new to salt. check out my tank

[metalhed3]

ok. so im pretty new to saltwater. ive have a 75 gallon freshy right now and just sold my 29 gallon molly tank. but while i was home on leave last month in buffalo NY i managed to snag a 24 gallon flat back hex from a local flea market which came with top, light hood and penguin 170 filter. i had to drag that thing back with me halfway across the country to minot. (you dont even wanna know WHAT minot is. lol) anyway. while i was home in buffalo i ordered everything i would need to make this a salt tank. salt, powerheads, skimmer, the works. when i got back to minot i set it up that night. i couldnt help myself. i used the 170 up until a few days ago when i upgraded to a emporer400. i had to pick up a new heater, about 15 lbs of rock, 12 dead, 3 live. i cycled it for a few days then threw 2 chromis in there to test it out. after a few days and a couple test strips i threw a cleaner shrimp in. he acclimated alot easier than i thought he would. ive been adding purple booster in and its really starting to show. just before i left for work a few days ago i picked up 2 percula clowns. VERY interesting little fish. in the subject of lights, i had been researching LED lighting for tanks and decided that would be the easiest way to go because i was familiar with LEDs. i didnt really understand the whole t8 and t5 or whatever it is in the hallide fixture or something. NO! to much for me. so i ordered 4 LED strips, 2 blue and 2 white. and let me tell ya they really brighten up the tank. i do have a question about if they will be efficient enough. heres the specs:

White:

wavelength-x=0.265; y=0.26

Luminous Intensity per LED-1400-2000mcd

current draw-3 LED 20mA-6 LED 40mA

deg. veiw angle-120°

 

Blue:

wavelength-470 nm

luminous intensity per LED-600-800 mcd

current draw-3 LED 20mA-6 LED 40mA

deg. veiw angle-120°

 

given that, can anybody tell me if this will be alright for sps and a bta. o, and let me know what you think of the setup so far. thanks.

[Cosmoreef]

Very cool you rushed it with the stocking so just let it sit 4 like a month and let it get goin but besides that loks great.

[bird]

Looks good. Would have to agree, rushing it a bit, especially putting so many at once.

Don't know about the LEDs. There are some good threads here though.

Just what I have gathered about 2 name brand strips available for cheap price is that the bulbs are only 1 watt each and not good enough for clams and anemones. Might be wrong though. Ecotech, Marineland and Powerbright. I would think that concentrated enough into a small space it would be enough, but no personal experiance.

[metalhed3]

i know i rushed a bit. i just came back from work and checked the levels. nitrites are 0, nitrates are .5, ph is 8.4, salinity is 1.023. my stupid clowns decided to dig up the sand in all the corners and it jammed my filter. well guess theyre gonna hafta wait till i go and exchange it. ill just tell the store its grinding and i dont know why. lol. rearranged the rock, gonna add some more live rock in on the 1st when i get paid. ill post in a few days

[Markushka]

yeah you did rush a bit with the stocking. also i'd put a sponge over the intake to prevent sand from fouling up another HOB. But all in all nice hex. check out some other hexes here, and feel free to add yours to the list!