i want to start up a frag tank........

yellowtail

yellowtail

Active Member
but i dont know what size.i would do a low scale propogation unit.i was thinking a 20 long with 1x175 watt halide so there would be dim spots on the side to acclimate new frags.i would do things like xenia,shrooms,possibly lps and zoo's.i would want mh for the coloration the coral gets from it.i was thinking a 10 then i decided no beacause of the instability of the water conditions.
1.would VHO get as good coloration like mh?
2.and what is the heat differences between the two?
3.how many watts of VHO?
4.would a 20 high diffuse to much light before it reached the bottom of the tank?
 
dskidmore

dskidmore

Active Member
In my opinion, you're much better off with the 20 long. You get more light to the bottom, and have more surface area to put your frags. If you don't have the space, but want more water stability, get the smaller tank and put in a huge rubbermaid sump below.
 
yellowtail

yellowtail

Active Member

Originally posted by DSkidmore
get the smaller tank and put in a huge rubbermaid sump below.

where i'd grow the frags? also could you answer my 1-2-3-4?thanks alot.
 
reefer44

reefer44

Member
if you have room use a large "brute" trash can with eggcrate as a shelf for the frags...........more water volume and easier to work with.............also cheaper and a 175w pendant will cover the size perfectly.............alll you need is a magdrive pushing water un from bottom of the tank....a small fish like a neon goby.......as much rock as you can afford (or want to spend on) and a very small skimmer........
Brad
 
yellowtail

yellowtail

Active Member

Originally posted by reefer44
alll you need is a magdrive pushing water un from bottom of the tank.
Brad
so my frag tank would be a brute trashcan and thats all?great idea
.so the magdrive would be at the very bottom of the containe pushing it up to the top of the container.
 
dskidmore

dskidmore

Active Member

Originally posted by YellowTail
but i dont know what size.i would do a low scale propogation unit.i was thinking a 20 long with 1x175 watt halide so there would be dim spots on the side to acclimate new frags.i would do things like xenia,shrooms,possibly lps and zoo's.i would want mh for the coloration the coral gets from it.i was thinking a 10 then i decided no beacause of the instability of the water conditions.
1.would VHO get as good coloration like mh?
2.and what is the heat differences between the two?
3.how many watts of VHO?
4.would a 20 high diffuse to much light before it reached the bottom of the tank?
I'm not a real expert.
1. I'm not sure. Many seem to think VHO is just as good as MH. I think VHO is fine for everthing but clams and some extremely fussy SPS corals.
2. MH is much hotter. You will still need exaust fans with VHO, but I've never heard of a situation where someone upgraded to VHO and had to add a chiller as a result.
3. You're doing mostly soft corals in a 20 gallon? 120 watts to 200 watts. You won't get the dim sides effect, you may want to consider getting shorter lights and putting them off to one side if you want the darker section.
4. Depth wastes light. Depth can make for interesting aquascaping, but it's a frag tank.
 
fishking

fishking

Active Member
im usin my 20 gal tank and im putting my 2x 96w pc lighting system over it, and imm gonna make arcrylic shelves, do i need sand or lr
 
dskidmore

dskidmore

Active Member

Originally posted by fishking
im usin my 20 gal tank and im putting my 2x 96w pc lighting system over it, and imm gonna make arcrylic shelves, do i need sand or lr
What filtration are you using? The bioload should be very low. Regular water swaps with the main tank should take care of most of the frag tank's needs. If you can plumb it in to the display tank, that's the best. LR and LS are most benificial as filtration, and you don't need much of that in a frag tank.
 
fishking

fishking

Active Member

Originally posted by DSkidmore
LR and LS are most benificial as filtration, and you don't need much of that in a frag tank.
so should i just put a couple of small pieces??
 
fishking

fishking

Active Member
u not wut i take back my srry, u hurt my feelings
....lol J/K

but in all seriuousness , wut u plan on using ur 20 or a garbage can, im usin arcrylic shelf since they r clear and light can pass thourgh
 
fishking

fishking

Active Member

Originally posted by YellowTail
1.would VHO get as good coloration like mh?
2.and what is the heat differences between the two?

1 i think mh would be better coloration, it also depend on if u use acintics or not
2 im pretty sure that mh are much hotter, if im wrong sum correct me.
 
yellowtail

yellowtail

Active Member
no offense taken....its not that big of a deal anyway

i think i'll get a mh pendent and just plumb a skimmer into it.
:happyfish
 
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