Need some help!

[fitbmxdude989]

im having a problem with my tank, i thought i knew what i was doing, but now im not so sure, i have a 55 gallon aquarium that has about 80 pound of live rock.All of my parameters are within their normal range. i have a 50 to 70 gallon eshops wet dry filtration unit and a hydor nano pump. ive noticed that my aquarium has no algae in it. here are some pics, please help:

 

[fitbmxdude989]

here are some more:

 

[flukes]

It is hard to tell from the picture so I could be wrong, but it looks like you are using stock lighting (the basic lights that came with the tank). Am I wrong? please say "yes". what kind of lights are you using?

 

[fitbmxdude989]

unfortunately i am for the moment and i also am using 50/50 bulbs

 

[flukes]

Well my friend, if you want algae then you need some bigger better lights. I'm sure that you already know this but if you want to have coral and or keep the coral that you do have look into a t-5 lighting system.

 

[fitbmxdude989]

okay, but im on a very, very shallow budget so buying things like lighting is hard to do

 

[flukes]

I completely understand. You should try to do something else with the coral that is in your tank now, such as return it to the store and get a store credit (if you can) or if you have a friend that can meet the needs of the coral ask him/her to hold it for you until you can get the needed lights. I use the nova extreme pro lights and love them and I think that I paid less than $300 for them, just a suggestion.
It looks like you have a great setup and even with the stock lights you should start to get some algae growth. Best of luck

 

[fitbmxdude989]

thanks but what kind of bulbs should i use then? should i stick with 5o/50s? or should i go with the 10,000 k bulbs?

 

[twood]

Originally Posted by fitbmxdude989
http:///forum/post/3164138
okay, but im on a very, very shallow budget so buying things like lighting is hard to do
I am in the same boat. Try checking classified ads for used lights. I got a Coralife quad power compact light fixture for $100 from a guy that had it listed on Craig's. It may not be as good as a T-5, but after 5 months, I have coralline algae growing on my glass and power heads.

 

[flukes]

Originally Posted by fitbmxdude989
http:///forum/post/3164151
thanks but what kind of bulbs should i use then? should i stick with 5o/50s? or should i go with the 10,000 k bulbs?
Are you referring to the bulbs that you are currently using? If so, don't waste any more money on them you're not going to see a difference by changing to bulbs. Just do some research and when you are able replace the lighting system that you have.