Need some help on lighting and such

icepenguin1973

AC Members
Nov 1, 2004
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Hello saltwater gods.I have a 75 gallon tank fowl and mushroom polyps with coralife pc's which is 48'' with 130 regular and 130 ancitic(sp?).I want to add more lighting like halides so I can pretty much keep anything I want as with corals and clams,but I don't know if I can add halides or have to scrap everything and get a whole new system.I know nothing about retrofitting and I don't want to add a canopy.What is a good price range for halides that I would need and how much wattage?Also What are your opinions on hang on back refugiums?
 
How much open space is there above the tank now, if you take out the 'regular' lights? You might want to check out MH pendants--they take up less space, and can be hung, instead of being in a canopy. I'd go with 2 175W bulbs, to spread the light out over the tank more. Price--just depends, anywhere from $100 up. Watch Ebay.

HOB fuges tend to be small, so while they can help provide a food source, they typically won't give you enough volume for growing macros (and can be hard to light), or for nitrate reduction. Sort of 'heh'--they won't hurt the system, nor will they provide miracles.
 
What she said about pendants. Probably the simplest solution if you don't mind a few holes in the ceiling or rigging a stand.

As far as HOB fuges, they are great for growing amphipods, mysis shrimp, worms and whatnot to provide plankton and small critters for the tank. Also good for stabilizing pH if you light them on a reverse photoperiod. I used a 12" CPR unit with a 13 watt PC light on a 20 gallon nano, and didn't see a lot of nutrient export. Pulled a few pounds of chaeto out every few weeks, but nitrate stayed about the same.

I just won a 24" CPR HOB fuge in a raffle, and I am still not sure what I'll do with it.
 
Well I have 18'' wide tank with the pc taking about 7'' of that.If I got the hanging mh pendents All I would have to do is take out regular bulbs and hang pendants (whats a few more holes in the house,it ain't like I live on a boat :D )but would I have enough room with pc fixture being in the way.I was looking at a 24'' cpr hob refuge,but now I don't know.I might have to put finger in electrical socket to spark a thought if I should use one of those or not.
 
The pendants I have are about 8 inches wide, so a gap of 7 inches would be more than enough for the light to make it in.
 
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