lighting

[swampfox25]

Hey guys I am in the process of starting a sw tank. What are the lighting requirements for a decent looking tank? I have a PC 65w 10,000 bulb in a 29g tank

[LT1OwnzYou]

I dont kno too much, but i kno thats a decent amount of light. I too had a light question... i have an 18watt reef bulb on a 10 gallon tank, and also have a light hood layin around with a 15watt flourescent bulb or a 15 black light.. which would be better to use in it? thats a total of 33 watts for 10 gallons, way more than i should need, but which one would the fish/anenomes respond to better?

[swampfox25]

Yeah I am not sure what I am putting in it yet I want an ene and coral but I duno if 2.24 w/g is enough.

[Riptide]

I think I read somewhere that you typically need around 4w/g for corals..

[swampfox25]

are there any kits that will allow me to use my stock hood and get 4w/g I did intall a pc bulb with a retro fit. But i only have space for 1 strip.

[Riptide]

I'm not sure but 4w/gal isn't easy to obtain. There are 36" PC fixtures from GE that have twin 55W bulbs. You'd be close -
3.79w/gal but not quite up to 4. Someone else might have a better recommendation but that's the best I know of w/PC. You might need to go MH in order to do 4w/gal or better.

[swampfox25]

my tank is only 30" wide

[swampfox25]

I was looking at lighting online. Is there a temp difference between PC and metal Hi bulbs?

What is the best range (k) for lighting in a sw tank. I want to have some corals and enem.

[Riptide]

Metal halides usually put out a lot of heat, even more than PC. Bigger ones typically need to be hung pendant style though I believe there are hoods out there that would fit yours and use a modest bulb. You'll have to do some looking around.

If you're thinking of getting into corals and the like I think a lot of people use combinations of 10,000K bulbs and actinic blue.

[swampfox25]

I found a MH 150w I wonder if that will be too much?

[Riptide]

Good question. Yer pushing 5w/gal there. Heat might be a concern as well. Both possibilities could be addressed if you can position the light a little ways over the hood instead of right on it. Maybe prop it up on a couple small wood blocks..? I'd experiment with it.

[mogurnda]

If you can afford it, the 150W metal halide will be great for your tank. Above 6700K, the choice of color temperature is a matter of your personal taste. For aesthetics, and to be able to have a dawn/dusk light, you might want to combine a 10,000K MH with an actinic power compact light. You should be able to keep any kind of coral you want with that combination.

Because your tank is small, you might want to consider a pendant to reduce the heat problem.

[swampfox25]

Ok sorry for the long wait on my responce Busy busy!! I just bought another 65w Power Compact. I also built a wood top for the tank with alot of venelation. It is about 6 inch above the tank so my heat should be ok. Is the best combo to run 1 65w strip with the 10,000k and the other just Actinic? 4.48 w/g should be substancial for most anything I want right??

[Stephen]

You can also get "Smartlamp" PC bulbs made by Coralife. One half is Ultra Daylight and the other half is Actinic Blue. I'm using these on a Eclipse 3 nano reef and all the coral I have look great (3 types of mushrooms, organ pipe, yellow polyps, zoo's, and finger leather). The are all small frags except the polyps and mushrooms however.

[swampfox25]

Yeah my kit came with that smart light. But I thought it was better if i had the actinic and 10,000k on seperate strips so I can have them on different timmers? Am I wrong?

[LT1OwnzYou]

well I have a buddy setting up a starter tank. 20 Gallon long, he purchased a hood for the tank at a staggering $44.95 from the pet store... Just a cheapo hood with a 20 watt bulb on it.... i made him return it and told him i would fab him up something... hehe... a lil while at home depot and this is what i came up with. I am thinking of making em and selling em if anyone is interested...

This particular unit is dual 18 inch bulbs 15 watts a peice, the black light is the only other bulb i had layin around for testing, but u get the idea... there will be a cover made to hide all the wires, and a metal bottom to direct light a little bit. I was going to make a custom enclosure for them, but came across this guy and decided to use it instead... I will probably end up making him a fixture to support dual VHO bulbs at 75 watts a piece but considering this is the first one i ever made, not too shabby eh?
:D

[swampfox25]

ok well i test fit everything and it look perfecr 2 65w CP bulbs. I am going to paint the hood black with acrylic paint will that work??

[LT1OwnzYou]

hmm, i dont kno how hot that sucka is gonna get, i would just spraypaint it :) I am having lots of difficulty here and its driving me nutz. The ballast i used last night i think screwed my bulbs... Too many wires comin out that sucka and not enough power, Now we exchanged it for a different one, went to the aquatics store by the house, tested the ballast with teh same bulbs we have, worked no problem, took 10 mins.... get home, hook it up... and the f**kers lit about half way, the ballast made some funny noises and then they eventually quit. The bulbs would flicker at full strength but it sounded no good. I have the hood all ready to go, i think the other ballast screwed the bulbs...going to try and hit up the petco and see if they have some. I let you guys kno

[swampfox25]

spray paint should not mess with anything huh?

[LT1OwnzYou]

spray paint is an easy application, just sand/primer/paint and it will be fine... plus it dries really fast... Just finished up the 110W PC lid for my buddies tank... that sucka is bright.... hehe. Its not too bad for my first attempt, tho i already see the next finished product its started so it wont be long :) for you guys who are mechanically inclined and would like more information on how to make em let me kno, for those of u who would rather buy one... let me kno :cool:

[swampfox25]

post a pic of it on and finisher just wana see

[LT1OwnzYou]

I will get pics in the next few days.. hehe.. stockin the tank tonite :D

[LT1OwnzYou]

Got some pics

the tank with the lionfish, trigger, and clarki... as well as a fixture i have started... painted the inside with "chrome" spraypaint.. needless to say, that stuff bling blings

http://atlstreetdemonz.com/uploads/tank

thats the directory folder for the pics...tell me what ya think