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20 gallon high lighting


tang27

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i have bought a new 20h aquarium it is 16 inches high and as usual i was wondering would a 2x65 watt pc be big enough for this tank?

 

i would like to keep:

 

hammer or anchor coral

trumpet coral

pulsing xenia

blue richordea

some shrooms

maybe some sps dont know yet

 

also wondering are the hellolights retrofit kits easy to wire tyhe metal halide one or would i be better off with the pc and im really pushing towards them

 

thanks

tang27 a.k.a jacob:) :)B)

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| ReEFnEwB1E |

all corals you listed are pretty much able to be kept with that lighting except the SPS although some have done it with success. (IMHO) i think SPS would require at LEAST a 175w MH setup & 250w being even BETTER. i am using 250w MH Sunburst 12000K bulb on my 25R because i plan on having SPS in the future. right now i currently have 1 purple/orange mushroom polyp, red/silver centered zoos, 1 beige/blue polyps monti cap & orange zoos.

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| ReEFnEwB1E |

Those will be fine with PC's or VHO's. You have enough to keep all the beginner corals. Remember~!, always do your research on the CORAL first before purchasing. This will save you time, money & headaches. Let me know if you need anymore help.

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| ReEFnEwB1E |

Hmm... how many #'s do you have of LR? I would prolly go with the LR first because the tank doesn't need lights to cycle from what I here at RC and you need to cycle before adding anything to the tank. If you have fully cured LR it will be most likely within the month and if you have uncured it could take you 2 months depending on high much life is on the rock. By that time you should prolly have saved enough for lights... 2x65w HELIOS are only like 125.00 for 24" w/bulbs : total maybe 150 shipped on EBAY. I'm sure someone on this board knows a place thats cheaper~!

 

For cycling I usually wait 2 weeks after cycle has done to make sure it's done before I add stuff. You got alot of time to save money. I know cause I go through it to and now know patience is key~!

 

GOOD LUCK~!

 

;)

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| ReEFnEwB1E |

Dang~! You have a long way to go for LR. Where do you live? Are you in Los Angeles county or nearby? I think someone around Riverside county is selling some Marshall Island for pretty cheap.

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nope i live on the other coast florida to be exact i have enogh money to go a buy about 20 more pounds this weekend so i think tommorrow i will

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i whole-heartedly agree with the premise of reading BEFORE - and i mean befor anything - even if it's getting a new kind of dog, whatever.......that is a universal truth.

 

However -- (ya knew it was coming, huh?) in pretty much fo the descriptions i have seen on sites selling frags, etc.....it seems the lighting requirements are noted at medium, meduim-high, high, very-high, etc.......

 

Uh? what does that mean? i wish it would list a watt-per-gallon or something for the species.

 

anyone elaborate on this?

 

just thunk i'd ask!

 

tank you for any and all answers----even flames(but i did a search on (lightandintensity) and (wattsandperandgallon) - no hits!!

 

edit: i have a 20H and don't know if i should use 2x55w pc, 3x55w pc, or 4x55w pc

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I have a 20H with 2x55 pcs. Its been up and running for about 10 months. You can easily keep softies and LPS. So, pretty much anything except SPS. It is possible for the SPS to survive, but you will not see growth or the nice coloration that attracted you to them in the first place. So, if you want to keep an sps/sofie tank. 2x55 is fine. In my opinion the more lighting you can afford without overheating the tank, the better. Under the 2x55, I have successfully kept, yellow polyps, toadstool leather, open brain, zoos, bubble, and branching hammer. Hope that helps;)

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Nishant3789

a tiup for you 20H owners, put the powerhead a lil lower closer to the middle of the taknl in taller tanks the lower parts tend to get depleted of oxygen easier, so more circulation is good.

nishant

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