question about lighting

[The Chefin' Man]

Hello everyone!

I am new to this page I have been on reefs.org for a few months now. I fugured I would try this one out too. I have a questino about my lighting. I have a Tek light T5 4 bulb system. I do have to apologize I do not remember what the actual size was on them but there are 2 actinic and 2 true white I do believe. My question is about I know that there has been a lot of debate over this but I have a Crocea and a Carnation coral that I got for free from the lfs because my water system was down and they gave me water that was a 1.037 and not at 1.024 like I had asked therefore I lost a two of my corals and clams. Will they put off enough eluminens for these items to survive I also have a green bubble coral.

Thank you,
The chef

[papagimp]

depends on the wattage they are. I have a 6 x 54 watt teklight fixture, and when I was only runnin 4 of the bulbs (a 48" fixture) I purchased my first crocea. It did very well and since I have added the extra 2 bulbs to fill my fixture, it's still going strong. I'm not sure if a smaller sized fixture (less than 54watt bulbs) would be enough light intensity for a clam.

As for the green bubble coral, Mine really hates too much light from my tek fixture, I have him partially shaded or he shrivels up. Before the T5's I kept him under 260watts Power compact fixture and he did remarkably well.

[nycbrose]

Carnation coral does not require strong lighting. They are non-photosynthetic. In fact, too much lighting will cause them to shrivel. The bubble coral, on the other hand, contains symbiotic algae that must need light to convert food into energy, and should be placed in the mid sections of your aquarium.

[papagimp]

bubbles can be adaptive that way, mine is on the lowest part of my tank, right on the sandbed. Just be sure not to place him where he's getting too much flow, or where the flow may rub his bubbles against anything that'll hurt him.

[nycbrose]

Lighting is relative. =) If you have a 400W halide over your aquarium, and it is 24" deep, you will most likely need to place him lower in the tank. In the wild, buble coral is almost always found in the mid sections of the reef in great numbers. Carnation corals, on the other hand, can be found under rock ledges growing upside down, but in many reported cases can also grow right-side up on the top of the reef structure. Quite interesting.

[The Chefin' Man]

Thank you fellas! I know they are 54W. Here is the rest of the info- Giesemann Pure Actinic and Pacitic Coast Imports 10,000K. How do these rate and what is the life expectancy at 10 hours per day? Are there any bulbs that are better than this setup? Again thank you for your info and support in my lack of experience with T5's.

[The Chefin' Man]

Also I am going to post another post about my precious crocea clam. Do they usually lay on their sides, is this normal? I have never seen one do this. Also I am going to move my bubble and carnation because I have them in direct light and my bubble is on the very top closest to the light. I am going to post pics tomorrow of my tank tomorrow, the lights are off now. I have some old but they are not all that great. Ah! hell with it I will post them too.

http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p94/TheChefinMan/STA70643.jpg

http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p94/TheChefinMan/STA70758.jpg

http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p94/TheChefinMan/Picture105-1.jpg

Sorry for the last dinky pic!

[The Chefin' Man]

Also I have extended the lights all the way out due to heat problems.

[Amphiprion]

Laying on their side is indicating that they are aggravated by something, as they should be oriented in a somewhat upward direction. Maybe try a different location. I honestly cannot see the clam in those pics.

[The Chefin' Man]

He is not there he is inthe back. THese are old pics I will post new ones tomorrow. The lights are off right now. Sorry

[Amphiprion]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8968225#post8968225 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by The Chefin' Man
He is not there he is inthe back. THese are old pics I will post new ones tomorrow. The lights are off right now. Sorry

Ah, that explains it. No need to apologize, just post them later and someone will help you out.

[Fuegofish777]

If the bulbs are 54w then its the 48" tek light. I have the same unit and kept a crocea for a very long time until i recently traded it in. bubble coral should definitely do well in the middle to lower range of the tank. wait a sec, is this over your 90g? what are the dimensions of the tank. this will give a better idea of where to place the corals. most t-5 bulbs should be replaced at least every 12 months. they lose alot of their punch after about 9 or 10 and by 12 you can really see them fading, especially the blue bulbs. if you ever want to switch or replace bulbs i highly recommend the 12k ATI bulbs. Great color. HTH