Beginner lighting for a 5g hex

[ardenen]

Hello all! I've read a whole bunch about lighting on this forum but I'm still a little bit fuzzy on some things and I was wondering if someone would help me out.

First of all - my specs - I have a Walmart special 5gal acrylic hex tank with an eclipse clone type top (filter in the back with bio wheel - which I removed, light in the front). It currently has one very yellow 15watt light - which I realize is too low to support most marine life.

I'm running a sg that currently fluctuates between 1.022 & 1.023 (or is it 1.0023?) - I'd like it to stay at 22 but it's a new tank and things are just settling. PH is around 8... I need to get a new test kit that's more acurate as I'm currently set up for soft water tanks - I do a lot of Discus and Dwarf Cichlids (specifically Apistos) and so most of the tests are concerned with 7 and below.

I have no live sand yet - just a couple of pounds of live rock - I thought it was best to wait and let the tank cycle with live rock before I added too much else - as for live sand.... I'm waiting to pick some up this weekend.

 

Anyway... I was curious just how much light I need to support corrals? I've heard anywhere from 7w/gal all the way up to 15w/gal. With only a 5gal hex I have minimal surface area and my 15w light already heats up the thing quickly - I can only imaging 30+w.... not to mention I don't know how many lights I can fit in to the small canopy.

 

Does anyone have suggestions for something with a small top like a 5gal hex?

How much light to do corrals and maybe a clam?

 

Thanks for any and all info and sorry about the long post!

[Wasabi]

I'm setting up an Eclipse 5 gallon hex. I've installed two 13 watt, 10k-50/50 retrofit pc's in the hood. I had to do some light cutting on the front part of the hood but otherwise it was an easy install. For the last few days all I have had is water in there to watch the temp and I'm ranging from 77F(lights off) to about 83F(lights on). I also cut out some of the back of the rim of the tank to allow for a HOB. The tank is getting decent ventilation through that opening. I'm either going to intstall a small fan to bring the high end down or a small heater to bring the low end up. I'd rather not have a range of more than 2 degrees in one day and I think either of those options should tighten things up temp wise. I'm a beginner and this is my first nano so I'm not an expert on lighting requirements but I'd assume that the lighting will support a lot of different non SPS stuff. I'm already planning my next nano so I'm just taking it easy and stocking lightly on this one to learn more about it. HTH,

 

Scott

[ardenen]

I just put into the existing hood a 13wat 6500K DIY lamp. I was looking at the retro kit and they're about as expensive as the DIY eqiupment so I think I'll just get another one of those... but is 26watts enough?!?

[Wasabi]

Depends on what you want to keep if 26 PC watts are enough. I don't plan on keeping any SPS. You could fit 3 13 watt pc's in the hood but you would definitely need a fan to cool things down. The retros I got from Hellolights were only about $20 each when I bought them last year. They came with the bulb, reflector, ballast, etc.. Also, AH Supply has them pretty cheap as well. I wasn't going to split hairs with a few bucks and I wanted all the parts I needed included. Without livestock/LR, I'm at just under $125 for my setup so far. I'll blow another $100-$125 on livestock and LR so I'll still be under $250. Not bad for a cool little desk tank. HTH,

 

Scott

[ardenen]

Wow! Sounds like we're going for the same thing here... my tank sits next to my computer and I've only put about $100 into it so far not including LR/LS. Sounds like I'm going to try for 3 pcs though... I want to make sure I have enough light in there for everything... just in case I find a SPS I want to bring home!

[Wasabi]

Good luck ardenen and let us know how it's going, I'll do the same. I'll post some pics in the 'Members Nano Reefs' section as well when I'm more setup.

 

Scott