Lighting

[rexter]

Ok, I've been reading for awhile on setting up a salt water tank, and the last thing I'm stuck on is lighting. My question is would one of the Coralife/Current pc light setups be enough for soft corals?
The lighting I'm looking at puts out 130w (2x65w bulbs) and my tank is 30L x 20H x 12D (29 gallons I think). Would that be enough lighting for soft corals? What about anemones (I know they are supposed to need lots of light, but are there any low light ones?)?
Lastly, in a tank that size, what would be some fish that I could put in (once everything is running smoothly of course) that could co-exist? I wouldnt mind a pair of clowns, so keeping that in mind.
Thanks for any help!

[dhoch]

If you are interested in flexibility (i.e. may want to keep anemones) go T5 with your lighting...

Why the PC fixtures you mention will be fine for soft corals, if in the future you want to raise more light demanding corals and/or anemones, then T5s are going to be a better choice in the long run.

There are some low light anemones, but based on what you are saying (clowns/anemones) most hosts are going to be more light demanding...

As for fish 2 clowns (depending on the species) may be more than enough...

Other fish to consider: (not all of them)
Gobies
Wrasses
Damsels
Anthias

Dave

[rexter]

How much light would I need from the t5's? I've read that you dont need as many watts to get the same amount of light out of them.

[dhoch]

That is correct...

For example I have a 6 x 80W of main lighting (overdriven really it's ~600W of main lighting) over my 180 gallon tank.

Par (photosynthetic active radiation... i.e. light your critters will use) intensity is equivalent of directly under a 250W MH bulb

Equivalent coverage would be 3 250 W bulbs (so 750W, plus actinic suplliments)

Dave

[rexter]

Well, its seeming that t5's might be better in the long run (less power consumption, and they are supposed to last longer than PC's, so they should pay for themselves in the end).
The main thing is now is how much would I need for my tank if i went with t5's?

[dhoch]

You could try 3-4 24" T5 bulbs and stagger them... they don't make a 30" bulb, but there are 36" bulbs.

Dave

[rexter]

Well I went by the lfs and asked about t5 lighting. The have some there, and for half decent prices, but it seems like theres two different types of t5. All I seem to be able to find localy or only in Canada is lower ouput t5's (14w for a 24" instead of 24w). I saw a tank set up with a single 24" 14w bulb, and it was actually pretty bright considering the low wattage. A dual 14w fixture is only $60, and its pretty small, so i could get two fixtures in the end. Is it worth it?
This is the set
http://mops.ca/cgi-bin/SoftCart.exe/cshop/LICL-58020.html?L+scstore+wwbn6984ff1ca11c+1141862409
Any help would be great.

[dhoch]

I would definity go for the HO bulbs...they will produce signifigantly more light (all my references are to the T5 HO bulbs... I really don't know anything about the NO bulbs).

Dave

[rexter]

Ok, in the end could I use a fixture like the one in the link I posted, and then just switch the bulbs to the ho ones? Because if its as simple as the, I might actually save some $$ going with the t5's over pc's. And is that Coralife t5 unit any good?

[rexter]

Well, I looked some more, and I found a MH pendant for a decent price. Heres the link
http://www.jlaquatics.com/phpstore/store_pages/details/l-mh-pene.php?product_ID=MH-CPENA20
How would that do? With the bulb it comes with, would that be the only light I would need? What about heat (my biggest concern)?

[timmy_boy188]

MH baby, cant beat that shimmer!!!

[rexter]

But would that pendant light the tank good, considering the tank is 30"wide? And what about the colour spectrum (20,000k)? I'm taking it my options with corals would be good.

[timmy_boy188]

20,00K is really blue, if you want more of a sun look go with 15000k

[dhoch]

You can probably get away with a single 250W over the 30", but a 150W MH might be pushing it...

I would really recommend getting a hood and retro fitting it (use ice cap ballst and T5 bulbs, but that's just my 2 cents).

Dave

[rexter]

The main problem I seem to be having is that the only place I can find the t5 retros are based in the U.S. With me being in Canada, I'm worried about having some pretty crazy duty fees and such. I've tried finding stuff locally, but all the lfs seem to be pretty much worthless.

[dhoch]

Here.... this place has a locaiton for shipping in canada:

http://www.specialty-lights.com/tekretrofit.html

Dave

[rexter]

Well, I'm thinking I'll end up getting the 24" TEK hood... I like the retro kits and all, but in the end would rather just getting a premade hood. I've also read some good things on the TEK's. Now the question is is what bulbs should I go with. I'm kinda partial to more of a blue tinted light. And with that setup, would it leave me fairly open to most corals, beyond just softies?

[rexter]

Anyone?