My question is regarding lighting. I have experience with 2 fish only systems in my home where lighting was not as critical. I just set-up a 300 gallon tank in my office with 500 lbs of live rock. It has been up for about 6 weeks and everything is going well so far. I would like to purchase lighting and I need to see what others with experience would recommend. I have a tank that is 96 inches in length and 30 inches deep. I would like to keep soft corals yet would like the opportunity to maybe keep the more difficult corals as I get more experienced. So, my question is (1) what lighting systems would people recommend for a tank like this and (2) what size do I go with (72 inch, a 36 and an 48 inch, etc.; in other words do I need to cover the entire length). I have been looking at the combo metal halide and T5 systems like Maristar and Current for example but do not know if then it will heat the room too much, is a chiller then needed, etc. I appreciate any and all advice I can get.
lighting
- Thread starter roger1
- Start date
i would absolutly recomend the maristar fixture. the cureent orbit one is nice, but the maristar is awesome.
as far as needing a chiller, that depends entirely on your system. how much water you are able to have evaporate, if you have a sump, where you are located, room temp, ect, ect, ect, ect. as well as even the type of lighting. 150 watt halides produce a lot less heat than the 250s. since you have a 30" deep tank, id recomend the 250s. not really necessary for soft corals, but they will thank you for it and youd be able to keep a lot more downthe road also as you suggested. the maristar fixture, as long as it is not contained in a canopy, is pretty open, so with a fan you probably wont have any heat problems.
as far as needing a chiller, that depends entirely on your system. how much water you are able to have evaporate, if you have a sump, where you are located, room temp, ect, ect, ect, ect. as well as even the type of lighting. 150 watt halides produce a lot less heat than the 250s. since you have a 30" deep tank, id recomend the 250s. not really necessary for soft corals, but they will thank you for it and youd be able to keep a lot more downthe road also as you suggested. the maristar fixture, as long as it is not contained in a canopy, is pretty open, so with a fan you probably wont have any heat problems.
minimum wattage for a reef tank is 5-6 watts a gallon.. with 6 being your goal.. metal halides give you intense lighting needed for just about any type of coral out there..(clams too :]) so lets give you some ideas...
Retrofits-
fixed into your canopy and stays there
cheaper
add-ons to become multifunctional
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/Product/Prod_Display.cfm?pcatid=14705&N=2004+113356
Fixture-
Movable and can be adjusted
more expensive
slightly compact/multifunctional
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/Product/Prod_Display.cfm?pcatid=12113&N=2004+113352
examples i gave you are both the same company and both have the same features... that just a bit of what your thinking.. and chillers are a must if you want to keep hard corals... they brown if the temp is to hot or just bleach to to instability of tempature...
let us know if you have any other quetions
Retrofits-
fixed into your canopy and stays there
cheaper
add-ons to become multifunctional
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/Product/Prod_Display.cfm?pcatid=14705&N=2004+113356
Fixture-
Movable and can be adjusted
more expensive
slightly compact/multifunctional
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/Product/Prod_Display.cfm?pcatid=12113&N=2004+113352
examples i gave you are both the same company and both have the same features... that just a bit of what your thinking.. and chillers are a must if you want to keep hard corals... they brown if the temp is to hot or just bleach to to instability of tempature...
let us know if you have any other quetions