Ok to add any corals?

oneflysi

oneflysi

Member
ok, i have my 55 now with a 96watt 50/50 PC and 2 175watt 5500K MH's (i am upgrading to 12000K or 20000K eventually). so like, 446 total watts, or around 8.1 watts per gallon.
can i pretty much go with any type of corals i want? which ones would be good starters? i do have a cinnemon clown who would probably like an anemone. any suggestions?
also, will everything be ok with the 5500K mh's? or will they need the 12000K+ to do well?
any help is appreciated. thanks!
-One
 
goldrush

goldrush

Member
Try a colt coral.If everything is o.k. they grow like crazy and will give you confidence to add others. Xenia should do well also.
 
oneflysi

oneflysi

Member
nice! good to hear.
is it ok to add many different things at once (like 3-5 new corals at once), or will it throw off the water parameters?
any certain coral perfect for the cinnamon clown?
thanks again for the replies!
-One
 
fishguy

fishguy

Member
I would try two at the most. This way if something should go afoul then you can catch before you put hundreds of dollars in corals into the tank, and end up losing them. Remember patience is golden.
Happy Fish Keepin'
 
shootonsite

shootonsite

Member
You've actually got 10.3 watts per gallon. PC wattage is always doubled because it has the strongest light per watt than anything else. Considering your overkill in lighting, you can pretty much handle anything you want (acros and clams). Most hobbyists waste money and put far too much emphasis on lighting than water quality. I would be more worried about water quality with your type of filtration. Please do more research before attempting to keep hard corals and clams.
 
efrank

efrank

Member
You may want to double check with others but PCs are not 2x the wattage but instead last 2x as long as VHOs. (usually about 1 year) A watt is a watt.
As for your clown, my gold strip maroon has taken to my Toadstool Leather. The Leather is really cool and you have more then enough light for it. Place it towards the bottom of your tank.
 
shootonsite

shootonsite

Member
Please try not to be mislead by incorrect information. Logically, a watt is not just a watt if the energy is generating a different kind of source. Same way cars use gas. We use the same gas, but some cars are more efficient than others. Research is always good. Try not to rely on information from other hobbyists whom are usually educated by the 'guy' at the lfs (information that is digested and crapped out to unsuspecting beginners). Instead, find out what the experts and professionals think (i.e. marine biologists) and not from those that are trying to sell you something. This can easily be found on the web.
"The mob is easily led."
 
efrank

efrank

Member
So Shootonsight your view is that if I have 100 watts of VHO it is 100Watts.
But if I have a PC that says 100Watts what it really is, is 200Watts.
Don't you think that a marketing person might figure out that that is a good thing that gives them a huge advantage and put it somewhere on the package?
 
shootonsite

shootonsite

Member
Precisely, that is why you'll find on the side of the box (like the warning label for cigarettes), one PC bulb is equivalent to 2.5 NO bulbs which was the original and standard measurement of wattage per gallon.
The answer is also in the name. POWER COMPACT. The purpose again, is to create intense lighting while taking up less space. Simple comprehension.
Either way, its smarter to decide by the parameters of the light spectrum rather than just calculating the number of watts per gallon. Adjustments should be made due to the depth of the tank.
 
shootonsite

shootonsite

Member
Wow, I won't argue with a Titan Trigger. I just find it disturbing that so many hobbyists rely so much on high-wattage lighting. It's a waste of money and energy and is not detrimental to the success of keeping advanced inverts.
 
efrank

efrank

Member
Shootonsight, you may want to get a clue before you lash out next time. I mean isn't this all just simple comprehension??
"The answer is also in the name. POWER COMPACT. The purpose again, is to create intense lighting while taking up less space. Simple comprehension"
 
shootonsite

shootonsite

Member
Efrank,
You're sounding like the perfect example of a misled beginner. I never said PC's put out double the watts, that wouldn't make sense. Try to distinguish between actual and equivalent, than you'll see my point. Experts generally use the 2X factor when measuring the wattage of PC's to avoid over exposure, so it would not be common knowledge (I don't blame you for not knowing). A black and white approach to reefkeeping will keep you from finding solutions in the various aspects of the hobby. If by chance you were right, than I would be keeping an acro and clam under 2.4 watts per gallon. Even you'd know that's impossible. Remember, its just a hobby too. You take it too seriously.
"Sharing is caring."
 
oneflysi

oneflysi

Member
hehe, nice little argument goin' on :)
as for my tank. everything is great. it has only been running since the end of december, and my water parameters are perfect. and i take good care of it, so water quality is not an issue for me at the moment.
as for my lighting...i don't consider it overkill...but what i wanted.
thanks for all the info and tips. i hope by this time next year my tank will be flurishing with many different types of corals :)
btw, i plan to add my first one or two this wkend. i will snap some pics and post em up in this thread.
-One
 
jakob4001

jakob4001

Member
LOL... so called expert advice is not always to be taken as is iether...& oin this trade often changes w/ the politics of the time...like plenum/no plenum...carbon/no carbon...how many licks does it take :p
 
byrself

byrself

Member
that's true. in all actuality, we are all the lab rats to this reef tank science! <img src="graemlins//silly.gif" border="0" alt="[silly]" />
 
shootonsite

shootonsite

Member
You could not be more right. It just takes longer for some to find the cheese.
OneFlySi,
I've seen cases of red-legged hermits becoming bothersome to corals. I might suggest exchanging those with the blue-legged variety which are considered more reef-safe. Have fun this weekend. Remember to be picky and research, research, research.
 
oneflysi

oneflysi

Member
really, i've always been told (and heard) that the blue-legged are worse. tend to kill more things and fight with each other. i've never heard problems with red-legged though.
oh well, i'll do my research and see what i come up with before i purchase anything.
thanks for all the info.
-One
 
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