Starting up a Reef tank 50 gallons
- Thread starter juniors04
- Start date
jaxfishgirl
Active Member
is that crab a hitchhiker? Or did you add it? From what I can tell from this thread, your tank isn't cycled yet. Shouldn't really add anything this early
juniors04
Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by JAXFishGirl http:///forum/thread/379888/starting-up-a-reef-tank-50-gallons/40#post_3310882
is that crab a hitchhiker? Or did you add it? From what I can tell from this thread, your tank isn't cycled yet. Shouldn't really add anything this early
Yeah theres a few hermits and a lot of hitchikers from the rocks.
jaxfishgirl
Active Member
Nice, I can't keep hermits alive for some odd reason. So, I just keep snails. A lot of them.
tlsohio
Member
IMO, It depends on the types of corals that you want to grow. You need to give that alot of thought, because lighting is one of the most crucial aspects of a reef tank. You mention that you want an anenome, but that is such a small part of the whole picture, will you be happy with softies only, or do you think you might want to get into brains, favites, torches, frogspawn, hammers, acropora, monticaps,etc.????
I think it would be wise for you to do your research to determine your lighting requirements. I personally like T5 VHO's (take a look at my 140 setup pictures in this forum) and I also like a combination of T5 VHO's with a combination of Halide. Halide will use more electricity than T5 VHO's, something to be aware of. I have used Power Compacts and do not care for them, I don't think that they produce enough lumins to keep coral happy and they tend to produce more heat compared to T5 VHO's. Metal Halide will produce heat so keep that in mind, as I see that you have a canopy, which tends to hold heat. Make sure that your canopy is well ventilated with fans. Current USA produces a nice light and they make a light called the NOVA Extreme pro that is T5 VHO's, I believe it comes with 4,6 & 8 bulbs, measure your space and pick fixtures that will adequately fill your canopy. Check the recommendations on wattage per gallon ratio, I cannot put my fingers on that info at this moment. Hope this helps.
I think it would be wise for you to do your research to determine your lighting requirements. I personally like T5 VHO's (take a look at my 140 setup pictures in this forum) and I also like a combination of T5 VHO's with a combination of Halide. Halide will use more electricity than T5 VHO's, something to be aware of. I have used Power Compacts and do not care for them, I don't think that they produce enough lumins to keep coral happy and they tend to produce more heat compared to T5 VHO's. Metal Halide will produce heat so keep that in mind, as I see that you have a canopy, which tends to hold heat. Make sure that your canopy is well ventilated with fans. Current USA produces a nice light and they make a light called the NOVA Extreme pro that is T5 VHO's, I believe it comes with 4,6 & 8 bulbs, measure your space and pick fixtures that will adequately fill your canopy. Check the recommendations on wattage per gallon ratio, I cannot put my fingers on that info at this moment. Hope this helps.