3.75 Watts per gal - Corals that work?

[garick]

I have a tank that uses T5's a 55 watt Actinic and a 55 watt 10,000k bulb. Added to that 4 blue led's for moonlight.
What types of corals am I looking at that can thrive and do well with this sort of lighting?

 

[reef guy]

i know for a fact you should be able to keep some zoas mushrooms past that i am not really sure cause i never experimented past that with my t-5s but i would assume torches or hammer corals wouldnt be out of the question anyways good luck

 

[kraylen]

55w? Do you have a RSM?

 

[garick]

Rsm?

 

[chrisnif]

You say 3.75W/gallon, you say two 55 watt T5 (dont exist) bulbs, which to me says you have a 29 gallon. Knowing for sure would be helpful because every tank has different dimensions and that has more effect on what you can have than you think.
Anyway, you should only count the daylight spectrum towards your wattage. Doing research I find that 55W is a common wattage for power compact that is 22" long, do your bulbs each look like a pair of bulbs instead of one tiny (dime in diamter) tube which would be T5? If so then they are PC, and PC isnt terrible but with 55W of PC (which isnt very intense at all) I'd say mushrooms and zoos are your limit, and I'd buy 1 coral and test to make sure.
What I say about watt/gallon not mattering as much is this. In a 55 gallon 4 foot long 18" high tank a 4x54 t5ho setup is considered "do almost anything, but make sure you put the SPS very high." math is easy to figure at just a hair under 4 W/g. I have a 175 MH on a 56 gallon, which is much taller (24 inches) and I'm pretty sure my coral choices are unlimited because the MH is more intense per watt than even T5ho.
Best of luck

 

[garick]

It is a Red Sea Max 130D system. The tank itself is 24" x 20" x 23.8" and uses T5 Compacts 1 55watt Actinic and 1 55 Watt 10,000k. The System itself is 34 gallons but the DT is 29 gallons.

 

[flower]

Originally Posted by Garick
http:///forum/post/3204614
It is a Red Sea Max 130D system. The tank itself is 24" x 20" x 23.8" and uses T5 Compacts 1 55watt Actinic and 1 55 Watt 10,000k. The System itself is 34 gallons but the DT is 29 gallons.

MH lighting and too bright T5s do limit the coral you can keep. It takes allot of work, and homework but with low lights you can have a tank like the two pictures I am posting.
I think they are more beautiful than any coral you can get with MH lighting.

 

[btldreef]

Stay away from SPS and anemones unless you can get the anemone really high, then a BTA might work.
As for corals:
LPS, Non Photosynthetics and softies:
sun coral
zoas
mushrooms
polyps
ricordia
torch
frogspawn
favia
fox coral
pagoda cup
acans
duncans
lobophyllia
candy cane
trumpets

 

[garick]

I think I have changed my mind

I am now looking at an Eco Cube 18x18x18 that has a 150watt HQI pendant over it at 14,000k color temp. I think equals out to be 6 watts per gallon since the tank is around 24 gallons.

 

[btldreef]

Originally Posted by Garick
http:///forum/post/3204773
I think I have changed my mind

I am now looking at an Eco Cube 18x18x18 that has a 150watt HQI pendant over it at 14,000k color temp. I think equals out to be 6 watts per gallon since the tank is around 24 gallons.
Much better choice. I thought you had already bought the RSM. The RSM is not a great setup in my opinion. They tried to do what Oceanic and others have done successfully and failed.

 

[garick]

what sort of corals are we looking at now? I am really new to reef keeping and want to have something that is easy to moderate in care but very colorful.
oh and this one is a DFS Ecocube if your not certain.
I would also like to know what name brands you guys use to feed your fish/corals if any