They're only really needed for large overstocked tanks and can be hazardous if not maintained properly. More modern technology has been eating away at the use of fluidized beds. They're unneeded in most average setups.

Photoperiod questions

1. Moon lights are a wonderful addition. Great for night viewing and to simulate natural moonlight.

2. To simulate dawn and dusk you'd have the actinics turn on 30 minutes to an hour before the main light comes on and turn off 30 minutes to an hour after the mains shut off. You leave both lights on in the day. I keep my actinics on for about 9 hours a day and the mains on for about 7.

I think that about answers your questions. Just look around at different compact flourescent combo lights. Look for one with the wattage for the tank you want and just price out the cheapest. The one I linked too is fairly priced but I've seen cheaper.

KJC18

Ok so that means for a 65 gal tank i would need 325 watts, right?

Thank you for all your help Gozer, i really appreciate you takin the time to answer my questions

Gozer_1

That should do it!

I believe 65s are usually 36 inches long so, you want to look for something in that length at the wattage you want. Lighting will be one of the most expensive things you buy in the entire span of the hobby and it may be difficult to find that wattage in a 36 inch light. I did see a 36 inch metal halide combo that rang in at around 320 watts. It also rang in at $500. Just search around and find a good deal.

PS I love answering Saltwater questions. I have done SO much reading and such in my experience with my tank that it's nice to be able to share it with others.

KJC18

What do you think about a wet/dry sump filter? Now me just a begginer, the wet/dry sump filter sounds very very compilcated. Ive read a lot about it but still some questions in my head lol.

How does the wet/dry sump filter really work?

i mean do you put a syphen hose in the main tank and into the wet/dry sump? i'm very confused how it all filters.

Do you put in your heater, protien skimmer etc into this sump also?

Ive heard its the best filteration system for reef tanks, so this is why im researching into it. Seeing that i'm getting soft corals it would probably be best to get this type of filteration i think.

Just out of curiousity, would it be ok to have a Xp3 canister filter along with a wet/dry sump filter? or do you have to run, one or the other?

Gozer_1

I don't recommend the dry part of that. Just a sump. I'm, very slowly, building a sump for my tank. You need some type of overflow. The best is to have holes drilled in the glass to allow for water to flow to a sump underneath. The water is then pumped back up into the tank. I's really actually simple when you get the idea of it. The sump is basically an extra tank that allows you to have an extra space for your equipment like heaters and stuff as well as adding to your total water volume with out being seen. You can also fill a portion with biomedia. The dry part is where the water flows over media so that the media is also exposed to air. It's great for detoxifying ammonia and nitrite. The problem is aerobic bacterias produce nitrate. You need anaerobic bacteria to turn the nitrate into nitrogen. Being exposed to air makes it difficult for anaerobics to do their job so you can get a build up of nitrates. For your size tank you'll be fine with the XP3. A sump would mostly serve to hide the equipment more than as a filter. An XP3 is basically an enclosed sump. You just can't hide your stuff in it.