[b]right Lighting For A Reef 150g Tank[/b]

[good alex]

I recentelly found out that the lights i currently have arent good enough for a carpet anemone or soft corals so ive decided to upgrade to a Coralife lighting system with two 96watt, 10 000k and two 96watt Blue Actinic lights with 8or more blue lunar lights. will this be able to accomadate LR, soft corals, and carpet anamones. Are there any hard corals that i will be able to put in with this kind of lighting? :happyfish

 

[triga22]

Anenomes need T5 or MH.

 

[scsinet]

This lighting would be fine for soft corals, but I would not recommend it for carpet anemones. This lighting will yield between 2 and 3 watts per gallon. You really should have 5+ watts per gallon for carpet anemones, and more intensity than PCs can provide.
What you should have is at least 750 watts of light over a 150 gallon tank, so I'd recommend a system with (2) 250 watt metal halide lamps , or (3) 175 watt metal halide lamps and at least 200 watts of additional T5 supplemental fluorescent.

 

[good alex]

my carpet looks like its doing good and its only under 4 56watt bulbs

 

[puffer32]

I kept an annenome under 8, 56 watt T5 bulbs in a 150. I do not believe 4 will do it for your anenome, sorry. Yours does look bleached, but no expert on carpets.

 

[good alex]

what do u mean by bleached?

 

[scsinet]

Bleaching is what happens when an anemone loses some or all color due to the death of the symbiotic algae in their tissues, a consequence of insufficient light.
While it's tough for me to tell with the bluish light in the photograph whether or not yours is truly bleached, I will say as a matter of generality that keeping one alive in your lighting conditions for more than a year, if that is what you have done, is more the exception than the rule. If you haven't had it for more than a year, I'd tend to give it more time before I consider it a success.

 

[jdog5578]

Originally Posted by Good Alex
my carpet looks like its doing good and its only under 4 56watt bulbs

thats 4, 48" t5's? I think they are saying at a minimum you need t5's. If you had 4 48" PC's it would not be enough, and ideally you would want MH.

 

[good alex]

whats the best light that i can get to let my anemones and soft corals be healthy with a 500$ spending limit?

 

[grumpygils]

Originally Posted by Good Alex
whats the best light that i can get to let my anemones and soft corals be healthy with a 500$ spending limit?

Used MHs in the classified section. For $500, you could get 2 X 250 MHs with 150+watts of PC or VHO. Deals are out there. MHs are nearly a must in a 150G with a carpet anenome.
Mc

 

[scsinet]

Oh man 500 is no problem!
You aren't too far from Georgia... you might try Atlanta Reef Club. You can use their forums without joining the club... members there are always selling lighting systems. If you have a local reef club, you should be able to expect similar results... maybe Charlotte has a reef club... Try Hampton Roads Reef Club.
Of course, there is also that famous site where you bid on stuff.
If you are handy, you can also easily build a canopy around individual components or a retrofit kit.

 

[mx mr bean]

hey alex im gettin my liscence next months lets drive up to georgia after the camping trip on spring break. or lets build one dude. it would be way cheaper.

 

[good alex]

Ya i think building a custom light would be my best bet, my mom knows a handy man that could help us with the electric work and the building part, but my question is, are there special water proof light sauckes that we need to get, are there special specifications that we have to meet inoreder for the lighting system to work and not over heat and blow up or something like that?

 

[chilwil84]

search around you do need waterproof endcaps for flourescents not sure if a mogul (single end mh) socket is automatically waterproof because they are always used in fishtanks

 

[good alex]

would this light be good enough for the 150?
Coralife - Aqualight Plus
two 96watt daylight compact fluroscent
two 96watt fifty-fifty compact fluroscent
two 96watt Antinic compact fluroscent
four 3.25watt blue led lunar lights

 

[puffer32]

It would be ok for softies, but not for that anenome.