Lighting

[xrunner123]

Hi, I just upgraded my lighting on my 45 gal.
Now I have 1x175W MH 10K, 1x96W 10K, and 1X96W blue.

What can I put in the tank? Am I limited by lighting or can I just keep about anything. I may be considering getting another 175W, if things are marginal.

The only problem that I see or have is that I have a center bracket (part of plastic top from) that interferes slightly with the light. So directly underneath gets blocked.

Does anyone have a link on a good lighting link on wattage per gallon/depth? And what inhabitants can be kept?


Thanks all.

 

[Enzo]

It doesn't really depend on how much wattage per gallon, but more the qualtiy of light and the depth of your tank. It seems that you have a pretty broad range of spectrum. You could probably go with a lot of stuff besides SPS. If you went with the other 175 watt halide, than you could probably have more than enough lighitng for SPS. You could probably almost pull it off right now, but it's better to be safe than sorry. You can pretty much do any softies, and a lot of hard coral with your present lighting, but personally I think that SPS is the cool stuff.

 

[liquid]

I'd say you could easily do soft corals and maybe some LPS. Check Eric Borneman's Aquarium Corals book for references to specific LPS that would work in the range of soft corals.

Shane

 

[liquid]

BTW...

Shane

 

[xrunner123]

Thanks for the responses and the welcome.
Is there a good website that has a chart or matrix on lighting vs inhabitants that one can keep for various tank sizes?

 

[liquid]

I don't know of a specific matrix on corals vs. lighting for a given depth. However, as long as you don't try to keep clams or SPS (Acropora, Hydnophora, etc) you should be OK.

Shane

 

[xrunner123]

But I do want to keep clams and SPS.
Will another 175W do the trick or will I still be borderline?
And if the other 175W will put me there, can I have say a Maxima clam at the bottom of the tank, or does he have to be in the middle to upper water levels?

Thanks

 

[liquid]

If you want clams and SPS you'll either need to keep them up close to the 175's or you'll need to break down and get at least a 250 watt halide. I prefer the 250 watt PFO ballast equipped with an Iwasaki 6500 K bulb, but others like running 250 watt double ended HQI halides with a 10,000 K bulb. YMMV.

Keeping clams and SPS is all about lighting intensity and not just about the amount of light. Think of it this way...there's no way I'd be able to keep SPS under 400 watts of light provided by 7 watt night light bulbs. However, I can keep them under a 250 watt halide.

Shane

 

[xrunner123]

If you want clams and SPS you'll either need to keep them up close to the 175's or you'll need to break down and get at least a 250 watt halide....

Keeping clams and SPS is all about lighting intensity and not just about the amount of light.

Got it.
I have 1x175, plus the 2 96watters, now you say I'll have to break down and get a 250W. Do you mean trash the 175W and go with a new setup or can I have 1/2 of the tank 175W and the other 1/2 250W, or will that look silly. Will my eye be able to see a major difference?

Sorry to keep on going, but before I start buying I'd like to be 100% sure of what I'm doing.

Thanks

 

[liquid]

Your eye will probably see the difference. Like I said tho, you should be able to keep some SPS and lower light clams as long as you put them higher in the tank.

Shane

 

[xrunner123]

Another question-
If I do go with say 2x250W, does that mean I can ONLY keep SPSs and clams or can I also have say mushrooms.

Thanks

 

[fishfanatic2]

You can have mushrooms, just don't put them out in the open where they'll get burnt. Place them at the bottom of the tank and in a shaded place and you'll be fine.

 

[Anonymous]

montiporas will also do okay to good under that lighting scheme. you'l want them in the top half of the tank, close the MH.

 

[esmithiii]

You might be able to get away with 2x175w MHs keeping some SPS and many clams, IMO.

How long and how deep is your tank? Do you have a sand bed? How deep? How tall is your LR?

The issue is intensity. The farther a coral or clam is from the light, the stronger the light source will need to be.

Ernie

 

[xrunner123]

You might be able to get away with 2x175w MHs keeping some SPS and many clams, IMO.

How long and how deep is your tank? Do you have a sand bed? How deep? How tall is your LR?

The issue is intensity. The farther a coral or clam is from the light, the stronger the light source will need to be.

Ernie

Tank measures 36L X 12W X 24D. Sand bed is about 3" and rock goes up about 50% of tank. I will have to make a decision soon on what to do. Do I add 1 more 175W or just go and buy 2x250W. Will I reget just adding another 175W or can I also regret going with 2x250W. Can 500W be too much?

Now with a very light intense tank do I have to stick with a "theme" such as only SPS's and clams or can I mix and match many things?

Oh and do the 2x96W do any justice?
Thanks

 

[jandree22]

24" deep?! wow man.... def wanna use 250W on that depth, unless you're planning to keep only softies at the bottom

 

[xrunner123]

24" deep?! wow man.... def wanna use 250W on that depth, unless you're planning to keep only softies at the bottom

Yeh I know this was my first tank that migrated into a reef. I know know that it is not the best size to use.

 

[esmithiii]

My tank is 24" deep and I use (3) 400W MH bulbs plus (4) 96W PC bulbs, but my lights are two feet apart. Yours will be 12" apart, so (2) 250W is probably your best bet. And NO, 500W is not too much.

Ernie

 

[klingsa]

I agree that for that depth, you want as much light as you can get (or afford!) if you want to keep SPS and clams. One thing I'd add to the clam placement question is that the color of the mantle can really tell you how much light it really wants. True of corals and anemones as well. Greens, blues, browns are lower light than purple, red, pinks. Any of the latter colors come from accessory pigments which shield the animal from overexposure in the wild. So, for those colors, definitely at the top. A green squamosa, though, is a sand dweller and lower light, so it's possible to keep on the bottom, I think. But, start it at the bottom, and slowly move it up. Wherever the mantle comes out the most, it's happy. That's my opinion.
Good luck!
Sara

 

[xrunner123]

Thanks for the replies. I have to dig deep in my pockets for my lights.
2x250w it is.