question about lights

cdcmt

cdcmt

New Member
Hi, i've had my tank for well over a year. i just have a regular old fish tank light on it. it has a lid on the tank. i don't have any corals yet. so i bought this used light, they said it was the type of light u need for corals. the bulbs in it are; 65w 46nm actinic and 65w dual days light. do i take the hood off the tank and just put this over the water? i put it on over the hood and my fish all started acting really wild. is that normal? it gave everything kind of a blue look to it, should both of them be on all day? is this the kind of light that does support corals? could someone plz help me with this? my tank is a 55 octagon. i have several turbo snails, hermit crabs, live rock, 2 clown fish, 2 green chromis, 1 mandarin, and 1 firefish goby. how do u have these kinds of lights if your not supposed to have the lid on the tank, i've read that my goby could be a jumper? thank you.
 
wangotango

wangotango

Active Member
Yes, put this fixture over your tank and get rid of your stock hood and top. Put a piece of eggcrate (aka light-difuser) over the top to keep all your fish in and allow for good gas exchange.
PC lamps (which is what you have now) are becoming obsolete. With what you have you will only be able to keep soft corals like mushrooms, leathers, and zoanthids. You will need more intense lighting if you want to keep hard corals, clams, and anemones. Simply putting more bulbs over the tank is not the answer. IMO high-output T5 or metal halides are your best option.
The 460nm bulb is producing the bluish hue. Most people turn this type of bulb (actinic) on an hour before the their other lamp, and turn it off an hour after creating a dawn-to-dusk effect. Aim for 10-12 hours of total light (8-10 daylights, 10-12 actinic).
-Justin
 
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