Lighting For LPS/Soft Corals

[Nick30G]

Hi Guys,
Im in the process of planning and deciding what I want in my 30 gallon fish/reef tank. I was wondering what I required as far as for lighting for LPS/Soft Corals/Etc. Should I get with T5's, LEDS? How many inches should the light be and how many bulbs would I need? How many watts? For filtration I plan on having a 10 gallon sump with Protein Skimmer, Live rock rubble, Chateo/Marco algae. What do you guys think as far as the best types of corals to start with as a beginner in saltwater tanks that dont require a whole lot of maintenance and are easy-moderate to care for. So I know probably SPS corals are out of the question. But one thing I do know I want for sure is a bubble tipped anemone to get my clownfish to host in. I just want Corals that look really nice a good in my tank. I hope to hear your recommendations on Lighting that I require and what corals are easy but are nice to look at in my tank.

[MiracleFish]

I have a par38 bulb above my 17g, about 32 inches from the bottom. Definitely enough room for a 30g IMO

To answer your other question, Polyps and zoas are pretty easy to keep and easy to read. As for LPS, I enjoy my torches and hammers. They show great color and are also easy to read when in distress. Candy canes are just as easy to care for.

Just some ideas, hope that helps :)

[scubadan206]

Soft corals love sunlight. Don't really care about seasonal change.
Sps corals are a different animal. They need more stable lighting than our environment has.

Daniel. :)

[Nick30G]

I have a par38 bulb above my 17g, about 32 inches from the bottom. Definitely enough room for a 30g IMO

To answer your other question, Polyps and zoas are pretty easy to keep and easy to read. As for LPS, I enjoy my torches and hammers. They show great color and are also easy to read when in distress. Candy canes are just as easy to care for.

Just some ideas, hope that helps :)

So your saying just a PAR38 bulb will be enough for all lps corals? What wattage PAR38 bulb? How many bulbs?

[oneofmany]

Pretty much any of the lighting out there will work, whether it's LED, MH, T5, PC, NO etc, it's just a matter of finding the right fixture or set up for a certian size tank. Corals are not too particular about lighting either, just as long as there's plenty of it to go around. Aesthetics is a whole different story. Some of the articles in the link below might help.

http://reefkeeping.com/issues/subject/lighting.php

[Nick30G]

Pretty much any of the lighting out there will work, whether it's LED, MH, T5, PC, NO etc, it's just a matter of finding the right fixture or set up for a certian size tank. Corals are not too particular about lighting either, just as long as there's plenty of it to go around. Aesthetics is a whole different story. Some of the articles in the link below might help.

http://reefkeeping.com/issues/subject/lighting.php

I was thinking either VHO lighting With 50/50 bulbs or LEDS. How much does stuff like this typically cost? Will something like this work http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=3578+3733+27873&pcatid=27873

[oneofmany]

VHO's are nice, especially the actinic bulbs, but you can probably achieve the same results with LED's for half the price. You won't have to worry about replacing the bulbs every year either. As far as how all this stuff costs goes, that's kind of a loaded question. It all depends on the type of lighting, the wattage, the setup etc. For a 30 gallon tank though LED's would probably be your best bet. The choices are endless, but the fixture in the link below seems to be pretty popular. Maybe use this as a baseline and then go from there. (research)

https://www.reefbreeders.com/shop/superlux/

[Nick30G]

VHO's are nice, especially the actinic bulbs, but you can probably achieve the same results with LED's for half the price. You won't have to worry about replacing the bulbs every year either. As far as how all this stuff costs goes, that's kind of a loaded question. It all depends on the type of lighting, the wattage, the setup etc. For a 30 gallon tank though LED's would probably be your best bet. The choices are endless, but the fixture in the link below seems to be pretty popular. Maybe use this as a baseline and then go from there. (research)

https://www.reefbreeders.com/shop/superlux/

I think I will go with LEDS. I don't want a lot of evaporation and dont want to replace the bulbs. Do those Orbit Marine LEDS I linked look good/sufficient?

[Nick30G]

It looks like the SuperLux you linked looks a lot better than the one I found. The superlux has 110W Leds compared to the 23W Leds I found. Is the one you linked sufficient for my tank? If so, what corals can grow under the Superlux? LPS, SPS? My budget for the lights is no more than $200

[oneofmany]

In a 30 gallon tank you should be able to keep anything you want with that SuperLux IMO. I'm still new to the LED game myself though so you might want to see what others recommend.

[Nick30G]

Anyone else think this light is good?