MountainM Posted March 26, 2003 Share Posted March 26, 2003 Hey, Me and a buddy are looking at starting up a couple nano reef's .. we are thinking 20 Gal tanks.... I know a fair amount about lights right now... from hydroponics... How many watts per gallon are we looking at having? and what kind of setup would be most cost efficent for something like this... with ample lighting. Keep in mind Im' in Canada. Thanks Link to comment
skipm Posted March 27, 2003 Share Posted March 27, 2003 The amount of light that you will need will depend on what kind of corals and inverts you intend on keeping, mushrooms and polyps for example will not need anywhere near as much light as say SPS corals. In order to get an accurate response about the lighting needed you will need to give us a better idea about what is going to be in the tank. Link to comment
MountainM Posted March 27, 2003 Author Share Posted March 27, 2003 Sorry about that, I was just looking at some SPS's and god.. gotta have some of them even if I need more lighting.... I would like ot have an anemone and a clown as well.. and some mushrooms possibly... this help at all? and what K's are we looking at wanting ? 10k and up ? Link to comment
wetworx101 Posted March 27, 2003 Share Posted March 27, 2003 Oh jeeez, you're gonna get it. Advice that is, from a hundred people with a hundred opinions on that one. Go to reefs.org or reefcentral.com and look at their polls to get an idea of what I mean...the possibilities are endless. Here's my two bits... for SPS you will prolly want over 6 watts/gallon, but anyone here will tell you that it isnt watts/gallon, but what the actual lux that hits the coral is, it's intensity, and it's useful spectrum. ( a 1000 watt IR bulb may be 1000 watts, but useless cuz it's all the wrong spectrum) Personally, when calculating watts per gallon, I think people should leave out the actinic wattage because it is not making the tank brighter as much as it is just supplimenting the blue + UV spectrum. I have seen 20 gallon tanks with 400watt Metal Halide pendants (20 w/g) and 150 gallons with only a couple 175watt metal halides, since the real objective is to get the light where you need it, not have 10 watts per gallon and end up placing your light loving corals in a cave. Having said all that... here goes... Forget about the anemone. They die and kill the rest of the tank. Rarely do people keep them alive for much longer than a year, if that. Then they die and poison the whole tank. Nanos are too small to endure their toxins. You can try getting a clown to host in one of many other suitable corals. I believe their is a discussion on this going on in another forum right now. Frogspawn is an example that my nano-reefin cousin uses. You want SPS and shrooms...uh, oh. Can do, but tricky. Shrooms like lower light than SPS, or they die. You will have to manipulate your light towards the SPS and away from the shrooms, or perhaps provide an overhang to shield the shrooms , or keep the corals at varied depths. This, and the fact you have background in hrdroponics, makes me say you will want a 20H to do this, and a metal halide pendant (175watt) to light it. They are cheap (can get them for under $200) and can have their intensity directed like a spotlight. Enough light for the SPS too. You will need a 20H for this or it will be tough to keep the shrooms far enough from the light. Some use PC lamps. These are good, and their intensity works great for reefs that are no more than 18" deep, i.e. perfect for nanos. They may not be bright enough sometimes, and need to be closer to the surface to be intense, so although they run cooler, they need closed hoods to direct light and so they can overheat a small tank worse that a metal halide suspended 8" above an open top tank...and for SPS you may want alot of them. Seems most people like 10,000K bulbs for PC lights combined with actinic. some prefer other spectrums that look warmer. It seems the same spectrum is the best for metal halide as well. I use a single 400 watt pendant for my 24" cube reef, and it has such a great spectrum I dont need actinic added in. If you go with a lower Kelvin rated bulb, you will prolly want supplimental actinic. Higher ratings are okay as well, being more blue as they reach 20,000K. Many feel this is too blue however, as much as the deeper water corals like shrooms might like it. Link to comment
MountainM Posted March 28, 2003 Author Share Posted March 28, 2003 Alright ... still looking at ideas... if I do a 15 gallon.... and got a hood from hello lights that has two 65watt CF's in it... would that be effecient lighting ... its a nice hood selling for like 139.00 Link to comment
MountainM Posted March 28, 2003 Author Share Posted March 28, 2003 one other thing.. if I'm using CF's... do I have to have a glass or acrylic barrier ? Link to comment
wetworx101 Posted March 29, 2003 Share Posted March 29, 2003 It's a good idea to have a lens over the bulbs...like a protective lens, as it will keep your bulbs from getting couted in seaspray, but not a need. Link to comment
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