Sea Horse Question

[rykna]

I was wondering what type of lighting to chose for my sea horse tank. I bumped the sea horse tank into my old 90 gallon when my daughter's 45 tank sprung a leak :scared:
So far all I plan to put in the tnak is non photosynthetic gorgonians.....
I'd like to try some sps.....but not certain.
I would like to pick a light that would acomidate sps corals if I decided to add them later, but I do not want to use MH lights, because seahorses like cooler temps; and I am not interested in purchasing a chiller.
So I would need a 4 ft light.....the tank is 24 inches tall.......I have little knowledge of t-5 and t-8 compact lighting, however I have an old coral life compact light fixture that I purchased when I first started with salt water. I am quite certain that it would be fine for the seahorse and gorgonians...but not so sure about sps.
Suggestions :notsure:
Thanks,Rykna

 

[fedukeford]

Youd have to have a good amount of t-8 (VHO) bulbs to be able to keep SPS, which would probley lead to heat issues for the seahorses. A T-5 unit would be great (but not cheap) since they stay pretty cool, but have a high PAR, and you'd be able to keep SPS

 

[rykna]

This is the type of light of have, except it only has one light strip instead of 2. What type of lighting is this????? :notsure:

 

[ryanhayes9]

that is power compact. power comapcts arent enough for sps and if it only has 1 strip then not nearly enough. also sps like a lot of flow and seahorses dont

 

[michaeltx]

that is power compact. power comapcts arent enough for sps and if it only has 1 strip then not nearly enough. also sps like a lot of flow and seahorses dont
Have to agree.
also you will need to be very careful when selecting corals to go with seahorses beacuse they will get stung by many corals and can actually kill a coral section when they hitch to hard.
Mike

 

[rykna]

Gotcha. So if I stick to the non- photosynthetic gorgonians and mushrooms, This older one strip PC will be fine for viewing purposes as well as enough lighting for the mushrooms??? The only other concern i would have is having enough lighting to satisfy microscopic life in the tank.

 

[michaeltx]

most micro life dont care about light they come out after the lights are off so it doesnt matter to them.
if the PC light you have is a 96 watt light you are still going to be short on light IMO on a 90 gallon tank even for mushrooms.
Mike

 

[rykna]

Dang....I think that's what it is....... :thinking:
so t-5 or t-8????

 

[michaeltx]

you can go with VHO t-8 but from what I understand the t-5 put out even more light than VHO but are alot more expensive right now because they are fairly new.
Mike

 

[poniegirl]

I have t5 on my 55 gal, where my SH were kept, no heat issues. There are just zoas and xenia and a clove polyp in the 55, so not a lot of light was needed, but they are plenty. I wanted to be sure I would not have to re-invest later, if I wanted more corals.
I paid 240.00 for the lighting, which has two led lunars...a plus for SH, because they enjoy the snacks that come out at night! Though I also suspect they have fairly good eyesight.

 

[rykna]

Okay a t-5 with lunar light....I like the sound of that...
this is one I like,
48" 432 watts 8-54 watt 4 lunar lights
it's a Nova Extreme T-5
This is the blurb they gave about the fixture:
Brilliant high output T-5 fluorescent bulbs paired with the nocturnal glow of LED lunar lights. 2 leading edge advances in lighting technology contained in a compact energy-efficient fixture for complete 24-hour lighting. Features microprocessor controlled internal electronic ballast, integrated cooling fans, parabolic reflector, and protective splash lens. Two separate power switches for primary lighting and 4 independent power cords enables the Nova Extreme T-5 Fixture to be automated. Simply plug the power cords into timers for custom light periods to suit the requirements of your aquarium inhabitants. Includes docking mounts and Slimpaq 460nm Actinic and 10000°K T-5 HO lamps. 7-1/4" x 2-1/2" high. 48", 54 watt unit measures 14" x 2-1/2" high. Replacement tubes are available.