Need some opinions

[0verfl0w]

I went to a LFS yesterday and was told and showed the following...
-most coral will thrive with PC lighting and that MHs are mostly needed for stony coral
-a "chiller" would be necessary if I wanted to use MHs because of the heat they produce
-they don't use protein skimmers with a refugium (what they call an ecosystem)
-they keep their tanks at 77*
They have a maginficent 200gal tank setup with a refugium, no skimmer and alot of the more popular corals I see in pics on this site. They do have MHs on this tank because they have some of the corals that she pointed out need incredible lighting. They also have a "chiller" on the tank because of the lighting. The aquarium looked very healthy and the woman seemed knowledgeable but I wanted some different views on their setup.

 

[thomas712]

-most coral will thrive with PC lighting and that MHs are mostly needed for stony coral
All depends on what you have, where it is in the water column, particularly on how deep the tank is. Any tank that you need usable PAR to reach that is 2 feet deep will benifit from MH lighting.
-a "chiller" would be necessary if I wanted to use MHs because of the heat they produce
Not necessarily true, all depends on setup.
-they don't use protein skimmers with a refugium (what they call an ecosystem)
That is a matter of choice, I have a 90 gallon tank with a 55 gallon refugium, but I like to use my protien skimmer.
-they keep their tanks at 77*
Again a matter of choice, I keep mine at 80-82 degrees.
Thomas

 

[carshark]

i think she is close, but it seems just as with anything else, there is no rule of thumb with lighting, filtration, cooling, what you can keep etc etc. it really is on a personal basis. the statements are a little too general. depends on how deep your tank is, how you have your lights placed, what wattage you are running, if you run fans in your canopy, is hot or cold in your area. see what Im saying? I have a 75 GAL. tank. MH's are the only effective means of lighting to penetrate all the way, to keep what I want ie. clams, LPS, SPS etc. now it is cool in my living room. i have my lights placed 7 inches above the surface, i have fans blowing across the surface of the water, and out the sides. water temp doesnt get higher than 83. no need for a chiller. but lets say you live in Phoenix, and you have your lights about 4 inches from the surface running MH, chances are a chiller will be neccessary....its all a matter of a personal basis...

 

[carshark]

thomas beat me to it.. lol well you get the advice twice

 

[jdragunas]

I agree with thomas... the lighting all depends on the types of corals you want. Most SPS corals need more lighting than LPS, but that's not always the case (gorgonias...). You should do research on the corals you want, and base your lighting setup around that.
Chiller's aren't necessary, but it also depends on your setup. If you have the MH lights 6" over you tank, with no canopy, or any type of lid, you probably won't need a chiller. However, if they're 3" above the tank, with glass canopy, chances are you'll need a chiller. Also, instead of purchasing a $250 chiller, you can go to walmart and buy 1 or 2 fans at $15 a piece, and have then cool the water instead (if heat becomes a problem).
I don't have a fuge, but i wouldn't trade my skimmer in for anything!!! Refugiums are designed to absorb all of the nitrates, nitrites, ammonia, and other toxins from your tank. This doens't have anything to do with the small particles of "stuff" that floats around your tank! IMO, everyone should have a skimmer.
Temp is all a matter of choice, as thomas said, but once again, you should do research on the corals you want. They may have specific temp. requirements. I also keep mine 80-82 degrees, and my fish are all beautiful and healthy! (doesn't cooler water temps help keep ich away? not sure about that, but i believe that's what i read... someone confirm this please...)
Jenn

 

[jdragunas]

carshark beat me to it... lol but, yeah, what he said too.

 

[0verfl0w]

Thanks for the responses. I'd probably be more inclined to get the corals that would be okay with PCs than the other way around...for now anyways. I live in Miami so heat is definately an issue and probably explains the chiller. I'm looking at a 55gal thats 18inches deep.