Questions on lighting

[Eindride]

Hello all. I'm fairly new to the reef scene but not new at all to the fish keeping hobby, I do well keeping fish but I am rather new to corals, and I have seen many people say to disregard watts per gallon with LED's, so i have as I was aware LED gave off more photosynthetic light. The big boy light i have is a 30W white, purple and blue. and the other two i have towards the back are both 6.5 watt full spectrum lights, giving me a total of 4.3 watts per gallon. the tank itself is roughly 12 inches deep from top to bottom, 20 inches from left to right, and 10 inches from front to back. I also have bubblers to keep the PH stable 24/7 and oxygen high. My zoas have been being issues since a diatom bloom (which has since cleared) but is otherwhise surviving, my GSP is doing well. its my BTA i'm worried about. Lets just say they aren't very happy as of late...I'll have to wait until my anemone returns to its usual state to show you all what im saying (as he looks especially horrid right now, hes taking a number 2). For now i'll describe it. He appears somewhat dark on his tendrils, maybe thats because he never extends them fully, they're always nubs. He does not expel his stomach much more than pooping or eating, but he still does open it out sometimes. any thoughts? hes never fully extended. The tank is not terribly old, maybe 3 months, but the perameters are acceptable but to reduce nitrate i might do a water change soon. Salinity 1.25, Nitrate between 60 and 80, nitrite 0, PH between 8.4 and 8.6, 

 

13lbs of live rock is present

 

Tank livestock:

1 Black ocellaris clownfish

1 Yellow bellied damselfish

1 tail spot blenny

1 Royal gramma

1 Turbo snail

4 red leg hermit crabs

1 cleaner shrimp

1 emerald crab

 

(I leave a bit of algae for my tailspot and snail to feed on since my tank is incredibly clean; I want them to have something to graze on lol)

Edited January 25, 2021 by Eindride
Update on my anemone, its back at its "normal" state

[burtbollinger]

your nitrate seems high...and what is your alkalinity?  PH means zilch to me...and is something I have literally never tested in 20 years.

 

Also, i can't interpret your lighting situation...it would be nice to see what lights you have over the tank via a photo.

 

my guess is your parameters are off and your lighting is not ideal for an anemone...i think you jumped the gun putting him in a tank that's only 3 months old, frankly, nothing in the tank looks to be doing "well"...

 

how was this tank cycled exactly?  

 

I'd also research to see if those bubblers are really necessary...i tend to doubt it.

[Eindride]

Most things in there are very new, the tank was cycled using bacteria in a bottle, with live rock as well. the cycling process took place over 3 weeks with a borrowed filter media from a friends tank as well. Ive noticed the GSP is doing well, its growing rapidly. like 3 new polyps a day. i'll give you an idea of the lighting, i have 1 AO29 LED aquarium light aquaknight and 2 Lifegard aquatics 6.5W lights. Kh is 240 and Gh is 180. 

[mcarroll]

On 1/24/2021 at 7:25 PM, Eindride said:

I have seen many people say to disregard watts per gallon with LED's, so i have as I was aware LED gave off more photosynthetic light.

It's still a useful rule of thumb, but there is more variability with LED's....down to 1-2 watts per gallon can be fine, sometimes even less, depending on the exact light you're talking about.  But it's still pretty common to see folks with LED's in the 3-5 watts per gallon range.

 

On 1/24/2021 at 7:25 PM, Eindride said:

the tank itself is roughly 12 inches deep from top to bottom, 20 inches from left to right, and 10 inches from front to back.

That is 10 gallons.

 

On 1/24/2021 at 7:25 PM, Eindride said:

Tank livestock:

1 Black ocellaris clownfish

1 Yellow bellied damselfish

1 tail spot blenny

1 Royal gramma

1 Turbo snail

4 red leg hermit crabs

1 cleaner shrimp

1 emerald crab

That is a lot of livestock for a 3 month old 10 gallon tank.

 

Our hobby's unofficial motto:  Nothing Good Happens Fast In A Reef Tank

 

On 1/24/2021 at 9:35 PM, Eindride said:

Kh is 240 and Gh is 180. 

I think you're going to need to add a few saltwater test kits to your arsenal....or take your water to the LFS and have them test it.  Either is a good option.

 

Right now what you need to know is alkalinity (saltwater will range from 7 to 12 dKH typically), nitrates and phosphates.

 

⬆️I would make this a priority.  Post your test results when you get them.  (If phosphates is at zero, or very close, get some liquid phosphates to dose....something like Seachem Flourish Phosphates.)⬆️

 

Also, if you haven't read any saltwater books, I'd strongly suggest doing so.  

 

My favorite to start with is this one because it is VERY comprehensive...you'll have a good knowledgeable to work from:  Marine Aquarium Handbook Beginner to Breeder

 

I'd also check out any of the books on this thread that seem interesting:

 

On 1/24/2021 at 9:35 PM, Eindride said:

i'll give you an idea of the lighting, i have 1 AO29 LED aquarium light aquaknight and 2 Lifegard aquatics 6.5W lights.

I don't know what the Lifeguard lights are – a picture would probably be best.

 

The Aquaknight could be enough on its own for such a small tank.  30 watts is at least hypothetically enough for such a small tank.  Again a picture of the whole tank (lights included) would be helpful.