jbj clamp light

[latazyo]

will the 36W JBJ clamp light that comes with 1/2 7100K actinc blue & 1/2 10,000K super daylight 36w bulb be good enough to light a 10g that will have a clown fish and a few "beginners" corals (I've never kept a reef before so I can't imagie I'd be having any difficult to keep corals....will this light be ok for me to have for my first try, and leave rom for me to potentially expand as I gain experience?

 

what I'm asking is this:

 

1. will this light be good enough for me

2. will this light greatly limit my coral keeping abilities

 

sorry if this is dumb or has been covered, but I found one I want to buy and just want to know for sure, I've also been searching for the last hour

[Glenn]

What specific corals are you talking about? As long as you stick to lower light requiring corals, then you should be fine.

[justvern]

That light will be great for just about any corals you want to keep except for higher light requiring SPS and since you said "begginer" corals I doubt you would be adding any of those. The JBJ clamp on is a great light for tanks like yours, I think you made a good choice. We had one on our 15 gallon and it did great.

[latazyo]

I plan on keeping a clown fish in this tank, it will be the focus of the tank, so will this light support corals that will survive and look good with a clown fish?

 

edit: I just browsed live aquaria so I could give you guys an idea of what we're talkin' about here

 

I like the corals that look soft and kind of move with the current, I think those are really cool looking

 

specifically I've also found this:

Pink button polyp

colony polyp

 

those looked cool on their site, but it said light requirement "high" but didn't really define what "high" meant

 

I have also seen their beginner coral package that comes with

 

1 button polyp

1 yellow colony polyp

1 hairy mushroom

1 bullseye mushroom

 

everything listed there appeals to me

 

would I need more than this light set up to accomodate these corals

 

keep in mind I don't know anything about corals, so as far as their compatibility with the fish, I know nothing, please inform me if either one will be bad for the other

[justvern]

The 36 watt will be great for any of the corals that you listed. Here is the link to our 15 gallon reef tank with that same light over it so you can see for yourself. http://www.reefcastles.com/15gallon.htm

It would also do well for about any soft coral, leathers, nepthea, capnella, colt, etc. Many LPS would do well in there also but remember they do need a bit more room than soft corals due to thier higher aggressivness.

[latazyo]

awesome, after reading this I sent the paypal...thanks!!

[spoondigity]

I use one of these on my 10 gallon as well. It is a great light and very compact. I took the clamp off and it sits just above a piece of glass on the top. With a small fan set up to come on when this light comes on, the tank stays at a constant temperature. I also use a 15W 50/50 self reflecting NO light in conjunction with my jbj. The No comes on early for dawn effect and then the JBJ eventually comes on. I reverse the process for a dusk effect and this setup has been absolutely perfect for me. I couldn't be happier with the small size of the jbj.

[cranfordrd]

I'm looking to set up my first reef, would this light "36W JBJ clamp light that comes with 1/2 7100K actinc blue & 1/2 10,000K super daylight 36w bulb" be "easy" to use on a 10g? My husband has to do any and all retrofitting/hood building so can someone tell me where I get this light and how you actually set it up? Does it require a custom hood?

[latazyo]

Originally posted by cranfordrd

I'm looking to set up my first reef, would this light "36W JBJ clamp light that comes with 1/2 7100K actinc blue & 1/2 10,000K super daylight 36w bulb" be "easy" to use on a 10g? My husband has to do any and all retrofitting/hood building so can someone tell me where I get this light and how you actually set it up? Does it require a custom hood?

 

haha...read the other posts in this thread

 

from what I"ve heard this will be an EXCELLENT lighting choice for a 10g

[spoondigity]

Hi Cranfordrd,

 

These lights may be sold over the internet (I would guess they are), but I found mine at a local fish store. I got it for $70 and it is the smallest solution for a 10 gallon that I have found. It has a remote ballast. Basically that means there is a small control box that you plug into any normal wall power outlet and then set/hang the box somewhere close to the tank. There is a chord that runs from this control box to the actual light. What this does is make the actual light itself very slim and compact on top of the tank. You also have a master power switch for the light located on the control box. This box comes with an extension cord type power outlet as well. This lets you plug other electrical items into your control box so you have more power outlets close to the tank. One thing to note, if you are setting this light up on a timer, when the light timer is off, there will be no power to this extension outlet (i.e. don't make the mistake of plugging in your heater to this power outlet if the light is on a timer because it will go off when your light does). But it is handy to plug a fan into that you want to cycle on and off along with the light. The light comes already assembled so you don't have to do any work to it unless you take the clamp off (but that was easy). For an 'easy' solution, it doesn't come any easier unless you are just using a normal NO strip light that comes with most tanks.

