Best lighting for growing Zoas

[NotCptJack]

Friends of mine recently set up a 29 gallon tank with a 10 gallon sump. My end goal is to grow assorted zoanthids and similar corals. What is the best lighting for a tank this size? I have a deeper sand bed (2-3 inches), 25# of live rock for substrate and crushed coral and rock rubble in the sump. Also have a small ball of chaeto to help with Nitrates. I use RO/DI water (purified spring water in a pinch). Nitrites are at 10 and Nitrates at 80 on water test strip. Tank has only been up for about a month. Things seem to be doing well but I'm not in any hurry.

[Molly1414]

I have 2 kessil 360we and my Zoeanthids grow very fast under these lights.

[Ron Reefman]

Almost any commercially available fixture for aquariums will do the job. Some better than others. Zoas are pretty forgiving and don't need as much light as lps or sps, so you don't need MH. If you want inexpensive, a good t5 fixture will due. If you want more control of power/intensity and color, an inexpensive led fixture with dimmers will do just fine. They can be had for under $100 on Ebay or Amazon. Do you understand why your corals need good light? Do you understand that they prefer blue spectrum to be healthy and grow? I'm just asking to find out how what you know. I was years into the hobby before I understood half of what I would have been useful to know when I started.

And not being in a hurry is the smartest think you said and the best thing you can do. Asking question is 2nd on the list of good things!

But it sounds to me like you may have other issues to take care of first?
1) Your nitrates are too high. Has your tank finished it's cycle?
2) Test strips? They can work... but I'd really like to hear that you plan to get better test kits. It will be a simple tank and easy corals so inexpensive API kits for ammonia and nitrate along with a hydrometer for testing salinity (specific gravity). Later you'll want a kit for alk.
3) Using RO/DI water is great. Are you making it yourself? Purified spring water... not so much. If you have to buy water at the grocery store, use distilled water.
4) Are you doing water changes? With a small system and easy corals like zoas, you can avoid a lot of other hassles by doing regular water changes.

[whosurcaddie]

Wait until your nitrites fall too zero then do a 50% water change. After that you'll be ready to go. The good thing about zoas is most colony's are bulletproof. High lighting low lighting, they don't much care. I've had colony's in extremely high flow and very low flow and both were equally happy.

I would just get a Chinese black box that can be had for under 100 on Ebay.

I would shoot for about 35x turnover of your display volume (that's your water movement.) What kind of power heads do you have? One thing I know zoas like is random water movement a wavemaker will really help you here. The pulsating flow helps to lift detritus off of the mat they lay out, keeping them from being irritated.

I agree with Ron on the test kits get a full reef test kit calcium alk and mag.

[NotCptJack]

I'm new to the hobby of saltwater. I've worked with cleaning stocking and maintaining tanks for around a year or so but this is the first time I've set one up and let it cycle. The cycle would probably not be over since the tank has only been up about a month. I got test strips to check the nitrites and see where my PH is at but do have a decent reef kit to check alkalinity and phosphates later on. I know the test strips aren't extremely accurate. I also have a hydrometer and check salinity at least once a day. The friend who helped set up the tank has an RO/DI system that I'm able to get water from for changes and top off but I live farther away from him and it's not always convenient to stop by so will keep in mind that distilled is better than purified/spring water. I don't have a wave maker but have an air pump that is made for 10-30 gallon tanks. I did one smaller water change to help bring the nitrates down but wanted to wait to do a larger one since it's a new tank. I wasn't sure if I'd throw everything off. I have a clown fish and 2 salt water mollies in it for cycling (started with the mollies), a couple of Nassarius snails and blue leg hermits. I added the snails and hermits around the 2-3 week mark.