Pc versus mh for reefs

[scotts]

[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.]

 

[scotts]

[Mitch,

I'm always looking to find a deal!! My biggest concern with MH are going to be heat, power consumption, and staging. I don't have a hood for my tank (never needed one with fresh) so that also needs to be taken into consideration.

Also, another question about the MH, do they need to be paired up with PC actinics? Or is the light spectrum in the MH proper enough not to need actinic lights? I've only used MH for vegatative growth.]

 

[melev]

[I have 3 VHO bulbs over my 55, Scott, and that is 330w of light. You might find that is the nicer alternative for lighting. Some people don't even use a hood with them, but I prefer a canopy so I don't have to have light in my eyes.

If you do opt for MH, you could use 175w (2) over your tank, and they even come as pendants, so you'd still have the option of keeping your tank open. That avoids the heat issues, and your access to the tank is nice too.

People do supplement their tanks with actinic, but usually it is because they prefer the look. Getting the right spectrum to make us content can be a real puzzle. 6500 is white/yellow, 10,000 is chrisp white w/ a touch of blue, and higher leans toward the blues.]

 

[Anonymous]

[Hey Scott, I have a 48" hood. black about 12" high. Is your tank standard rectangle? It needs one peice of wood for the top and maybe a coat of paint. You could get a peice cut for you and nail it on. Bingo, almost free hood. Let me know if you want it. Front opening with piano hinge....you could also put a hinge on the top peice so the top would open. Hight enough for any lights.]

 

[Anonymous]

[Read hood above as canopy.]

 

[Alf]

[This tank pictured is a 55 gal with 2x96w and 2x 55w PC's. You can see more by clicking on the 55gal in my sig. I also keep SPS under PC's in My 125 gal with great success. And as you can see it will support clams as well. the clams pictured have been moved to a bigger tank they were out growing the space I had in the 55 gal. So it is an alternative to MH. Not that I don't like MH I have 2x400w MH on 120 gal sps. HTH

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[scotts]

@Wzrdbear wrote:

[Clay,

Yeah, the tank is a standard rectangle. Hmm! I'd certainly be interested in taking a look at it. Do you have a picture? A canopy would be really nice. How much would you want for it?

You guys are solidifying why I spent $15 on a membership!]

 

[scotts]

@mmiller40 wrote:

[$30-50 more a month isn't that bad. I was expecting hundreds, so that's releiving. I think I'll be picking up the canopy that Clay offered and putting that on the tank. That should eliminate the need to get a fixture that hangs from the ceiling.

I do definatly plan on going bigger. Once I get the 55 going, I'm going to start hunting around for a used 90+g and reef ready to go out in my living room. I don't want to convert the Cichlid tank. Too many complaints from friends. =P

I completely agree with you on getting the best. That's why I'm piecing all this out and trying to get the best that I can afford without having to be overly patient. I'm also interested in possibly a nice hood. The stand is particle board, but I got it for a steal so I can't complain. I would like something to compliment it though. But free > cheap.

If you're on AIM, I'm stuck at work all day.

LFS: Live Fish Supplier?]

 

[Alf]

[lfs= Local fish store. You got it!! ::]

 

[scotts]

[@Alf wrote:

Heh, I was close enough =)

I was looking at your 120. I really like what you did with the canopy. That's a very interesting idea. It leaves the front top of the tank open just enoug to where you can get to it, and still provides enough clearance for the light.

That's a very nice tank! I hope that mine looks that good too!]

 

[Alf]

@scotts wrote:

Heh, I was close enough =)

I was looking at your 120. I really like what you did with the canopy. That's a very interesting idea. It leaves the front top of the tank open just enoug to where you can get to it, and still provides enough clearance for the light.

That's a very nice tank! I hope that mine looks that good too!]"]
[Thanks built it myself. Works realy great!!]

 

[scotts]

@mmiller40 wrote:

[XM bulbs? I'm only familiar with MH for vegatative growth, so I only know of the 10K bulbs. Is there a link I can check out to get more info?]

 

[scotts]

[@mmiller40 wrote:

Heh, haven't gardened indoors in quite sometime! I've paid my dues, and I'll definatly be at the meeting. I'm looking forward to meeting everyone and being a knowledge sponge for a while.

$55 is a #### good price for a bulb though. How many watts is that 175??]

 

[scotts]

[@mmiller40 wrote:

Of course, even in freshwater, bigger is better. I've got 800gph worth of filtration on my Cichlid tank, and I've never seen cleaner freshwater. So yeah, when it's coming to the lights and skimming, I'm very much noting that the more the better. And when I decide to buy another tank to put in the living room, I can transfer the 55 into the new tank and start all over again! =P

I'd really like to see metal halide in action. I've never seen it used over a salttank i think. and I'm really excited by what I've heard. I'm not going to New Braunfels this weekend (RAIN SUCKS!) so I'll be plenty bored!]

 

[scotts]

@mmiller40 wrote:

[Mitch,

I'm about to get off of work right now. I need to go talk to with my girlfriend real quick but I'll stil be up in Plano later this afternoon. I'll PM you with my cell phone number because my internet access at home is shot (2wire sucks). Heads up!]

 

[Alf]

@mmiller40 wrote:

[Yes I have lots of Frog Spawn. 3 diffrent colors of FS through out my systems. I'm putting together my once a year summer sale as we speak. I expect to have all my Tank Raised babys counted and cataloged by Mon. And I will be letting DFWMAS know 1 week before I go public to everyone else.]

 

[scotts]

[Well, I work for SBC Internet. That's the funny thing. I had ASI come out and check my circuit to make sure it was okay, which it was. They started the RMA of my hardware, but alas, here we are 2.5 weeks later and I still don't have any replacement hardware and I'm without internet connectivity.

My phone service was nixed by Cigular by mistake, I fixed it. Feel free to call. In the meantime, me and my woman are gonna go consume raw fish =)]

 

[scotts]

[Mitch,

When I told my roomate that you had bengals he was so jealous. Those cats were absolutely gorgeous and i can totally understand why they demand such a high price.]