SPS Coral Lighting

hanzo26

hanzo26

Member
I am still a little new to having a reef/fish tank, but have been doin good so far. I have a 60 gal tank w/ soft corals and wanted to get a capricornis type sps coral but not sure if I have enough lighting. I have an aqualife PC light that puts out 260 watts. It has the daylight and blue actinics. Do I really need metal halide for sps hard corals or would I do fine for awhile with what I have. I plan on upgrading to a 150 or 180 gal with MH by the end of the year. From what I've gathered, the light I have would be sufficient, but it wouldn't necessarily grow at all. All of the advice would help. Thanks.
 
crt81

crt81

Member
If you are going to be upgrading to a larger tank by the end of the year than why not just wait, that way you can add what ever sps coral to the new tank with the new MH lighting!
If you really want one- i'd say put it on the highest rock you have, that way it will get the most light that is shown in the tank. I'd say the worst that would happen would be that some of the color would fade and if it were to stay awhile in the smaller tank without the right lighting, there is a good chance it could die. But that's the chance we all take when we have any corals/fish-etc.
I'd say go for it! If you don't try how will you really know!
Closing Note: It's always good to ask others and to get their opinions, one persons answer should never be the only one you take into consideration!
Fish around- who knows someone elses answer may just be the right one and the one you're looking for!!! Good Luck!
 
zanoshanox

zanoshanox

Active Member
Yes, ALL SPS corals need MH. Some have had success keeping montiporas under higher wattage PC. But to thrive and grow in an aquarium long term, all SPS corals will need MH lighting.
 
clibby

clibby

New Member
I agree. SPS need MH lighting. I too have seen several Monti's under PC's do well, but that is about all I've seen do well. I think, right now, you don't have enough light for any SPS. You really need five to eight watts per gallon. Depending on the depth of your tank, you need more intense lighting.
250 watt metal halide for up to 24 inches.
When you go to your larger tank, you may want to investigate a chiller. MH's are hot as hell and sometimes it's difficult to keep the tank under 80 degrees.
My advice is to save your pennies and buy the right stuff at the beginning of the setup.
I think the primary keys to a successful reef tank are:
High quality water (RO/DI)
Great lighting (MH and PC mix)
Constant temperature (chiller)
Consistent salinity (top off)
Monster protein skimmer
Calcium reactor
Refugium
Flow (make the water move)
Patience
If you get items to make this happen up front, the maintenance and possibility of a crash is greatly reduced. Generally your PH will remain constant. You may have to occasionally dose for Alkalinity.
Good luck!
 
hanzo26

hanzo26

Member
Thanks or all of your input. Do you have any suggestions on a MH setup for a 150 or 180 (72x24x24)gal tank? Later.
 
farslayer

farslayer

Active Member
Definitely go with metal halide. AND IGNORE WATTS PER GALLON! This is a nonsense ratio that has no meaning. Watts is a measurement of joules per second needed to light a bulb and does not reflect in the output value of the light.
My 125G is 72" long and I run four 250W MH bulbs and 4 39W T5 actinics. I keep clams which is why I opted for MH (I don't keep SPS cause I don't like them). Ok, MH look cool, so that was another reason!
I went with an Aqua Medic hanging canopy, and yes you may need a chiller if your tank gets too hot. I had to invest in one as even with a 10" clearance, my tank would reach 90 degrees (bad!).
 
farslayer

farslayer

Active Member
The light set me back about $1500 including shipping :) The power bill difference is negligible really as I didn't see an increase at all. I run them for about 6 to 8 hours a day and let the T5s run for about 10 to 12. Since the T5s are lower wattage, they require less power to stay lit and are less than the lights in my family room. Well, not anymore, since I put those PC spiral lights in that only need about 13W of power for about 1000 lumens.
 
hanzo26

hanzo26

Member
Yeah I don't know if i'm ready to drop that much on lights, i was kinda thinking about half that price....
 
S

scoobs

Guest
I have grown large heads of sps from frags using PC lighting.. I have MH now but its more for color and my clams.
 
farslayer

farslayer

Active Member
If you're going half the price, invest in some T5 or VHO setups. I would ignore PC altogether, they really don't give the bang for the buck. T5 and VHO aren't that much more expensive and look so much better. You're going to have a heck of a big, nice tank, go for some nice lights :) I've never regretted my buy, although I about freaked when I saw the charge on my Visa. But oh man it looks good! If you're going to invest in SPS, clams, and the like, I'd recommend you just bite the bullet.
 
teen

teen

Active Member
all sps corals dont need MH. everyone who says that is just plain wrong.
i do agree that you should wait because your lighting isnt sufficient.
 
farslayer

farslayer

Active Member
There does seem to be some debate as to lighting requirements. What I'd like to see is an actual reference to a source on it. If it were me, and this is just me, I would opt for MH just to eliminate any possible issue related to light. But then I don't keep SPS, I prefer the creepy looking LPS.
 
zanoshanox

zanoshanox

Active Member
all acroporas and other difficult SPS will need intense lighting. There are some nice t5 fixtures with individual reflectors that you can grow SPS under if you;re against the MH idea. My personal favorite is the Tek systems. They're great and you'll be able to keep everything in all parts of the tank if you select the right fixture. the PC's just arent going to cut it. I doubt that would even be enough for montis, but it'd be worth a try.
 
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