KISS Equipment For A Tank

[Friendly]

if we keep it simple, hopefully that means it'll keep it inexpensive.

 

can you offer any recommendations for light and ATO?

 

ninja has recommende a couple lights,,but they're $300 - $500 options (when you figure in the Canada tax) which are 3 - 5x the cost of my aquarium.

 

for the ATO recommendations...it's for a Spec V. from the reading I've done so far, many of the mini's out there suffer from a lot of false alarms. is that a common issue or was it a bad batch or incorrect setup by the aquarist?

[Rural]

 

 

can you offer any recommendations for light and ATO?

 

for the vast majority i think the tank is actually the cheapest thing on the setup. $1/gal???

 

lights: nanobox or radion. may look into phillips led???

 

get a list of what you want to keep and build your setup around that, not the other way around.

 

ato float switches never did good for me with these high evap small tanks, get a digital sensor in whatever kit you choose.

 

 

all you REALLY need is something to hold water, something to light the water, and something to move the water (powerhead, tank, light). all the extras cost and increase complexity.

 

i'd suggest having a good water mixing station/cart/setup as you want to increase these if you are not spending on other things. and remember water changes can replace (almost) any gadget.

[Tamberav]

if we keep it simple, hopefully that means it'll keep it inexpensive.

 

can you offer any recommendations for light and ATO?

 

ninja has recommende a couple lights,,but they're $300 - $500 options (when you figure in the Canada tax) which are 3 - 5x the cost of my aquarium.

 

for the ATO recommendations...it's for a Spec V. from the reading I've done so far, many of the mini's out there suffer from a lot of false alarms. is that a common issue or was it a bad batch or incorrect setup by the aquarist?

 

Coral Compulsion Par bulbs for a more inexpensive option, don't cheap out on ebay crap, you get what you pay for (mostly). I ran 2x par 30's over mine and it could grow anything.

 

You are basically giving up control-ability to save $ but are keeping good LED's and spectrum. I put mine on some $3 walmart timers.

 

https://coralcompulsion.myshopify.com/collections/all

 

 

I use the micro ATO without issue. I'm not sure what else would fit back there.

[Kellie in CA]

Unfortunately the lights are very expensive in this hobby. If you are looking for something more cost effective, you could go with an all-in-one like a Biocube. That would give you the tank, filtration, and lighting all in one package.

[Friendly]

hey Kellie, now that I understand lighting is expensive, I need to learn what will and won't work.

 

I'm going to look at the PAR bulbs. would a PAR30 be enough for a 5 gal with beginner soft corals? I would I need two? or upgrade to a more powerful bulb or?

 

I'm quite uncertain about the lighting. guess I need to read up on coral and their lighting needs and learn about he products avail so I can get some understanding. if there are any guides for this, please feel free to link them!

[Teach]

Current USA orbit marine is a perfect light for your fluval spec V. You'll be able to grow softies and LPS with it AND it's controllable.

It's about $155 CAD here http://www.petsandponds.com/en/aquarium-supplies/c5813/c231289/p17715168.html

 

And for an ATO, a lot of people seem to recommend smart micro ATO for small tanks. About $180 CAD here

http://www.petsandponds.com/en/aquarium-supplies/c378141773/p17736575.html

[Tamberav]

hey Kellie, now that I understand lighting is expensive, I need to learn what will and won't work.

 

I'm going to look at the PAR bulbs. would a PAR30 be enough for a 5 gal with beginner soft corals? I would I need two? or upgrade to a more powerful bulb or?

 

I'm quite uncertain about the lighting. guess I need to read up on coral and their lighting needs and learn about he products avail so I can get some understanding. if there are any guides for this, please feel free to link them!

 

Because the tank is long, you won't get as good as spread with just 1 par30. You could grow coral with it though, it will have a shadowing on the ends though.

 

Current USA Orbit Marine LED is another option. I was going to mention it but I couldn't remember the name earlier

[ezcompany]

leds will pay for itself in a few years.

[tetraodon]

check out reef breeders, very good lights at decent prices

[Friendly]

Current USA orbit marine is a perfect light for your fluval spec V. You'll be able to grow softies and LPS with it AND it's controllable.

It's about $155 CAD here http://www.petsandponds.com/en/aquarium-supplies/c5813/c231289/p17715168.html

 

And for an ATO, a lot of people seem to recommend smart micro ATO for small tanks. About $180 CAD here

http://www.petsandponds.com/en/aquarium-supplies/c378141773/p17736575.html

Teach, thank you for this!

 

Would just one of the Orbit Marine be enough? I like the fact it's a bit longer than my tank. If I use a AC50 or AC70 for a fuge, I could 'hang' it off the back of the filter compartment on the Spec V and light up the macro algae.

[tibbsy07]

Make sure the HOB (ac50/70) will actually fit on the spec V first as it's pretty narrow for a tank

[Teach]

Teach, thank you for this!

 

Would just one of the Orbit Marine be enough? I like the fact it's a bit longer than my tank. If I use a AC50 or AC70 for a fuge, I could 'hang' it off the back of the filter compartment on the Spec V and light up the macro algae.

Yes, one light should be enough for your needs and that 18-24" one fits perfect for fluval spec V.

For fuge, I think you can just build a DIY media basket to place your macro algae in.

[Friendly]

being I plan on having the heater in the back filter, there won't be room for a media basket with the macro algae in it. course, I can always experiment.

[R_MC]

Honestly, the Chinese black boxes with 3w drivers are a great deal. Mars aqua + other clones. Typically you will get 2 channels plus some supplemental wavelengths. If you're at all handy, they're super easy to mod with warm white, uv, or cyan LED as 3w gullwing packages are plentiful on ebay.

 

These lights typically go for 100-200 depending on what options you want and will grow SPS without issue.

 

Well, what are the cons?

The lights use cheap lenses that cause hotspots (can be removed) - this can burn / bleach coral if you don't acclimate.

The disco effect is more prominent due to the spacing of the LEDs.

They are not quite as efficient as the top bin lights (maybe 5%-10% difference)

 

You don't have to spend a lot on the newest and fanciest package if what you want is to grow coral. Now if you want elegant compact design, exotic spectrum, and WiFi control - break out your wallet.

Didn't realize you had a spec v - the lights I recommended will a be too powerful.

[R_MC]

Most of those black boxes will be too powerful over a spec. So let me retract that and echo the vote for a small par bulb. Or search for "sanrise". Looks like it would fit the shape of the tank.

 

The shape is the rough part and your best bet might be a couple "marine" led strips taped to some aluminum ( <$50 ).

[R_MC]

http://www.marinedepot.com/AquaMaxx_NemoLight_AquaMarine_LED_Fixture_With_Controller_Lighting_Supplies_for_Saltwater_Reef_Aquariums_LED_Strips_Lights-AquaMaxx-UJ94548-FILTLS-vi.html

 

This looks like another attractive option. AquaMaxx Nemo Light.