lighting for the 30g long...

[gobies]

Now that we have the sand bed depth figured out...

 

The 30g long tank is 36" long, 12" wide, about 18" deep. I'm going to use a 4"-5" DSB, so none of the corals will be more than 14" from the lights.

 

For a primarily-LPS tank, which lighting should I use? I've already narrowed it down to power compact fluorescents.

 

My thoughts so far:

HelloLights actinics (one or two?)

one 6500k bulb

one 10000k bulb

Or should I go with both 6500k and skip the 10000k?

 

I could really use suggestions on wattage.

 

 

 

Current critters (corals are all around 4" or so across)

- hammer

- green star polyp

- flower leather

- shrooms

- 3 hermits

- about a half-dozen mystery snails

- 1 turbo snail

- 1 ocellaris clown

 

Additional desired corals:

- candy-cane (caulastrea (sp?))/blaustasoma

- moon/closed brain/favia

- open brain

- frogspawn

- encrusting gorgonian

- xenia

- bubble

- other LPSs?

 

 

thanks!

[Sahin]

Hey gobies, your tank has the exact same footpring as mine, except yours is taller.

 

I suggest going for PC's on this tank.

I think you'de need at least 2x96w since it is quite deep, but since you want to have a deep DSB, they should be fine.

 

I would get:

At least 50% of that as actinics.

And make up the remainder as either 6.5K or 10K or better would be a mix of 6.5K and 10K (if thats possible).

 

The 6.5K would be quite suited for SPS and clams (ie shallow water) and the 10K would be better suited for deeper water corals.

 

The 6.5K may look a bit on the yellow side, but if you have half watts in actinics it would give a crisp white appearance. A combo of 10K and actinic would give a nice white appearance and make the corals fluoresce better.

 

Except for the gorgonian(dont know anything about it), the other mentioned corals would be fine. Just keep a check on the Xenia and GSP.

 

I would add a plate coral to that list as well. These are quite hardy if you get a healthy undamaged specimen. IMO avoid the long tentacle ones.

 

With the recommened lighting you could keep a clam in there also, sat at the upper tnak level.

 

Well, hope that helps.

Good luck with the tank.

[gobies]

Drek, but 2x96w seems like a lot. But if half of it's actinic... my shrooms should be okay, right?

 

What do you think about the 8800k as a compromise between the 6500k and 10000k? No one makes 6500k/10000k bulbs, and I want the actinic on a separate switch.

 

 

The gsp is on its own little piece of rubble, so that should be okay. If the xenia goes nuts, there are a couple of small LFSs nearby that would probably take it from me. I forgot to include a torch coral on my list. And the only plate corals I've seen locally don't have their tentacles extended at all, so it's hard to tell if they're the long- or short-tentacled variety.

 

I don't think I'm going to do clams until I get rather more experience w/ saltwater stuff. Then again, I said that about LPSs and I started with a hammer coral! But if someone gives me a clam, it's good to know that it should be able to live under that lighting if I put it near the top.

 

 

Thanks!!

[Dave ESPI]

AFAIC... K of lights is asthetics.. the 10 K will be too blue and will wash out the colors. If U want to see the coloralfull corals, get 65 or 67 k and an actinic. Nuff said.

[tinyreef]

as long as you keep the actinics to supply the blue spectrum you can go with 6700K's like dave says. you may be prone to more algae but that's also evidence of easier par available to the system in general. (if you starve the phos you can control that issue)

 

the question should also touch upon what livestock (which seem a majority of stonys) you want to keep. sps and surface corals thrive with the lower K's as they photsynthesize both blue and red light but what you're suggesting doesn't require that unless you include elegance among the lps. right now you have the choice, if you migrate (or intend to) to sps and shallow (typical) lps then i'd recommend the lower K's w/actinics.