lighting Q...need feedback.

phenom5 · 08/10/2006, 12:14 PM

hey all,
so my 10g is in a bit of a state of neglect. long story short...it all started a few months back when my heater went nuts. i lost the majority of my acros, along with other various corals. since then my tank has been going downhill, mostly my fault, but that's neither here nor there. i want to get my tank back into tip top shape.

so my plan is to rebuild the stand, or finish the stand i have framed out for an empty 29g that i've got.

i'm on a really tight budget but i was thinking, maybe i'll make the move to the 29g. the cost of the stand is about the same, regardless of if i'm building it for a 10 or 29(obviously it will be a little more expensive for the 29, but materials for the stand are not going to break the budget). then i could either buy a seio, or wait and get one of the new nanostreams when they come out. i would add either some reefer rocks base rock, or diy some rock, but...

and this is where the question comes in. right now i've got a 70W HQI over my 10. part of me feels like the 70W is not enough light for my 10 much less a 29...but part of me feels like i could pull it off. i do not plan on adding any SPS, i'm going to focus on LPS, zoas, and maybe, maybe some monti's. like i'm said, i'm torn between my knee-jerk reaction of no way that's enough light, and my thought of how much difference is there? my monti's were doing fine in my 10g and they were a good 10-12" away from the light, which wouldn't be a whole lot different if they were in the upper half of the 29g. and, i'm only talking about a 4" difference in height for the 29g with sand vs. my BB 10g. plus i was thinking that the additional surface area of the 29g would make heat less of an issue so i could drop the light an inch or two closer to the water. my main concern is the lower half of the tank, and will i get enough light low in the tank. my zoas seemed to be happier before i went to MH, almost like the MH is too much for them.

i do not want to get into a situation where i get everything up and running and then decide that i need more light, and am forced to upgrade. but i'd really like to have something a little bigger then my 10g. so, what do you all think? also, i've got an old 40W PC that i would add to the hood as well. i've seen plenty of people that seem to be okay with 110W or 130W of PC over their 29's, so would 70W of MH and 40W of PC be that much different?

i've got about a week and a half before the fall semester begins, so i'd like to get this rolling ASAP...whatever i decide. so tell me what you think, any and all input is welcome, even if you think i'm crazy for even thinking about doing this.

TIA

Doglover_50 · 08/10/2006, 12:20 PM

Newbie here, but yes, should be plenty. For example, I have 250MH over my 70. It's not 1 to one, but 70 over 29 sounds like plenty with me. PLUS the PC added I believe is an extra buffer zone for you. I think the rule is 3watts per gallon ? Sound safe to me. But if you are on a budget, aren't you going to take it on the chin buying sand a rock? That's a few hundred.

phenom5 · 08/10/2006, 12:32 PM

Quote:

But if you are on a budget, aren't you going to take it on the chin buying sand a rock? That's a few hundred.

naw...going to use my existing LR to either seed some base rock from reefer rocks, or DIY some rock.
Ultimate DIY LR Thread
sand is cheap.

as for the light, WPG is not a good "rule" to go by IMO. i'm concerned with intensity and light penetration.

thanks for the input though.

Henry22 · 08/10/2006, 02:25 PM

Use teh 70 watt, and get like a 10,000k bulb, and the get actinec lighting for the 40watt. That what I would do, and I think that would be fine over a 29.

Zero-2-Sixty · 08/10/2006, 11:32 PM

ya, i think you would be just fine

08/10/2006, 12:14 PM	#1
phenom5 Unregistered Member Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Arizona Posts: 4,448	lighting Q...need feedback. hey all, so my 10g is in a bit of a state of neglect. long story short...it all started a few months back when my heater went nuts. i lost the majority of my acros, along with other various corals. since then my tank has been going downhill, mostly my fault, but that's neither here nor there. i want to get my tank back into tip top shape. so my plan is to rebuild the stand, or finish the stand i have framed out for an empty 29g that i've got. i'm on a really tight budget but i was thinking, maybe i'll make the move to the 29g. the cost of the stand is about the same, regardless of if i'm building it for a 10 or 29(obviously it will be a little more expensive for the 29, but materials for the stand are not going to break the budget). then i could either buy a seio, or wait and get one of the new nanostreams when they come out. i would add either some reefer rocks base rock, or diy some rock, but... and this is where the question comes in. right now i've got a 70W HQI over my 10. part of me feels like the 70W is not enough light for my 10 much less a 29...but part of me feels like i could pull it off. i do not plan on adding any SPS, i'm going to focus on LPS, zoas, and maybe, maybe some monti's. like i'm said, i'm torn between my knee-jerk reaction of no way that's enough light, and my thought of how much difference is there? my monti's were doing fine in my 10g and they were a good 10-12" away from the light, which wouldn't be a whole lot different if they were in the upper half of the 29g. and, i'm only talking about a 4" difference in height for the 29g with sand vs. my BB 10g. plus i was thinking that the additional surface area of the 29g would make heat less of an issue so i could drop the light an inch or two closer to the water. my main concern is the lower half of the tank, and will i get enough light low in the tank. my zoas seemed to be happier before i went to MH, almost like the MH is too much for them. i do not want to get into a situation where i get everything up and running and then decide that i need more light, and am forced to upgrade. but i'd really like to have something a little bigger then my 10g. so, what do you all think? also, i've got an old 40W PC that i would add to the hood as well. i've seen plenty of people that seem to be okay with 110W or 130W of PC over their 29's, so would 70W of MH and 40W of PC be that much different? i've got about a week and a half before the fall semester begins, so i'd like to get this rolling ASAP...whatever i decide. so tell me what you think, any and all input is welcome, even if you think i'm crazy for even thinking about doing this. TIA __________________ Rob Current Tank Info: Tankless for the first time in a decade

08/10/2006, 12:20 PM	#2
Doglover_50 Premium Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: az Posts: 1,623	Newbie here, but yes, should be plenty. For example, I have 250MH over my 70. It's not 1 to one, but 70 over 29 sounds like plenty with me. PLUS the PC added I believe is an extra buffer zone for you. I think the rule is 3watts per gallon ? Sound safe to me. But if you are on a budget, aren't you going to take it on the chin buying sand a rock? That's a few hundred. __________________ Back off man, I'm a scientist. --Ghostbusters Current Tank Info: on hiatus

08/10/2006, 02:25 PM	#4
Henry22 Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Kentucky Posts: 712	Use teh 70 watt, and get like a 10,000k bulb, and the get actinec lighting for the 40watt. That what I would do, and I think that would be fine over a 29. __________________ 15 Gallon Tall Reef w/ a lonely orange spotted watchman goby Current Tank Info: 15 gallon Tall Reef

08/10/2006, 11:32 PM	#5
Zero-2-Sixty Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Gilbert, AZ Posts: 111	ya, i think you would be just fine