 

P.S. Sorry if I rambled but I thought those interested would want to hear the details of what comes with it before taking the time to find one to purchase.

[Korbin]

It sounds like a good choice to me. Check out some of the tanks in the members section and look what lighting they are using. You will be able to keep pretty much anything except SPS in my opinion. Thats what I'm doing with a 32 watter.

 

If you want something thats fairly non-aggressive and sways in the current, look at frogspawn corals. Torches and hammers are similar, but I think they are more aggressive (as far as sending out sweepers). My froggy never sends out sweepers and is now tickling some zoanthids that don't seem to mind.

 

Also, the xenia that grows on a stalk sways quite a bit.

[cranfordrd]

wow, I loved that ramble! I know nothing about electrical "stuff" and your detailed laymen explanation was wonderful!!

[ajroahkni]

Definitely check ebay Cranfordrd. $45 + $12 shipping or something of the sort. I've one and it's very convenient and minimalist.

[latazyo]

got mine for 53 + ship two days ago on eBay

[justvern]

Check E-bay for the JBJ clamp on. We got ours for @ $45.They are only sold retail thru LFS and i have found them nowhere else online.

The fixture clamps on the back of the tank so no retrofitting or canopy is required. Its one of the easiest lights to use.

 

As far as the comment about frogspawns- they ARE aggresive to many corals and WILL send out sweepers. The reason you don't see it stinging the zooanthids Korbin, is the zoos are even more aggresive than the frog and has a more potent string.

[cranfordrd]

Do you guys keep the top open or do you get a piece of plexiglass cut to cover it? I plan on a clownfish and wonder if he'll jump out if it is an open top! Is this it?

 

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewI...item=2079467500

[latazyo]

I bought the all glass glass top for mine...

probably could have gotten plexiglass for cheaper, but 12.99 didn't really break my bank

[justvern]

Its actually best to keep the top open. Glass or plexi tops greatly reduce gas exchange, reducing the ability for carbon dioxide and nitrogen gas to escape, and for oxygen to enter the water. They also can cause heat to build up and cut down on light tansmission, even if kept as clean as possible. If you are worried about the fish jumping out (which I wouldn't worry about with a clownfish) the next best alternative is to cover the tank with "eggcrate", the light diffuser panels sold to cover florescent lights.

[latazyo]

this I did not know, should I return the glass top then, as it has NEVER been used?

[spoondigity]

This has always been a topic of controversy. I think there are plenty of people on both sides of the fence regarding glass/plexiglass use compared to open top. I have heard good arguments on both sides and it really seems to come down to personal preference. I personally use a strip of glass directly under my lights and then eggcrate covered by a thin flat rubber on the rest of the top. If you don't have something like glass under your light, then your light is going to become dirty over time (salt creep and water marks) and you are going to be forced to clean your internal parts and bulb instead of just wiping your glass clean. Also, if the light is close to the surface of the tank (and you want most of these types of lights to be low for the best light penetration of your water), then you are even going to risk water directly splashing into your light (fire hazard anyone?). I am not interested in doing that so I just keep clean glass under mine. The other side of the argument is that glass filters the light to some extent but I have never considered this to be a substantial impact on the light. You may hear thoughts from both sides on this one but it really just comes down to what is practical and what works for your tank.

 

P.S. I would agree with latazyo in that you want to have some loose fitting areas in the top (i.e. try not to overly seal the top) to help gas exchange. My solution was to use egg crate covered in rubber for the rest of the tank not covered by light.... I would guess at least during the summer you are going to need a fan anyway for most any higher output light solutions (even without glass) so the heat buildup is probably not of too great a concern. But it is definitely something to keep in mind (plan for) as latazyo mentioned.

[Korbin]

Originally posted by justvern

As far as the comment about frogspawns- they ARE aggresive to many corals and WILL send out sweepers. The reason you don't see it stinging the zooanthids Korbin, is the zoos are even more aggresive than the frog and has a more potent string.

 

Oh. :|

[phil121]

where do you get the "eggcrate", and how do you make sure that it fits on to your tank?

[latazyo]

eggcrate is bought in a 2'x4' sheet for 5 bucks at home depot, you cut it yourself to fit with a pair of scissors!

 

I have since this time started an additional 10g w/ ah supply 2x36w set up and it is also GREAT

 

here is a link to my original 10g w/ the JBJ on it

I chose to keep pulsing xenia, green mushrooms, and green star polyps so far and all are very healthy

 

http://bitz.net/~latazyo/Pics/Aqua/10gswfulltank3.JPG