lighting and powerhead questions

jtwilson21

jtwilson21

Member
I am getting ready to buy some new lights for my tank. This will be te first time i have bought lights since my tanks came with some lights. The lights that came with my tank do not seem to be very good ( since my condi anemonie looks like its about to kick the bucket, and since my live rock ist growing liked i had hoped). I have a 55 gal tank. any suggestions on wattage, or what brand i should look for. also does it matter what direction i point my powerheads? any suggestions? input is appreciated. thanks
 
flatzboy

flatzboy

Active Member
First before we can answer you questions we need t oknow what you plans are for the tank like fish only with liverock or reef. If a reef tank then we need to know what type of coral you want to keep.
 
flatzboy

flatzboy

Active Member
Well research that first and do you want to spend the money know on a lighting setup for corals or not. In the mean time buy 2 maxijet 1200's for flow and when you turn it into a reef you can add 2 more.
 
jdm_ae86

jdm_ae86

Member
You should go with metal halides..its the best lighting you can get, and youll get the best response from your corals and inverts..guarantee youll like it.. btw, 2x150 watt would be good enough...
As for the powerheads, I would get those seio pumps that came out recently, i just bought two M620's, and to me, is alot better than maxijets because it gives you such a big amount of flow at a less turbulent rate..
 
belothsurf

belothsurf

Member
Before you go out and buy some metal halides, which cost a pretty penny, decide on what types of corals you want first. Also, matching the coral to the lighting is not a sure sign of success. The types of corals that absolutely require metal halides, also usually require pristine water conditions, lot's of experience, a "nice"setup, and so forth and so on.
This is just my 2 cents worth, and every body has 2 cents, but go with a nice set of power compacts. For my 55g, I have a 260w pc setup, with moon lighting. It cost me 320 bucks. I've got some kick butt GSP, a huge colt coral, some rics that are spreading ( got 5 polyps about 6 months ago) now I have about 15, and a very large leather "stool". It's a big stool, trust me. Also a BTA that is still doing great after 6 months. So no, metal halides are not needed for a great tank.
But, like everybody else said, research, and then read. There are many different opinions about this hobby, not everybody is right, not everybody is wrong. That's part of the challenge.
Most importantly, have fun!:happyfish
Go Cocks!!!!!
 
belothsurf

belothsurf

Member
Also, it's been my experience that condi's are destined to die. If they do good in your tank, they'll find a way into a ph or filter intake. Plus, if you have corals, you don't want a condi, because they move so much, and can sting your corals.
As far as powerheads, you want at least 10-20 times GPH flow as that of your tank's capacity. So for a 55g, at least 550gph up to 1100gph. Most say err on the high side. The GPH also includes filters, protein skimmers and so on. So powerheads should make up the difference, plus they add direct flow. Fish like direct flow, also different kinds of corals require different kinds of flow, and usually cyano, and hair algea do not like hi flow areas. HTH.:happyfish
Go Cocks!!!!!
 
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