katydidit Posted June 9, 2003 Share Posted June 9, 2003 I just bought a 7g minibow (and threw out my old 5g that was falling apart) and am planning on making a nano out of this one. I want to start out with a FOWLR for the first few months with a false percula clown, maybe a shroom or two if possible, a clean up crew, and was wondering if the stock lighting on this tank would be sufficient for something like this. I believe it is 14 watts, and maybe in the future i will upgrade, but being this is my first saltwater tank, i want to take the whole coral thing slow. Could this work, or am i walking a fine line of not enough light. I know there are a lot of minibow owners out there so if anyone can help a beginner who IS NOT yet looking for a full on reef, i would love the suggestions and thoughts Link to comment
Jahkaya Posted June 9, 2003 Share Posted June 9, 2003 Katy: Fish don not care about the quality of lighting, except for the Photoperiod. Mushies will do kinda okay with the stock lighting so long as you upgrade the bulb. No corals will thrive, however. More or less survive. Link to comment
katydidit Posted June 9, 2003 Author Share Posted June 9, 2003 the reason i want to stick with the lighting it has (unfortunately) is that i have no idea HOW to upgrade. I have read numerous posts saying how they have a powercompact light in their tank or made a DIY hood...and i still dont get how to do it, or even where to get one that fits- im not a great DIY person. Mabe eventually i will want corals (and most likely i will considering how beautiful they are...) but i know it will be easier to start with just some lr, ls, and a fish. do any of you know of a perfect fit for my tank (the many of you out there...) that wouldnt require much electrical skills? not to mention price, but ANY AND ALL suggestions will be carefully considered. I want something that is made for this tank, i dont want to make a completely new hood. thanks! Link to comment
Jahkaya Posted June 10, 2003 Share Posted June 10, 2003 Katy: I do not have one, but from what I understand the 32 watt CSL retro would be perfect. Very little Retro required. Just a few screws. You could grow nearly anything sans SPS and Clams. Go hear and surf around. http://www.minibow.com/ You will find lots of good stuff. I am in So Cal and will be more than happy to help you with the DIY if need be. It is always fun helping others out. IMO Corals are more fun and less maintenance than Fish. Don't sell your Minibow short. Link to comment
katydidit Posted June 10, 2003 Author Share Posted June 10, 2003 This is really my first venture into the saltwater world, and i wanted to do it because of my fascination with false percula clowns (dont know why...), and obviously my knowledge of freshwater did me no good. I plan on starting out with just the basics, and then slowly adding, like most normal people on a budget, corals. I just want to research WAY more before i get into the hard stuff, as i already have been reading for a few months now. thanks for the link, im sure it will help me a great deal...i know who to ask now if i have any more questions, thank you!!! Link to comment
surfy Posted June 10, 2003 Share Posted June 10, 2003 I have had my stock 18 watt lighting going with some frags from my larger tank- button polyps,zoo's, green star polyps, yellow polyps and a few mushrooms for about 3 weeks or so with no problems. I ordered a 56 watt 2x28 CSL retro but it hasn't come yet. It's best to get the correct lighting before you get any corals though. Also, fish don't really care what type of lighting they are under. Link to comment
katydidit Posted June 11, 2003 Author Share Posted June 11, 2003 I am going to the fish specialty shop right now to see if i can get some lighting ideas, and order what i need. I really want corals the more i look at all of your tanks, so i think i will go with the right lighting sooner than i thought. that way i can get corals whenever i get money or the urge ...i hopefully am going to get the 32watt pc that "supposedly" is a perfect fit for this size tank *crossing my fingers* i'll let you all know what i get, thanks for the help! Link to comment
katydidit Posted June 11, 2003 Author Share Posted June 11, 2003 i went and got the csl 32watt retrofit yesterday...and i cant for the life of me figure out how the hell it fits into the minibow hood! PLEASE HELP! My dad cant even figure it out & he is an electrician! details, i want to get this going! Link to comment
katydidit Posted June 11, 2003 Author Share Posted June 11, 2003 I need help by this afternoon cuz you cant return the fixture after one day,so i need to know if this will work. We just cant figure out how it hooks up to the on off switch, and how it attaches to the hood (the screws are too big). PLEASE i know there are many of you out there who have this set up. i would be so grateful Link to comment
Jahkaya Posted June 11, 2003 Share Posted June 11, 2003 Katy: Did you remove the Stock lighting? (I had to ask) Link to comment
katydidit Posted June 11, 2003 Author Share Posted June 11, 2003 lmao,yes i did, all that white nonsense from the other light is gone, its just the black outline for the hood, and the metal thingie (dont i sound professional) fits inside, but the screws wont work and the switch wont line up to turn it on and off...am i doing something wrong? Link to comment
Jahkaya Posted June 11, 2003 Share Posted June 11, 2003 Katy: Read this thread: http://www.nano-reef.com/forums/showthread...etrofit+minibow Link to comment
Jahkaya Posted June 11, 2003 Share Posted June 11, 2003 you will have to screw it into the plasctic. As for the switch, it is my understanding that it should be "plug and play". Link to comment
katydidit Posted June 11, 2003 Author Share Posted June 11, 2003 I just dont knowwhat i would do without you man, thanks a bunch! I guess i just assumed it would fit perfectly, errr, who would have thought, actually having to MAKE it work. If i cant get it tonight though, iwill be soooo mad! Link to comment
Jahkaya Posted June 11, 2003 Share Posted June 11, 2003 I hope it works for you. It is so frustrating when it does not work. Are you able to get the light to turn on? Does the Reflector screw in okay? I hope it isn't too difficult. Let me know. Link to comment
katydidit Posted June 12, 2003 Author Share Posted June 12, 2003 my dad and i worked on it quite a bit last night, we screwed the thing in, and my dad had to go get another tool from the shop today to get the light switch to work. I will let you know tonight though, it wasnt as hard as i was thinking when i read how to put it in! Link to comment
katydidit Posted June 13, 2003 Author Share Posted June 13, 2003 just a question about the csl pc i bought. I know it has the day/nighttime light to it...how does that work w/o a timer? i dont understand it at all, all the hood has is a switch?? anyone know this mystery? Link to comment
katydidit Posted June 15, 2003 Author Share Posted June 15, 2003 I am strongly debating adding a timer, and i really need your guys' input cuz i dont know what to get... The installation of the lights was successful (big deal for me ) now i just have to wait til i move to get everything started cuz now im done with the first part, the next steps gonna be fun! Link to comment
DongShenYin Posted June 16, 2003 Share Posted June 16, 2003 How are you having difficulty with a timer? You plug the timer into the wall outlet and the light into the timer. It's better for the tank to have a consistent photoperiod, so timers are definitely useful. Link to comment
katydidit Posted June 16, 2003 Author Share Posted June 16, 2003 I just dont know what kind of timer to buy and where to get it ?? Also, what is a good time to keep the lights on, i have heard a lot of people saying 11-12 hrs, but i dont know? i plan on keeping basically just lr, ls, and a percula clown for the first few months, but after that mainly zoos, shrooms, and polyps (if that makes any differnce in the lighting schedule). In about a month i will be done with these stupid questions...and on to even more stupid ones when i stock the tank Link to comment
DongShenYin Posted June 16, 2003 Share Posted June 16, 2003 Try Wal-mart, Home Depot, Lowe's... places like that. They have light timers for $5-10... You don't need anything elaborate, just a light timer will do. And since the animals we keep in tropical aquariums are from near the equator, around 12 hours of light is normal for them. Link to comment
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