6 watts per gallon is a high amount of light i went to wwc and they were only runnin t5 on 120 gallons and they were banging its kinda play around and figure what works for u. Sometimes one coral likes very high current in one tank and in the next will only take moderate. Its so funny how eveything acts even sometimes theyll looked pissed for a day or so under high current and then bam theyll open. Its funny to me but like i said its just keep up and watch doesnt take long to get a feel for it.
Few newbie questions...
in Forum > Questions & Answers
Alot of times when ordering corals or even talking to the "experts" at the LFS, waterflow will be referenced as "low, medium, or high" just like lighting will be referenced as "moderate, high, etc..." but none seem to leave a rule of thumb for either.
I understand circulation in a tank is not the same as waterflow to the sump and back.
I understand metal halides are considered High lighting and plain flourescents (if any at all) would be considered low.
Where do T5, power compact, or LEDs fall?
How do you figure how many powerheads, nozzles, etc. for any given tank? I know you dont want any dead spots, but how do you judge the amount of water actually flowing past the coral? I've seen some tanks in the LFS with the corals seemingly "whipping in the wind".
I just get tired of hearing these terms without a gallon or watt per gallon reference.
Any rules of thumb for newbies?
LEDs are fairly new, and are ok for smaller tanks, but for the most part, your other lights will be better. PC's are your lower output lighting, T-5's and VHO's are your mediums, and then you have your Metal Halides (MH). MH's are the best and good if you plan on keeping hard corals and clams. MH's come in 150, 175, 250, 400 watts.........and like so. How big is your tank?
hey blackdog. totally understand your frustration about the "rules of thumb"...they are pretty outdated, with all the options in lighting and flow out there now. it really all comes down to what kind of tank you want to keep, what kind of corals, what type of affect you want from your lighting (growth, color spectrum, shimmer, no shimmer, etc...), and also how tall your tank is so you know how strong of an output lighting you will need...there are so many studies that have been done over the years on different lamp, ballast, and reflector combos, and all the different spectrums(kelvins) of each lamp(and brand) and which is better for what...i will sit down one day and write out a good overview of the best way to pick what lighting you should go with and also what flow would be best(flow is MUCH easier...for corals, you don't want less "direct" flow, and more alternating flow...wavemakers make this possible...you never want to blast the heck out of a coral 24/7...it isn't good for the tissue of the coral). in order for the "overview" to be any good though, it will be long, and i don't want to leave anything out because this is a great topic for anyone new(or even not so new) to the hobby.
for now, here is a REALLY awesome article. it was written VERY recently, and it's a GREAT read for pretty much anyone on here. it's long, and it does go into quite a bit of detail, which I love cause I'm a nerd...lol...but if you don't want to read through all the technical stuff, I will get a more concise overview of the two topics up here when i get a chance to write it all. tripped and fell yesterday, messed my back WAY up again, so in a lot of pain, and not much in the mood for going on one of my info tangents. lol. so here's the link for now. again, really good read for anyone new or old to the hobby. http://www.americanaquariumproducts.com/Aquarium_Lighting.html be back to talk more soon. happy reefing! -Ash
Sorry to respond late, but my daughter Sarah was born Wednesday morning and we got home from the hospital yesterday afternoon.
The topic is a bit misleading, I have had saltwater fish only and FOWLR tanks for years, but I am a newbie at a reef system.
The main tank is a 90 gallon AGA, 48" long, 18" wide, and 24" tall with a corner overflow rated at 600 gph. It originally came with one adjustable return nozzle that I replaced with a diy pvc spraybar and two hydor flo deflectors in the front corners. The spraybar does a great job of keeping any film pushed into the overflow and the two rotating deflectors keep a randomized pattern of circulation going. A Mag-drive 12 with a ball valve returns water from the 29 gallon sump and drives the spraybar and deflectors.
The lighting for this tank has gone from a 440 watt VHO (4x110) setup to a 260 watt PC (4x65) setup to the current 760 watt MH (2x250) and PC (4x65) combo setup.
I had a candy cane (11 polyps), pumping xenia, yellow polyp (30-40 polyps), and a hammer coral that was about 4"x4". Unfortunately, one of my damsels decided to develop a taste for coral and did a number on them before I could get home from work. The hammer and xenia are gone now and I have the surviving pieces in a nano tank setup on my kitchen counter.
I guess most of my questions would pertain to the 210 gallon tank in the garage. This tank will be a large DIY project from stand and hood build, filtration, and lighting.
Thank you for the very informative lighting link, Reefsurgeon. You're not the only nerd on the forum...
Does anyone know an economical way of measuring PAR? I can buy a lux meter for a reasonable amount, but that's not the same as PAR. Does anyone have PAR measurements for each type of coral or know a link for it?
When I set this tank up, I would like to have the flow to the sump and back to the main tank seperate from the circulation pumps. I just would like to get away from using a large number of unattractive looking powerheads.
Alot of the equipment we use does the coral good, but detracts from the appearance of the tank. I think this tank is big enough to actually have a few pumps in the tank with different nozzles, all hidden by rockwork. That way I could actually have the main tank cut off from the sump without losing circulation. Does anyone know if the reason for the higher flow rates for different corals in in an effort to keep the water more homogenous or because the water movement is needed to stimulate the coral? I know some water movement is needed to remove waste from the coral and bring food to those that need it. My question is how much water movement is needed to remove waste yet leave water long enough for the coral to grab nutrients out of it. How much water movement is too much that it would damage the coral tissue?
Anyone's personal experiences, good or bad would be greatly appreciated.
WOOOO WHOOOOO
CONGRATS ON THE NEW ADDITION TO YOUR FAMILY!
