Can You Have a 15 gal Marine?

You could technically set up in any size tank.
The problem being the smaller the tank the more unstable it is. As long as you dont mind spending the extra time a mini reef needs it shouldnt be a problem.

LOL and no. there is no way to convert your regular lights into compact flourescent. All flourescent lights have a little "power box" called a ballast which controls wattage.

That being said you could still run the tank with live rock/sand, Just not any corals. (lose the bio wheel there not good for this setup) -LESS WORK

or

You could keep the tank exactly as is and run fish only - MORE WORK

All in All you could set up a nice little 15G tank, Just remember you cant stock like a freshwater tank, In a 15g you whouldnt want more then a 1 small fish 3-4" or a couple of mini gobys 1.5-2"

my hubby & i have an eclipse 12 w/ 1 false clown & an anemone. he changed the light to a 13w, 10,000k 50/50 actinic just by ordering a different bulb. it's working great!

and, not to start a fight, but many very knowledgable sw fishkeepers have told us that even in our 12 we can have 1 or 2 more fish than the 1 clown we've already got. so in a 15 i would think you could have more than 1 small fish.

I'm getting a bit confused. I think renman was asking whether a straight 1" (aka T8) setup can be replaced with a more intense light. That would not be a simple matter of changing a bulb. Even if the ballast was appropriate (which it's not), the bulb would not fit.

You can, however, retrofit the eclipse hood fto add PC lights for corals, depending on how handy you are. It's common enough for nano reeefers to do it, bit I have not done it on an eclipse. I can dig up some links if you're interested.

Another option would be to set the eclipse system aside, get something like a Corallife 96 watt PC system, a small HOB protein skimmer, and a few powerheads, and you will have a system that will be more optimal for a variety of corals.

You could probably get away with a pair of clowns (small species), or the equivalent, in a 15. More than that would be pushing it and will make management more difficult. My 0.02.

veen said:

and, not to start a fight, but many very knowledgable sw fishkeepers have told us that even in our 12 we can have 1 or 2 more fish than the 1 clown we've already got.

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Granted you could keep more then a single clown, but Renman being new at this should start off with something simple. Its not an issue of space in the tank, Its an issue of bioload and with a small tank like that if something goes wrong the chance of stopping the "crash" are slim. and im sure he doesnt want to explain to to his daughter why nemo went for a swim in the tiolet.

The guys at the local LFS dont count as "knowledgable sw fishkeepers"
Most whould tell you you could put a Grouper in a 10 gal,
But since there so knowledgable i'm sure they have already told you that your Haitian Reef Anemone (Condylactis sp.) Requires High light levels, Around 350 watts more then your current 13 watt light,
along with the fact that it will grow to be 6" which will take up a sizable portion of your 12Gal tank, And the fact that they are notorious fish killers and have even been know to take clown fish. Let alone any other fish you whould plan on putting in there.

You can probably keep a couple anenomies, some shrimp, a clown fish or a few damsels.

Kabong said:

Granted you could keep more then a single clown, but Renman being new at this should start off with something simple. Its not an issue of space in the tank, Its an issue of bioload and with a small tank like that if something goes wrong the chance of stopping the "crash" are slim. and im sure he doesnt want to explain to to his daughter why nemo went for a swim in the tiolet.

The guys at the local LFS dont count as "knowledgable sw fishkeepers"
Most whould tell you you could put a Grouper in a 10 gal,
But since there so knowledgable i'm sure they have already told you that your Haitian Reef Anemone (Condylactis sp.) Requires High light levels, Around 350 watts more then your current 13 watt light,
along with the fact that it will grow to be 6" which will take up a sizable portion of your 12Gal tank, And the fact that they are notorious fish killers and have even been know to take clown fish. Let alone any other fish you whould plan on putting in there.

Click to expand...

the guys at the lfs were NOT the knowledgeable fishkeepers i was referring to. those idiots told me my porcelain anemone crab was a 'mexican crab' . most employees and many owners of lfs's are not necessarily as knowledgeable as they should be. no, the fishkeepers i was referring to are quite a few experienced reefers on other forums such as nano-reef.com and fishforums.net and also, some personal friends who have been keeping sw tanks for many years.

and, no, no one told me that my anemone was a 'fish-killer' nor have i read that ANYWHERE in my research and the anemone has not killed my clown. however, i will ask the other fishkeepers i referred to if they agree with you about the anemone. if they do i shall simply take the anemone back. i must say though that the anemone so far only shoves itself into the furthest crevice in the tank and waves its tentacles all over when it's being fed. it doesn't even have contact with the clown, the clown can't reach it where it is now. the porcelain anemone crab certainly seems to like it, though.