4x65watt pc corals?
- Thread starter andrew79
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oregonbud
Member
If your water conditions are conducive to the growth of corals, then the lights that you are looking at would be good for many soft corals, such as mushrooms, star polyps, some low light gorgonians, leathers, etc. The best thing to do is find the specific corals you are interested in keeping, and do the research, or ask questions of others that have kept those specific types of corals, on what those corals need to survive and thrive in captivity.
With that amount of lighting you will not be able to keep any SPS corals, or clams.
With that amount of lighting you will not be able to keep any SPS corals, or clams.
nm reef
Active Member
I have a 30 month old 55 gal display...4x65 watts of 10kPC & 2x110 watts of super actinic VHO's...my coral list is way too long to list. Maybe half of them would be fine under only the 4x65 PC's. You could keep a decent assortment of low to moderate light corals. But some more demanding corals would be much better off with additional lightin. Carefully select your corals and you can build a very nice reef with only the PC's.
Plus keep in mind water quality is equally as important as lighting and for LPS types you'll need to establish and maintain calcium/alkalinity levels.
NMREEF website
“Whiskey for my men...beer for my horses.”
nmreef@cox.net
Plus keep in mind water quality is equally as important as lighting and for LPS types you'll need to establish and maintain calcium/alkalinity levels.
NMREEF website
“Whiskey for my men...beer for my horses.”
nmreef@cox.net
oregonbud
Member
Andrew79 - I would think a brain coral would do fairly well with those lights. Brain corals typically are a low to moderate light species , that are fairly easy to care for. Zooanthids are another good choice - I would suggest doing a search for low or moderate light corals on here, or the rest of the net, to see what species you will be able to successfully keep with your setup and experience.
Which brings me to bdhough - sure you can grow some SPS under PC's - I know a guy who has a complete SPS tank under PC's - but he has a whole lot more then 260W shining down on them, and they do not look nearly as nice as the corals I have seen under more intense lighting. No offense but suggesting that someone could place SPS corals in a tank that is just barely hitting 5/w per gallon, by simply placing them higher to the light source, is not the greatest advice, IMO. The coral may survive, but it will not thrive, and what is the point of keeping a reef tank if you can't provide an equally hospitable environment that nature provides, seems like a waste of life and money to me.
Which brings me to bdhough - sure you can grow some SPS under PC's - I know a guy who has a complete SPS tank under PC's - but he has a whole lot more then 260W shining down on them, and they do not look nearly as nice as the corals I have seen under more intense lighting. No offense but suggesting that someone could place SPS corals in a tank that is just barely hitting 5/w per gallon, by simply placing them higher to the light source, is not the greatest advice, IMO. The coral may survive, but it will not thrive, and what is the point of keeping a reef tank if you can't provide an equally hospitable environment that nature provides, seems like a waste of life and money to me.
nm reef
Active Member
All of your choices could do well...but I would urge you to stick with leathers/polyps/mushrooms until you've matured and established your reef a little longer. Plus corals such as the ones you've considered will need established and stable levels of calcium/alkalinity. The only coral I would suggest you avoid is the flower pot(gonipora) they can be extremely difficult for even experienced reefkeepers.I think it would be best to stay with easier to maintain corals until you are more confident in both your ability to maintain a reef...as well as your reefs ability to maintain more difficult corals. Patience and experience in this hobby can not be avoided or replaced.
bdhough
Active Member
I wouldn't try the daisy. What kind of plate? The others sound fine though. If you have doubts start the coral at the top of your tank and slowly work them down where you like them. Just remember the water flow and proper conditions in the water. Corals are essentially animals and it helps to feed them zooplankton or phytoplankton. You have plenty of light to do alot of things.
oregonbud
Member
Andrew - I just wanted to let you know that I have a two page document that lists the common aquarist coral species, with their lighting requirements, scientific names, aggression level and care levels - if you would like I can email it to you (don't want to post it as it is pretty long)