scbauer
11/16/2010, 10:16 PM
Hey guys, so here's the deal... I currently have a 5-gallon tank plumbed into my system. It was being used as a fuge with macro algae, but when I started using ROWAphos, my macro algae wouldn't grow (no surprise, nothing for the algae to "eat"). So right now, the tank is basically doing nothing. I'm thining about turning it into a very small frag tank. The tank will be almost exclusively SPS, so I'm looking for HIGH light (maybe run 24x7) and HIGH flow.
Because there are baffles in the tank (for when it was setup as a fuge), the useable area for frags is about 11"x8"x9". With the water being 9" deep, I'm thinking about building a stand that would allow the frags to sit about 6" deep. I'm thinking about building a small DIY LED setup (probably this kit (https://www.reefledlights.com/products-page/premimum-xr-e-q5-led-kits/12-cree-xr-e-q5-led-kit)) for the lighting.
Question 1: What do you think about the lights? I think this will be plenty of light (if not too much). May go with 75% blue and 25% white to give the corals more color, even it it's at the expense of growth rate.
Next, and this is the part I don't really know about, I need to find a powerhead to put into the tank. The tank is currently plumbed into the sump using a Mag 2 @ about 4' of head, plus running through the PhosBan reactor and UV, so I'm lucky if I'm getting 50 GPH flowing through the frag tank. I'm thinking about the Hydor Koralia Nano 425.
Question 2: What do you think of the Hydor Koralia Nano 425? Are they good powerheads? Do you think this would be too much flow? Keep in mind there is about 2"-3" of free space between the water level and the top of the tank, so crazy wave action on the surface would be fine.
Question 3: Would leaving the lights on 24x7 be bad for SPS? Do they need a night time rest, too?
Thanks in advance for the help.
P.S. - If you're interested in checking out my tank, click here for my build thread (http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1359228).
-Scott
Because there are baffles in the tank (for when it was setup as a fuge), the useable area for frags is about 11"x8"x9". With the water being 9" deep, I'm thinking about building a stand that would allow the frags to sit about 6" deep. I'm thinking about building a small DIY LED setup (probably this kit (https://www.reefledlights.com/products-page/premimum-xr-e-q5-led-kits/12-cree-xr-e-q5-led-kit)) for the lighting.
Question 1: What do you think about the lights? I think this will be plenty of light (if not too much). May go with 75% blue and 25% white to give the corals more color, even it it's at the expense of growth rate.
Next, and this is the part I don't really know about, I need to find a powerhead to put into the tank. The tank is currently plumbed into the sump using a Mag 2 @ about 4' of head, plus running through the PhosBan reactor and UV, so I'm lucky if I'm getting 50 GPH flowing through the frag tank. I'm thinking about the Hydor Koralia Nano 425.
Question 2: What do you think of the Hydor Koralia Nano 425? Are they good powerheads? Do you think this would be too much flow? Keep in mind there is about 2"-3" of free space between the water level and the top of the tank, so crazy wave action on the surface would be fine.
Question 3: Would leaving the lights on 24x7 be bad for SPS? Do they need a night time rest, too?
Thanks in advance for the help.
P.S. - If you're interested in checking out my tank, click here for my build thread (http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1359228).
-Scott