[I'm new to the board, and to reef's in general. I've been keeping Freshwater for about 3 years now and I think I've got that down.
I'm currently working with a 55g non-drilled tank that I've had water, ~30lbs liverock, 50lbs dead sand 20lbs live sand in. Currently I've got a 65W Smartlite providing illumination for the tank and I'm seeing some results but I'm not happy. And I do realize that this is nowhere near enough light... which brings me to my next question.
I'm looking at the CustomSealife PC/Moonlight combo. My tank is 48" so I'm eyeing the 4x65 w/4 moon lights fixture for my tank. Right now, I want to keep soft corals, but eventually I want to start adding SPS corals.
It works out to 4.72 W/g. Will this be enough light? Will the light be intense enough? I live in an apartment and the tank is currently in my bedroom, which makes ambient heat, as well as noise are an issue I'm taking into consideration.
Price is also an issue. I'm trying not to break the bank on this. The PC/Moonlight is $265 for the 48" ($1.02/W)!! which I feel is reasonable. I planned on getting the light towards the end of the month along with the AquaC Remora (unless there's a better HOT Protien Skimmer that I missed). I'm willing to spend in upwards of $400 for a proper light setup. I'm eventually going to get another a bigger tank and put it in the living room.
And any other pointers that you guys can make, I'm open to! I should also mention that I have a small colony of Red Mushrooms, an Azure damsel and a Bi-Color Blenny, that are thriving currently.]
I'm currently working with a 55g non-drilled tank that I've had water, ~30lbs liverock, 50lbs dead sand 20lbs live sand in. Currently I've got a 65W Smartlite providing illumination for the tank and I'm seeing some results but I'm not happy. And I do realize that this is nowhere near enough light... which brings me to my next question.
I'm looking at the CustomSealife PC/Moonlight combo. My tank is 48" so I'm eyeing the 4x65 w/4 moon lights fixture for my tank. Right now, I want to keep soft corals, but eventually I want to start adding SPS corals.
It works out to 4.72 W/g. Will this be enough light? Will the light be intense enough? I live in an apartment and the tank is currently in my bedroom, which makes ambient heat, as well as noise are an issue I'm taking into consideration.
Price is also an issue. I'm trying not to break the bank on this. The PC/Moonlight is $265 for the 48" ($1.02/W)!! which I feel is reasonable. I planned on getting the light towards the end of the month along with the AquaC Remora (unless there's a better HOT Protien Skimmer that I missed). I'm willing to spend in upwards of $400 for a proper light setup. I'm eventually going to get another a bigger tank and put it in the living room.
And any other pointers that you guys can make, I'm open to! I should also mention that I have a small colony of Red Mushrooms, an Azure damsel and a Bi-Color Blenny, that are thriving currently.]