12 gal nano light upgrade

[kurt72]

hey, a new "newbie" is here with a question. ok, so my big brother got a 26gal nano cube, and myself and the misses went ahead and had to get one as well. got the marineland 12gal saltwater kit. doesn't look like a bad little system, cept for the lights. it's cycling now.

how do i upgrade the lights? do I need a new hood? cuz i am pretty sure from what I have read here at RC, the lil light that came with the hood ain't gonna do the trick for what i want. is it easy to upgrade/convert? is it a simple matter of getting the right bulb? or is a whole new light system necessary? don't want much in the tank, but i do want an anenome for the 2 clowns i am gonna get. i have been reading a lot of the what type of lighting they need. this place ROCKS for info. any help would be appreciated. thanks!! :smokin: :smokin:

 

[Newreeflady]

Anemones will need a good amount of light, you'll probably either want the 70 watt halide or a retro to put in 96w power compact. Nanocustoms does some retrofits in these hoods, and some have been able to add in halide into the hoods (but you have to run additional fans.) In the end, if you leave the hood on and upgrade the light, unless you have 5 fans on the tank you'll want a drop-in chiller to keep the temperature stable. The JBJ Clamp on Viper lamp is an alternative, but this modification is done by removing the hood (this was my choice.)

If you are planning to keep two clowns in this tank, my suggestion is that you find a mated pair. There is some amount of aggression initially when pairing clowns and there isn't much room for getting away in these little cubes. Also, in order to keep the nutrients down so that the water quality allows an anemone, you will probably need to stop your stock there (just the two clowns.)

Note that not all anemones are easy to keep, and if you substitute a (relatively) easier to keep anemone such as a bubble-tip, you can't be 100% certain your clowns will host it. I know maroon clowns will, but they will be too big for a 12g.

More food for thought, clownfish will often host corals such as the yellow fiji leather, toadstool leather, open brain, and others in substitute for an anemone. Posting in the discussion forum asking people what their clowns host in should come up with a great deal of different answers. This could be an option for you. I plan to get a Yellow Fiji leather and hope my ocellaris will host it. I had an ocellaris host an open brain coral a couple of years ago.

I suggest picking up a book on clownfishes, or doing some inquisitive posting in the clownfishes forum here on RC to get more info.

hth,
Angela

 

[kurt72]

thanks

thanks

angela,
thanks. there is so much info on here, makes my mind turn to mush trying to absorb it all.