Fishfreak218 Posted August 10, 2005 Share Posted August 10, 2005 is ten watts a gallon of metal halide enough to put a Tridacnid Clam (spelling) in the sand if it is about 16 inches from surface of aquarium??? Please Help... Link to comment
calvin415 Posted August 10, 2005 Share Posted August 10, 2005 Watts/Gallon is not a fair estimate, can you give us the exact specs? Tank size and dimension as well as light details and bulb type? Link to comment
Fishfreak218 Posted August 11, 2005 Author Share Posted August 11, 2005 well the size of the tank is 30g oceanic cube the dimensions are 20.5Lx18.5Wx21H well i havent really decided on a light...please checkout my other thread called "Lighting Money not a problem" and let me know what you think...how deep of a sandbed should i do a 4" deep or 1-2" deep??? what is best some people say deeper is better others say that only 1 inch deep while still others go BB..please help..thank you Link to comment
Caesar777 Posted August 11, 2005 Share Posted August 11, 2005 Do research on the sandbed issue--there's actually a giant thread on this very topic right now on this very site. No conclusive info either way. Are you just starting out with reefs? Clams need very specific water chemistry, and it may be a bit difficult if you only have experience with FOWLR tanks (which is what I gathered from your other post). Link to comment
lgreen Posted August 11, 2005 Share Posted August 11, 2005 i would only do a sand be 1/2" - 1". 4" is worthless and will just cause nothing but problems. people don't understand that no matter how deep your sand bed is, it has to be maintained. even if you have a plenum or dsb, waste has to be removed somehow, or else you run the risk of getting dead spots (which can cause mega trouble). Therefore, in my opinion, i am a huge fan of the shallow sand bed method. Still looks good, and very easy to maintain. Link to comment
reefin300 Posted August 11, 2005 Share Posted August 11, 2005 Agree with Lgreen! I stir up a small section every water change you wouldn't believe how much gunk is actually in there! Link to comment
Fishfreak218 Posted August 11, 2005 Author Share Posted August 11, 2005 Ceaser, i plan on keeping shrooms and softies and zoos for at least a year before i plan on geting anytype of clam or SPS/Hard corals.....starting easy for the first reef just gonna gradually get harder stuff to care for as time goes one... about the sand issue i am only gonna do a 1inch sand bed Link to comment
Caesar777 Posted August 11, 2005 Share Posted August 11, 2005 Good idea. Softies and zoos are a great way to start. You generally should have a year-old tank before getting SPS or clams, anyway. (Well, or at least a very established one.) Link to comment
Steve973 Posted August 11, 2005 Share Posted August 11, 2005 I ditched my sandbed after trying one. and a deep sandbed in a small tank would do more harm than good. Even shallow sandbeds of the "correct" particle size can easily become compacted and then they don't do anything beneficial, especially if you don't constantly maintain it. I think it's better to remove waste (organics) by siphoning them out and skimming them off rather than try to process them with a sandbed and other means. At least in a closed system. Link to comment
Fishfreak218 Posted August 11, 2005 Author Share Posted August 11, 2005 ok...thank you im going to do a 1inch sand bed so that means the clams (When i gert them) will be like 20inches away from the light..any suggestions...i was thinking about getting two of those coralife MH 150watts that hang on the tank because of its demensions....thats 300wats is that good.....my LFS sells DT's Live Phytoplankton (i think thats what its called) and i was gonna do additional supplementing..which from what i researched you have to do when they are smaller..anyway would those 150watts work?? thanks Link to comment
Cesar Posted August 11, 2005 Share Posted August 11, 2005 I say go wiht a 250W. I have seen some over 30g and they look great. They get the job done. That should be sufficient light for clams in a tank that size. Link to comment
calvin415 Posted August 11, 2005 Share Posted August 11, 2005 Originally posted by Cesar I say go wiht a 250W. I have seen some over 30g and they look great. They get the job done. That should be sufficient light for clams in a tank that size. Ditto. Link to comment
Fishfreak218 Posted August 11, 2005 Author Share Posted August 11, 2005 when you say sufficient do you mean just enough or it will get you buy or do you mean that is great lighting for that size tank??...i want the best stuff more my future corals... Link to comment
Cesar Posted August 11, 2005 Share Posted August 11, 2005 I mean that will be more than enough. It's a good size for that tank. Link to comment
lgreen Posted August 12, 2005 Share Posted August 12, 2005 if your going to go metal halide, choose a better brand than coralife! try aqua medic or sunlight supply. an aqua medic 250w ocean light w/ 14k bulb would be perfect like the others suggested. here is the best price on it: http://www.hellolights.com/ocli25hqiame.html Link to comment
Fishfreak218 Posted August 12, 2005 Author Share Posted August 12, 2005 ya but i dont think my dad will let me drill the ceiling so can you give me something that either hangs on the tank or sits on legs or sumthing Link to comment
Cesar Posted August 12, 2005 Share Posted August 12, 2005 How about this one. This is a hang on MH fixture. http://www.hellolights.com/aqadhatamo.html Link to comment
Fishfreak218 Posted August 13, 2005 Author Share Posted August 13, 2005 that is the one i was thinking about...well 2 of them one on each side of the aquarium because 2 of them wont fit in the back of the tank..are these good do you think??? Link to comment
lgreen Posted August 13, 2005 Share Posted August 13, 2005 personally i think those are garbage, but i'm not seeing a lot of other options if you can't hang it from the ceiling. Link to comment
Fishfreak218 Posted August 13, 2005 Author Share Posted August 13, 2005 i kno i guess i have to wait to get clams and sps (till i have my own place)..or until i can convince my dad to get the ones that hang formthe ceiling..also my ceilings are kinda high like 12ft.....at hold house they used to be 8ft high..anyway..i am thinking of lps and softies (u know i reallly do like ricordea and shrooms and zoos) so i guess so.. Link to comment
jafoca Posted August 13, 2005 Share Posted August 13, 2005 I am currently building a stand from which I can hang my 150W Aqua Medic pendant... That is another option. Looks like: the forum doesn't like my ascii art... anyway, on my stand I built a shelf 30" above the display tank. The ballast sits on the shelf and the light hangs below... I like it a lot. Its been fun building the stand too... Link to comment
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