live rock growth?

[bzolnowski]

i have put about 30 lbs of live rock in my 75 gallon tank about 2 months ago. i had some growth, then the fish cleaned it up. since then, i have not had much growth. what is the typical time frame to get some good stuff growing, any ideas?

 

[aarone]

If you are looking for corals, you wont really have any growth without the proper lighting. As for stuff like sponges, or feather dusters, i had some rock for 4 months, then just 2 weeks ago i found some feather dusters.

 

[bzolnowski]

i do have reef lighting but not very high wattage. i would say i have about 80 watts or so, what do you think?

 

[ajroc31]

You really do not have much lighting at all. But you can always allow your phosphates to go up, and things will grow.(J/K) You ever see lr in your lfs. It is all

[hr]
looking, right? Well they have poor lighting like yours. Their coral tanks have better lighting so the lr looks different.

 

[ajroc31]

If you live in a Chicago area, perhaps I can trade some pieces with you. My lr is well developed, with green algea, as well as coralline. No mentis shrimp please.

 

[bzolnowski]

thank you for the offer but i am in jersey. what do you recommend for a 75 gallon tank? hexagon too so its high. brian.

 

[aarone]

try MH thats really a good way to go. Expensive but well worth it. You can find some fairly inexpensive MH setups on ----.

 

[bzolnowski]

what you recommend for a 75 gallon hexagon, any certain models?

 

[ajroc31]

aarone is 100% right. Deeper the tank, the more power you need, but I am sure you are aware of that. I think to 2x175 MH will be perfect.

 

[bzolnowski]

thank you so much, yes i did know that, i think that might be one of my problems, at least its not helping me!

 

[ajroc31]

Oh it is a hexagon, so one 250 Mh will do I think. Aaron what do u think?

 

[bzolnowski]

can i hurt myself by going with more wattage, 2 175's as you mentioned before. they say 4 watts per gallong so i would be a little over, what do you think? thanks, brian.

 

[aarone]

Yeah one 250 should be fine. Its hard to light up them deep tanks. most lights need length. Thats the good thing about MH just a bulb no tube.

 

[aarone]

BTW until you boil your water with lights, its really never enough.

 

[bzolnowski]

i have one fan already, its an icecap, i dont know how much it helps, i thought i would see a better response with it. would i need to add another when i go with the mh kits?

 

[aarone]

probably just to bne safe. Unless you suspend the light from the ceiling and hang it about 8 inches above the tank.

 

[bzolnowski]

i will buy another fan, the lighting will have to be installed on the canopy. what do you think about this auction on ----?
The auction is for a Bran new 2 175w mogul base metal halide retrofit. This is a complete retro no wiring required . Screw in the bulbs and mount the reflector plug the quick connect together and plug it into the wall. With buy-it now get 2 bulbs free (20k or 10k bulbs your choice). Advanced ballast used- light has 5 year warrenty through site www.DELETED.com . We have many other great lighting fixtures on that site. We can custom any light fixture to your requirements and exact length needed and exact wattage needed. Email us for customization or special bulk pricing. The item for this auctions is exactly like the picture. 2 independent reflectors with socket and 10000k bulbs. 8ft quick connect cords connected to a single ballast box that houses 2 Advance M57 magnetic ballasts. one switch and one grounded power cord.

 

[aarone]

dont post to other merchants websites on here. Its a violation of the BB rules. I dont mean to be mean but you will get hounded one way or another.

 

[aarone]

that does look like a good deal. ---- is probably your best way to go.

 

[bzolnowski]

sorry, i didnt even realize that, i just copied the auction to see what you guys thought, i dont want to make a bad decision with my ligthing.