Starting a 44 pent - TBS and lighting

[Slatts]

First I want to say thanks for all the info i've gotten over the last couple of months from this forum as it's the reason i've gotten salt in my veins. I'm looking at the package from TBS and it seems like the right way to go for me. The question i have is that it seems kinda heavy and i believe i have seen Dave say the same thing. Could I go smaller say 30gl instead of the 44gl or would that defeat the purpose? Now for lighting which i admit confuses the heck out me. The 44gl pentagon does not seem to have many options. I would like to go with some CustomSeaLife PowerCompact/Moon-Lite Fixtures but since the the tank is i believe 24" deep (i haven't received yet but my wife knows it will fit perfectly in the corner of our living room) i don't know that they will be ok. The other option i've looked at is the 175w MH pendant but i don't think my wife would be too comfortable knowing there's no hood between her and 100 critters. I'm just planning a few fish and whatever comes from TBS.
I just made my first purchase (yea) an RO/DI.
Thanks again.

[Kurt]

I would like to mention about the Metal Halide light , with a power head creating some agitation on the surface there will be a nice shimmering effect in the tank. Looks great.

[Slatts]

Thanks Kurt I'm sure it would but what I think I'm looking for is to find out if the TBS package is considered a FOWLR tank and if so than do I need special lighting or is the no lighting that the tank comes with enough to sustain the life that comes with the "package". (How's that for a run on sentence) It is 24" deep and I want to make sure that all life forms excluding mantis shrimp and hairy crabs(from what I've read) will have no ill effect .
Thanks

[ben72227]

for anything deeper than 18" i'd recommend metal halides. hexagon tanks are difficult to find hoods and canopies for. i wouldn't have gotten one if i were you.

if you can find a glass canopy, thats what you should get. then your light can go in and critters don't go out.

as for the tbs "package" being a FOWLR...hmmm... not sure if i understand that question.... The package consists of all of the things you need (minus livestock and equipment) for your tank. it has sand, live rock, and a clean up crew.

the difference between reef and FOWLR (fish only with live rock) is that you can have inverts, fish, live rock, etc. in both of them, but in the reef, the inverts are your main focus. wheras in fowlr your more concerned with the fish and maybe a few easy inverts like shrimp and crabs. you wouldn't put something like a sabae anemone in a fowlr tank, because anemones are difficult inverts and are (mainly) for reef tanks. also, reef tanks have much stronger lighting requirements (metal halides) than fowlr, which usually use Power compacts(like the customsealife pcs you listed in your first post).

[Cearbhaill]

I believe TBS states on their website that they keep their rock under VHO lighting.
I think PC lighting will be sufficient for your needs- at least initially ;) .

The crabs, brittle stars, cucumbers, and snails will be fine under PC lights. You may lose a few high light loving corals from the rock over time, but most of what is on it will do very well under PC's. Ditto sand creatures and the fish don't care.

What generally happens is that you will at some point see a certain coral, anenome, or clam that requires high intensity lighting and will decide to go full reef after all. If you are relatively sure you will be staying with the TBS package and fish you will be fine.

[mogurnda]

I started with 55W of PC over a 20 gallon tall, and the hitchhiking corals and macroalage did quite well. The cladocora is very adaptable, and the phyllangia is non-photosynthetic. I got better growth when I went to 130 watts. If brains come in with the rock, then higher light levels will definitely help. The halide would be a good option, I think. I don't suppose it would help to tell your wife that the critters are no more likely to crawl out than for her to crawl in. They like it in there.
the difference between reef and FOWLR (fish only with live rock) is that you can have inverts, fish, live rock, etc. in both of them, but in the reef, the inverts are your main focus. I agree with this, but once one sees all the stuff on the TBS rock, the fish don't seem as interesting.

[Slatts]

Thanks for the info. I agree about the size tank but that is the hand I've been dealt. Its in my living room now. About TBS i think I meant is it considered a reef(not fowlr) as it comes with hard corals. I do not plan to add any anemones or corals to this but I'm sure some hard core reefers have said the same thing starting out. I may have to diy the hood as I can't seem to find canopy to fit this odd shape(anyone have a place?)or just go topless and see if the pc fixture w/legs will straddle the top.
Also I can assure my wife there's no truth to the rumor about a mantis shrimp abducting the family cat in the dead of night.

Thanks everyone

[mogurnda]

For the first year, I just enjoyed the hitchhiking corals, sponges, etc on the TBS rock. Then I added a toadstool, then I got a bunch of free frags from local reefers, now it's full. All I wanted was a little live rock for the clowns:rolleyes:

Have fun with it. Please post some pix as it goes.

[Dale W.]

Here is a low buck option that will work on that hex for lighting for FOWLR and some lower light corals. You have to create the hood for the tank though. Home Depot has an outdoor quad tube bogul base PC fixture for $34. The fixture is about 12" long and has a 64 watt 6500k bulb in it. If you need some more extreme light and you are handy, you could fit 2 of these fixtures in a hood if you took apart the fixtures and used the parts out of them. You will have to run a fan in the hood though for cooling. $68 for almost 130 watts is not bad though.

[Slatts]

Thanks will do. Your tank is what really started me on this adventure. I will have some clown questions down the road. Are yours 2 different colors or is it the lighting?

[mogurnda]

They are different colors. The male has always been unusually red, we even named him "Red." They have been in the same tank for 3 years, eating the same food, so it must be some genetic or developmental quirk.