Can I keep anything with this light?

[Lodie]

I have a 36g bow that I have had running since August 2015 with a nice big mountain of reefcleaners rock and a small CUC. I absolutely couldn't make up my mind with what I wanted to do with this tank until yesterday when I picked up a pretty little g. smithii mantis shrimp and decided to base the tank around him.

 

I currently have a 30" Finnex FugeRay Original Series LED plus moonlights fixture over the tank for mantis viewing. It has 132 7,000k daylight led's and 12 actinic "moonlights". I am running it with both on for a slightly better visual spectrum.

 

http://www.finnex.net/index.php/fugeray_series/?___store=default

 

 

My question is what else could this light support? I would ultimately like to be able to have both macros and some easy softies to fill it up and make it really natural looking. If this light isn't sufficient, what else could I add to boost it or what should I get to replace it?

 

Thanks!!!

[evilc66]

Those fixtures aren't really designed for tall tanks like yours. They just don't have enough grunt to get decent PAR levels low in the tank, or higher in the tank for that matter. If you were 12" tall or less, you would have a serviceable light. At 21" tall, everything below the halfway mark in the tank is going to be stretching for light even if it's a low light coral.

 

As for what to replace it with, there are a number of options depending on budget and what features you desire. Some of the Chinese black box fixtures like those from Mars Aqua or Reef Breeders will work and are easy on the wallet, with enough power for a tank of that size. The control options are limited though. If you want more control, then a pair of AI Prime's would work nicely. They are a little more expensive, but you have full control over the color of the light as well as intensity and timing.

[Lodie]

Poo. Oh well, I had pretty much committed myself to purchasing one, possibly two fixtures from Reef Breeders before I stumbled upon the mantis. I was hoping this route would've been a little easier on the bank account, but I should've known better!

 

Thanks for confirming what deep-down I already knew.

[patback]

I don't know about that specific mantis species, how ever I do know that many mantis shrimp can develop she'll rot from high intensity lights.

I'm not saying you can't keep a mantis in a reef, but lots of dark caves and overhangs and well-held together rock structures would be a must.

[Horerczy]

G Smithii rarely get shell rot. I used to have one. So fun to feed them. I kept mine in a 10 gallon tank.

[Bobbitworm13]

G. Smithii ( purple spot mantis) are a shallow water species so brighter lights would be fine. If you have a 36 I would trade the G. smithii for an odontodactylus scyllarus (peacock mantis shrimp). They get larger and are cooler in my opinion

[Nightstar]

I was thinking you had a chance at keeping photosynthetic corals under this light until I read about the virtues of it's "aluminum heat sync". Nowhere on the manufacturer's site are the stats for PAR or even watts consumed. I'm guessing these are 5050 modules which would be about a quarter of a watt per at ~ .6 efficiency, which equates to an inefficient 33 watt bland white/yellow light.

 

If you want to try though I recomend discosoma. Some zoanthids do well under low light as do some deep water acropora and euphyllia. It's a difficult proposition to find deep water coral. Perhaps you can find a reliable supplier, I have never known such.

 

You can always go with nps corals. Some are truly exquisite. Be aware that you will have to feed... a lot. Or you can build/buy a better fixture. I'm a DIY guy myself. LEDgroupBuy has done well by me and I heartily recommend Milad's fine service. Evil can help you out here. I personally prefer low current, high emitter count arrays with WW, cyan, RB, CB, TV and HV. Note: such arrays are not cheap even to build DIY.

[Clown79]

Deeper tanks are harder to light properly. It seems particularly difficult with leds. I have noticed most are best with shallower tanks.

 

I agree with Evil. Mars Aqua would work on your tank and they are quite affordable. Probably 1 of the most affordable options.

 

T5ho's would work but ai believe the cost of the fixture and bulb replacement every 6 mnths would cost more.

 

You could do non photosynthetic corals like dendros or suncorals.

 

Dendrophyllia are very pretty, there are orange, yellow, and even pink options.

 

There are pink suncorals and black su corals.

 

These all require no photosynthesis but do need feeding. Dendro need feeding 2x a week. Suncorals are more demanding.

 

You could get some lower light loving mushrooms and place them strategically in the tank as well. Same with low light zoas.

[Tamberav]

Poo. Oh well, I had pretty much committed myself to purchasing one, possibly two fixtures from Reef Breeders before I stumbled upon the mantis. I was hoping this route would've been a little easier on the bank account, but I should've known better!

 

Thanks for confirming what deep-down I already knew.

 

Quoting this in case you are not following the thread anymore.

 

I was going to post exactly what Clown79 above did. NPS corals around the base and easy corals or macro on the top of the rocks. I had a NPS tank awhile back with a mantis and it worked very well. So much so, I am thinking of doing another. Just be sure to glue frags down or the mantis will hang them upside down or hide them in her/his burrow.