best lighting for beginner reef

My Saltwater tank has been set up for about a month now and its going good. I have a 26 gallon bow-front tank with 3 big pieces of live rock, 3 conch(I think that's how its spelt) shells, barnacles, 10 nassarius snails, 2 bumble bee snails, 6 hermit crabs, 1 emeralt crab, 1 yellow clown goby, 1 Psychedelic Mandarinfish and 1 pajama cardinal. I'm planning on getting 2 ocellaris clownfish next week...

The thing the I wanna say is that I have a 15 watt 50/50 bulb in there now. I really want to get some corals and anemones but I don't think I have the right lighting. any recomondations? x

 

for an anemone, It's best to have halides for them. For softies, VHO's, HO's or PC's

 

ok thanks.
I have been looking around and saw that the mushroom corals are easy to keep and don't need 2 much lighting. and also the green star polyps. what kind of lights should I get for those or can I stay with the 15watt 50/50 bulb(but then the anemone won't do good right)

 

Sorry bro, you can't keep any coral in that tank, let alone an anenome. If you want to keep softies the bare minimum is a power compact fixture like this . Ideally, you want 3-4 watts per gallon. LPS and SPS both need T-5 fixtures and metal halide fixtures, which are much brighter.

If I were you, I'd spend the exter $$$ and go for the T-5. You could get a metal halide system too, but T-5s are better IMO. Yeah you'll hear about metal halides being better but it is really personal prefrence from what I've gathered. But before all this do your research! That's the most important thing in this hobby (aside from patients! We all know that one hehe ) It'll be awhile, but waithing will definently save you money in dead coral.

 

alright so I'll start lookin around for a new light fixture thingy cause my dad said the one we have now is a t-8. its gonna be hard cause the hood and light fixture came with the tank but hopefully we can find that. thanks for the advice

 

Do you think this can work?:

 

Eight T5 HO 24W lamps would be my choice. It would require a DIY retroffitting with remote electronic ballasts (say two ballasts each running 4 lamps).

I have a custom built 20gal tall tank (not bow front, it uses the standard frame of a 10gal just 24" Height). I have six T8 NO 20W (2 Marine Glo -actinic; 2 Power Glo -18,000K; 2 Resun D-20W -10,000K) plus four T5 HO 24W (4 Marine Glo -actinic).

The macroalgae in the tank produces tiny oxygen bubbles. My coral fragments (soft) are adapting well.

Pepetj
Santo Domingo

 

the best I'm able to do(convincing my dad) is a 55/65 compact florecent fixture for my tank with the bulb. We already ordered zoanthid polyps and the shipment should come this week so hopefully we go 2moro to order the light fixture and bulbs.(also got the 2 clowns )

 

make sure you use half actinic and half daylight (If a two bulb fixture, 1 actinic bulb and one daylight bulb)

 

yeah that's what its gonna be...its 18" deep so is it ok for the zoos and anenome nxt month or so? it'll probablly like 8 inches away from the light. (from the sand and )

 

anemone's grow best under halides

 

yeah I know but its just not possible for my tank... ill wait and spend my own money and take the risk of the anemone cause its really cool when the clowns take to them and swim around them.

 

Just be carefuller. If the anemone dies, it "can" release toxins and affect a small tank. If it dies, (or anything in a tank) it releases, nitrate phosphate, and ammonia.

I recommend you get like a torch (frogspawn) coral or similar LPS that looks like an anemone and clowns will host them. I had a clown that hosted my brain coral and later it hosted my torch and now it's attached to my RBTA

 

oh. and if you're willing to take the risk, make sure you have a good skimmer and don't turn it off if it dies even if it overflows very fast.

 

anemone's grow best under halides

Again, not true and I disagree. T5s work as well. Its a new age in reef keeping, lots of new options out there. People grow nems successfully under PCs and LEDs these days.

Honestly I would not recommend a anemone for your tank yet. I'd look into either a small Torch, Hammer, or Frogspawn coral. Clownfish host many types of coral not just anemones. They'll even host things like powerheads.

 

Again, not true and I disagree. T5s work as well. Its a new age in reef keeping, lots of new options out there. People grow nems successfully under PCs and LEDs these days.

Honestly I would not recommend a anemone for your tank yet. I'd look into either a small Torch, Hammer, or Frogspawn coral. Clownfish host many types of coral not just anemones. They'll even host things like powerheads.

They do work under PC's, but I've never heard people using HO, LED successfully and I've seen better results using halides for anemones, For me halides do grow things pretty fast and the colors brightened up under halides, but they do use a LOT of energy, heats up fast, and it would be a pain if the bulb blows up. They do replicate the affects of the sun a lot, but this is just my opinion

I do agree that you're not ready for an anemone and should look for alternatives

 

OK thanks ALOT for all of the info. GREATLY APRECIATED

 

I'm soooo madd I found the perfect lights for my tank but my protien skimmer would be in the way of it so I can't get it!!!!!

 

I would buy skimmer first

 

Btw, just found this thread again on RC. A bit late for the discussion but I had to show. It shows how many types of SPS can be grown with just T-5s.

 

Btw, just found this thread again on RC. A bit late for the discussion but I had to show. It shows how many types of SPS can be grown with just T-5s.

(just my opinion)

I do agree SPS can grow under T-5's and that halides is very inefficient, but they do show the colors of SPS beautifully. (the corals color changes depending on halides or T-5, they will also change on the strength of the lights)



scroll down until you see
REEF OF THE MONTH- OCT 2009

most beautiful tank I've seen in person. He has three pendants of 250 watts 20k halides with a few VHO.



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what skimmer are you getting?

 

I already have a skimmer....its a Lee's Counter Current(I think) protien skimmer. its not the best in the world but it serves its purpose. the collection cup is what is in the way. I think I might just take off the hood and move the light more foward if I get it.

 

ive seen a lot of tanks without hoods... is that ok?? I think I will be able to put in the new light without the hood on it. I'm just worried that the clowns might jump out

 

Yes its ok, but like you also mentioned...the fish could jump. They won't always, but its possible. Maybe you should get a glass hood or something to cover the tank with that can still let light through.

 

my dad can definitely do that for me put I rather have it open so I could put food more towards the middle of the tank where everyone can get at it. the clowns stay in front and the cardinal stays in the back so when I put some live brine shrimp the clowns get the most of it.

 

Go toaquatraders personally I have had great experience there and the prices are great!

 

thanks but it didnt help...