Coraline Algae on LR
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etd5862
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When I inherited my tank 5 years ago it only had a malfunctioning dual fluorescent strip light where 1 of the bulbs intermittantly came off and on (that is 30-60 watts on a 45). I went ahead and got 50 lbs of live rock and cycled the tank intending on upgrading the lights. Finanaces changed and that didn't happen for 3 years. In that time, there was really nice coralline growth on the rocks. It was mainly a deep maroon and some lighter pinky purple. The original mixture that included orange and green faded to the maroon and has since turned back green since upgrading my lights to pc. There was heavy enough growth I had to regularly scrape it off the front glass.
The point is, yes you can grow some great coralline with minimal lighting, but realize it will 1)be a FOWLER set-up unless you are motivated enough to try a deep-sea habitat where you have non-photosynthetic organisms and 2)if you upgrade lighting later once you have coralline acclimated to low-light, then you will go through a long adjustment period with some bleaching of existing rock and a possible visual change of the surviving coralline.
The point is, yes you can grow some great coralline with minimal lighting, but realize it will 1)be a FOWLER set-up unless you are motivated enough to try a deep-sea habitat where you have non-photosynthetic organisms and 2)if you upgrade lighting later once you have coralline acclimated to low-light, then you will go through a long adjustment period with some bleaching of existing rock and a possible visual change of the surviving coralline.
etd5862
New Member
There are a few complete pc units available on the market for 30 inch tanks. You can google pc lights and find distributers. You will want a dual 65 watt watt unit (total 130 watts) with 1 bulb 10,00K and 1 bulb actinic. I would also suggest a unit with a built-in fan as this will help cool your bulbs and extend their life. Try to find a unit locally if you can so you can hear the fan to make sure it isn't too noisy for your taste. Some LFSs will price match. I bought my unit off the web and the fan is very loud. I would have gotten a different unit had I known how noisy it is (The now obsolete Orbitz). The prices I saw start at $130 and go up from there. You'd be looking at realistically $140 to $175 with shipping. Really not bad if you consider they include the starter bulbs, but pricy for a student none the less. Hope this helps