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What lights do you use on your 10gal?


ch0ch

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I have a 10 gal nano setup with a 15w flourescent on it to keep the rock alive. My next step is the lighting and I need to know what choices I have. The corals I am going to keep is not an interference because I'm willing to work around what choices I have... so plz tell me what lighting you are using on your 10gal and where you got it from.

 

Thanx

ch0ch B)

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Hey ch0ch, I have a 10 gallon nano, as well. Right now I am using a 19"JBJ Desktop Formosa 2x36 watt strip light with a 10,000K bulb and aan Actinic bulb. All of my mushrooms, polyps, and corals are loving it. I found my light on ebay for $100, of course there are other sources like Hellolights.com and ahsupply.com that could provide you with your lighting needs as well. Hellolights has those Coralife 20" 96 watt Power-Quad fixtures that have been getting pretty good reviews lately and it would be a perfect fit for your 10 gallon.

Peace,

Frank

 

10 gallon Perfecto

JBJ Desktop Formosa 2x36 watt PC 1x10K and 1xActinic

Aquaclear 150 (no media)

Aquaclear 301

Ebo-Jager 50 watt TS heater

20 lbs. Arag-Alive

14 lbs. Fiji live rock

 

8 Nassarius Snails

3 Turbo Snails

4 Margarita snails

4 Red legged Hermits

4 Blue legged hermits but only one is accounted for

 

6 assorted Mushrooms w/ babies popping up

3 Metallic Green Hairy Mushrooms

1 yellow polyp/ pink cented brown zoo combo rock

1 Green Button polyp rock

1 Green and Brown zoo frag

1 sm Brown star polyp rock

1 sm/med Green star polyp encrusted mollusk

1 sky blue/green Candy Cane Frag w/ 3 heads

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I have a Coralife 96w Quad 50/50 PC. Only thing I don't like about it is the I cannot control on/off of either bulb for sunset/sunrise. All 4 turns on/off at the same time.

 

CustomSeaLife 2x40w w/ moonlight

 

Custom Hood with Retrofit lights. Can be PCs, VHO, MH, or combination of lights.

 

Metal Halide Pendant with 150-400w ballast

 

Listed Inexpensive to Expensive. All choices depend on what coral you want to get. Check our sponsors, they sell them.

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dreamweaver_gcotb

I currenty run Power Compacts. One 36 watt 10,000K daylight and one 36 watt 03 Actinic. However, when I set up my next tank, I'll get the 96 watt quad that others have been getting. I don't have a problem with my current set-up. I just like that one too.

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With the New MH Ballast My 10 will have:

 

70 watt MH, 1x36 watt Actinic

 

Total Cost without the Building of the hood $ 115 (I have a friend that will give me free scrap wood)

 

70 watt ballast $20

70 watt Bulb $25 (shipped from Guy on RC)

HQI sockets and reflector $20.

36 Watt Ballast and DIY kit $15 (ebay)

36 watt Actinic bulb $20

18 Inch Reflector $15

 

Not for Every one, but I can't wait to see it in action. A lot of DIY involved.

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a butt load of those little coiled flo light's from homedepot. the 6500k kind. they are 19 watt and have 5 in the crap walmart hood. (yes i know ghetto but it works.)

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about the 96 watt power quad.... is it really bad for the corals if you dont have that sunrise/sunset mode running on your tank? i dont mind it but do the corals? will i be able to have sps and maybe a squamosa?

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Dawn/Dusk is a little more overrated, aside from asthetics, unless you are really attempting to breed things with a true lunar cycle, etc. Some studies have shown no real difference with/without the dawn/dusk.

 

Mnesarchus: aren't the 55w's 24" bulbs? does it over-hang the ends of the tank?

 

ch0ch: you should be OK with the squamosa: just maintain your Calcium levels, as the clams really soak it up. Satchmo has been keeping a squammie under less light thatn that successfully (2x36, I think). SPS: I've had success with montipora digitata and capricornis under 96w, but my acros had sluggish growth and blah coloring. Other people have had success, though.

 

Also, Pavona look and grow fine under PC's, IMO

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I just set up my 10 g and I put the CL 96 watt on top and It looks great, I struggled to with what light to get and I discoved that the Dusk/Dawn isn't a large factor, also you can get a 20inch light off ebay cheap, I paid 83 dollars for mine that included shipping and it was NIB

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You can keep a lot of corals now. People have kept clams and sps with just PC lighting, but a lot of other factors where involved. Take a look at Johnny Brooklyns(sp?) for example, got lots of clams and sps.

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Yeah the bulbs are longer than the tank, but where I live 55w bulbs are cheaper than 36w ones. My custom hood easily accompanies them. I bought the ballast from a lightwarehouse ($35):

 

hood-light.jpg

 

fullShot2.jpg

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ELGORDOINAVW

Mnesarchus, man you have some good taste in what you read, oh yeah nice tank. also you think you could get us a close up pic of your hood/tank setup??

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  • 2 weeks later...

don't know about the T5's, but on my 10g I have a PC 2x36W kit that I got from ahsupply.com. one bulb is 50/50 (10K/.03) and the other is .03 actinic. that might sound like a lot of actinic but the color is PERFECT. everyone who sees my tanks thinks my 10 looks infinitely better than my 40 with 6500K MHs and i'm almost certain the main reason is due to the lighting. i've tried combos with more 10K light and honestly i think this one i'm using now looks the best!

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Originally posted by plapczynski

For the folks with the Coralife 96 Watt fixtures...

 

Do they get hot?

 

The hood gets warm, but I can't say they get hot like MH do.

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