**New to lighting** please help me :)

[darkslayer414]

ok, so i have a 36 gallon bowfront tank it's 30 L x 15 W x 21 H and right now i have the normal lighting that came with the tank. i would really like to start to buy and keep corals but i don't know anything about the lights. i don't know what would be best the power compacts, t5 hos, or the metal halides, or anything else that might be better. the kinds of things i would like the lights to support are things like clams, brain corals, pineapple coral, toadstool mushrooms, candy cane corals, and some anemones for my clownfish...so any help would be great because right now i know absolutely nothing

 

[cmaxwell39]

If you are going to want to keep clams or anemones you are going to be looking at strong lighting--either T5 or metal halide. With the right amount of either of these lights you should be able to keep coral that you want in your tank. All the rest of the corals that you mentioned would do just fine under pcs, but clams and anemones are very light demanding.

 

[darkslayer414]

now what kind of T5 lights should i get? like is there a certain brand that is best? or some kind of version? and how long should the fixture be? i have seen them from 24 to 48" or should i get the 30" one because my tank top is 30"?

 

[fishfreak1242]

Originally Posted by darkslayer414
http:///forum/post/2563051
now what kind of T5 lights should i get? like is there a certain brand that is best? or some kind of version? and how long should the fixture be? i have seen them from 24 to 48" or should i get the 30" one because my tank top is 30"?
If you are going to go with T-5 you have to make sure that you get a fixture that has individual reflectors. You will need a 30" fixture in your case. If you have the money to spend, probably the best brand of lights out there is Aquatinics. If you are on a tighter budget you can go for a Nova Extreme Pro or a Sunlight Supply Tek fixture. Remember that you must get individual reflectors if you want to keep corals and anemones. What kind of anemones do you plan on keeping?

 

[darkslayer414]

the type of anemones i wanted to try and keep so far would be a long tentacle purple anemone, blue carpet anemone, and a pizza anemone are my top 3 that i like. i was also wondering if i would be able to keep something called a tri color orange ricordea alive with these lights.

 

[darkslayer414]

i am also looking at all of the aquactinics fixtures online but it says the sizes avaiable are only 24 36 and 48"...should i get the 36 or just get a different brand that has a 30" one?

 

[fishfreak1242]

Originally Posted by darkslayer414
http:///forum/post/2563094
the type of anemones i wanted to try and keep so far would be a long tentacle purple anemone, blue carpet anemone, and a pizza anemone are my top 3 that i like. i was also wondering if i would be able to keep something called a tri color orange ricordea alive with these lights.
If you get the Tek fixture or the Aquatinics you will be able to put almost anything in your tank including the tri color orange ricordea. Make sure that you have enough flow. You will need at leat a 15X turnover rate which equals about 1000 GPH in your case.

 

[darkslayer414]

well right now filter wise i have an emperor 400 on my 36 gallon...and it has a korilia 2 powerhead that says it pushes 600gph...will i need a better filter or more power heads?

 

[fishfreak1242]

Originally Posted by darkslayer414
http:///forum/post/2563120
well right now filter wise i have an emperor 400 on my 36 gallon...and it has a korilia 2 powerhead that says it pushes 600gph...will i need a better filter or more power heads?
Do you have a protein skimmer? If you dont it will be a very good investmest if you get a good one. I have a seaclone 100 for my 55 gal and it does wonders on my tank. I think you should probably get one more powerhead. A koralia 1 should do it. What is your stocklist? A powerfilter isn't as good a filter as a canister filter IMO. If you have the money, you should think about getting a good Fluval or Ehiem canister filter.

 

[darkslayer414]

Originally Posted by fishfreak1242
http:///forum/post/2563483
Do you have a protein skimmer? If you dont it will be a very good investmest if you get a good one. I have a seaclone 100 for my 55 gal and it does wonders on my tank. I think you should probably get one more powerhead. A koralia 1 should do it. What is your stocklist? A powerfilter isn't as good a filter as a canister filter IMO. If you have the money, you should think about getting a good Fluval or Ehiem canister filter.
No i don't have a protein skimmer yet i want one but i just didn't know what types were best. and right now in my tank i have a 2 inch foxface, a 1inch clown, a 2 inch dwarf lion, and a 4inch eel...than for inverts i have 2 starfish, 10 snails, a big turbo snail, and 2 fire shrimp...now if i get a canister filter do i still keep the emperor 400 on?

 

[wattsupdoc]

Originally Posted by darkslayer414
http:///forum/post/2563616
No i don't have a protein skimmer yet i want one but i just didn't know what types were best. and right now in my tank i have a 2 inch foxface, a 1inch clown, a 2 inch dwarf lion, and a 4inch eel...than for inverts i have 2 starfish, 10 snails, a big turbo snail, and 2 fire shrimp...now if i get a canister filter do i still keep the emperor 400 on?
You can run the Emperor along with the canister, but if you get a good protein skimmer, depending on how much rock you currently have, the canister could wait for a bit. BTW, The foxface will need a bigger home soon as well as may not be coral safe. What type of starfish? They may not be reef safe either. If you get a 24 in or 36 in fixture you will need to hang it over your tank.

 

[darkslayer414]

Originally Posted by wattsupdoc
http:///forum/post/2563683
You can run the Emperor along with the canister, but if you get a good protein skimmer, depending on how much rock you currently have, the canister could wait for a bit. BTW, The foxface will need a bigger home soon as well as may not be coral safe. What type of starfish? They may not be reef safe either. If you get a 24 in or 36 in fixture you will need to hang it over your tank.
currently i have 45 pounds of live rock. and the 2 starfish i have is a chocolate chip and a red and white general starfish...are they reef compatible?

 

[wattsupdoc]

The starfish are not reefsafe. Also 45 lb.s of rock is not enough to sustain either of those starfish, let alone both. Sorry, but they are going to die most likely....

 

[darkslayer414]

Originally Posted by wattsupdoc
http:///forum/post/2563704
The starfish are not reefsafe. Also 45 lb.s of rock is not enough to sustain either of those starfish, let alone both. Sorry, but they are going to die most likely....

i feed my starfish every other day...i feed them krill...is that enough to keep sustain them?