AReeferIsExpensive Posted January 16, 2004 Share Posted January 16, 2004 Is a Coral Sun 50/50 15watts 18'' good enough for a 10 gallon nano reef with fish? How long should i run this light a day? im doing 10 hours.... Link to comment
Tempest Posted January 16, 2004 Share Posted January 16, 2004 I think the bulb you are referring to is NO (normal output) fluorescent. This is NO WHERE NEAR enough lighting for corals. IF I'm mistaken and the bulb is actually a powercompact I'd need to know the wattage before answering your question properly, though one PC bulb that is 18" long is probably still not enough light. If you are going to put only fish with live rock (FOWLR) in the tank then it should be fine for the fish. I'd keep the light on for about 8-10 hours a day so you could get some corraline algae growth on the rocks. Link to comment
AReeferIsExpensive Posted January 16, 2004 Author Share Posted January 16, 2004 So for a reef/fish 10 g, is there a typical wattage that i am aiming for?? And will these higher output lights fit into the hood that came with my 10g?? Ive read a LOT about lights and i know all about how they do different things (actinic vs K blahblahblah) and i basically want a happy medium light. One that makes your aquarium pretty + is good for the health of the livestock. However, any help about a specific lighting that someone reccommends would be appreciated because i dont want to make the same mistake again and buy the wrong one~ can we consider that i dont want to spend 200dollars on light bc i need money left for fish! I need to start somewhere.... Link to comment
Von digity Posted January 16, 2004 Share Posted January 16, 2004 Originally posted by AReeferIsExpensive can we consider that i dont want to spend 200dollars on light bc i need money left for fish! I need to start somewhere.... Unless your tank is cycled, you shouldn't throw fish in there anyways. Buying the right equipment (even if it ends up costing 200 bucks) the first time should be a priority, otherwise you'll be wasting more money later upgrading. Do some searching in this forum on lighting, generally it depends on what type of livestock you plan to keep. Go ahead and do another search under "10gal lighting." That way you can see what other people are using for their 10 gallon tanks. Also, check out Hellolights.com (no way affiliated w/von digity). Link to comment
AReeferIsExpensive Posted January 16, 2004 Author Share Posted January 16, 2004 tanks been cycled for weeks now..just waiting for the right lighting b4 i add livestock. i wanted them to be brought into comfortable conditions. Ive read for hours and hours and theres too many personal opinions/situations to help me to where i know what to buy. People have cubes and eclipses and buy 600$ lights..and none of this applies to me. if im going to have your average nano reef with corals and fish, is there a reccommended wattage range im looking for per gallon??? This would really help me out. thanks.......... Link to comment
Jahkaya Posted January 16, 2004 Share Posted January 16, 2004 Sure go for NO, Just make sure you have at least 4x15w 18" tubes and you can grow all the softies you like. Link to comment
Tempest Posted January 16, 2004 Share Posted January 16, 2004 Reefer - This can be an expensive hobby. First you need to figure out what you wnt to put in the tank. If you want corals then lighting matters. If you just want fish donworryaboudit. Rule of thumb is 3-5 watts per gallon, but this is really more myth than substance since it depends on the type of light, depth of the tank and what you are using it for (corals, clams, fish, etc.). I have a 10 gallon tank with 56 watts of PC lighting and soft corals (mushrooms, sacrophytons, zoos) and another 10g with an 18" NO bulb and a striated angler. Link to comment
Jahkaya Posted January 17, 2004 Share Posted January 17, 2004 The Key question is "what do you plan on keeping?" Then build your lighting set up around that answer. Just make sure if you go for an all softy tank, which by the way I think can be jsut as awesome if not more than an SPS tank, that you are sure the SPS are not for you. If you think PC's are expensive, try upgrading to MH after you just spent 100 bucks on PC's. Link to comment
maverick Posted January 17, 2004 Share Posted January 17, 2004 Hey man i here you. I don't like spending money either. But if it was me i'd shell out the money for a 96w quad. It is pretty cheap, and you can keep just about anything you like. and an added bonus, its only about $100 at hellolights.com. It's an expensive hobby get used to it! Link to comment
AReeferIsExpensive Posted January 18, 2004 Author Share Posted January 18, 2004 thanks for the help everyone. I picked up a 96watt coralife 50/50. Guy said for a 10 gallon u can have almost all corals which is more than enough for me because im not rich anyhow hope its good enough~ Link to comment
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