96w quad PC on 10g? Who's got it?

S

sir_dudeguy

Active member
First thing first...can anyone post pics of their 10g tanks that use a 96w quad pc bulb?

Me and my aunt are considering "upgrading" her little 3g picotope to a standard 10g tank so that she can actually deal with fish moreso than now, but also (and mainly) just because of space issues...we already got 10 corals in the 3g pico lol, and it would be really nice to have them be able to spread.

So we are considering getting a standard 10g tank (which is 20 inches long, right? Please say yes! :) ) and doing a transfer of all her stuff to that tank. But then we'd need stronger lighting (she's got 3x9w pc's on the 3g pico now) and thats really about it. We were thinking of putting this (or something very close to it) on the 10g tank.
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/produ...700K Bulb)&ref=3665&subref=AA&GCID=C12188x007

I know that we could grow the usual softies and whatnot with this light. But she's also got a digitata that has absolutely taken off under her lighting (and she's only had it for 3 weeks tops lol) and a hammer coral too. Would those also do well under the 96w quad? I'm pretty sure they would.

But what else could we grow with that light on just a small 10g tank? Would more SPS and whatnot be more doable with that light?

I'm guessing this one is probably out...but clams maybe?

Thanks all :)
 
I've got a 96quad on my 15gal that's 24" long, I mainly grow softies and zoos in there, LPS would prolly do ok too.

And yeah the 10g is 20" long.

Good luck.
 
24watt bulbs are about 23" with endcaps. On a 2' bulb, the bulb itself is about 22.5", and each end doesnt light up until about 1.5" in, so the actual lit up area is less than 20" wide. If you were to place 24wattT5s on a 10g, you would have a couple inches of overhang on the ends, but the light would stay over the tank. As long as you can tolerate the inch or so of overhang on the ends, its no problem.
 
I have a Coralife AquaLight Deluxe 96W 50/50 Quad Power Compact fixture above my AGA 10 Gallon and everything seems to be thriving under it.

Here is our stock list:
Waving Xenia
Tube Anemone
Green Ricordia
Several Blue and Green Mushrooms
Green Blastomosa
Green Frogspawn
Green Clown Goby
Emerald Mithrax Crab
Blue Hermit Crab
Peppermint Shrimp
Cleaner Shrimp
And several varieties of snails.

Here are some older pictures:
<a href="http://www.omnipresence.ca/images/blog/aquarium2.2/PA110003.JPG" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.omnipresence.ca/images/blog/aquarium2.2/PA110003_tn.JPG" border="0" /></a> <a href="http://www.omnipresence.ca/images/blog/aquarium2.2/PA110012.JPG" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.omnipresence.ca/images/blog/aquarium2.2/PA110012_tn.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />
<a href="http://www.omnipresence.ca/images/blog/aquarium2.2/PA110028.JPG" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.omnipresence.ca/images/blog/aquarium2.2/PA110028_tn.JPG" border="0" /></a> <a href="http://www.omnipresence.ca/images/blog/aquarium2.2/PA110029.JPG" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.omnipresence.ca/images/blog/aquarium2.2/PA110029_tn.JPG" border="0" /></a>

Since these have been taken, the entire back of the tank, the heater, the powerhead, etc. has been covered with coraline algae. These were also taken before most of the above was added to the tank. I will try to get some updated pictures later.
 
thanks hahnmeister. I might do that. But just for the sake of being easy (just put the legs on and it fits perfect) was why i kinda like the idea of the quad. Because i'd have to do a retro if i got the 24w ones, correct?

thanks for the pics human ;) It would be great if you could take some current ones to show the livestock :)
 
I have some close ups if you click the red house...but none of the tank as a whole...FYI the Acroporia you see in the pics is going back to the LFS...bad choice for PCs.
 
10 Gal. AGA with 96W quad...

10 Gal. AGA with 96W quad...

There seems to be plenty of light with this fixture....Craig

IMG_1162.jpg
ReefPhotos001.jpg
ReefPhotos004.jpg
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9409157#post9409157 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by sir_dudeguy
thanks hahnmeister. I might do that. But just for the sake of being easy (just put the legs on and it fits perfect) was why i kinda like the idea of the quad. Because i'd have to do a retro if i got the 24w ones, correct?

thanks for the pics human ;) It would be great if you could take some current ones to show the livestock :)
Click to expand...

Yeah, they seem easy, but I personally cant stand Quads. I have a Coralife 96Quad in the basement from when a friend decided to get rid of it. It works and everything... he just couldnt stand it anymore.

They run hot, tend to color-shift fast, and because they are flat, half of their output gets sent to the backside where it gets lost in that flat reflector which reflects it right back to the bulb.

Oh, and your color options are: one.
 
ya good point on the color choice being one.

How bout a 70w halide? I know it will work...any good clip on ones? I've read and asked about the vipers and turns out they suck...but is there anything like that? Or something that has legs that would allow it to rest on the 10g so that i wouldnt have to retro anything? Thats sorta my goal here...no retros and low(ish) cost...if that means i gotta buy it used, thats fine with me. I've done that many times and had great luck.
 
I'm not sure what they are like but Current USA sells two 20" SunPods that can be mounted on legs above a 10 gallon.
 
the 70wattDE halides are much more efficient than the 96wattPCs... by the time its all said&done the 70watter prolly puts out 2x-3x as much light.

I used to have one, and tried several bulbs... the only bulb worth using was the 10,000K Ushio though. The rest, like the 14,000Ks and the 20,000Ks, are just too dismal to even bother with. So the 10,000K Ushio was what I would use.... but then you need something to suppliment the blue, no? So you are back up to over 100watts.

That, and even though the ballasts arent too expensive, the bulbs cost just as much as 150s and 250s, and are few and far between.

I ended up selling my 70wattT5, deciding I would never use it again. If anything, you would get about the same light from a 150wattDE with a 20,000K bulb, and then you dont need the supplimental blue/actinic. And with 150s, your selection of bulbs improves greatly. FWIW, I feel T5s are the better way to go anyways.
 
True. The ballasts by Current are slightly better than those that Coralife used at the time on those 96watt Quads. The 2x40watt fixtures allow you to use seperate bulbs for blue and daylight, and the end result is more light. The bulbs arent as fat and wide, so even though the wattage may seem less, the reflectors can get more into the tank... so it ends up being more....
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9428935#post9428935 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Nano's Rock
Check out the Orbit 80 watt (2-40 watt) if you go with PC's. It should grow sps, my 80-watt retro does.
Click to expand...

i sent a pm to sir_dudeguy that i have a orbit fixture for sale since i live near him but no reponse yet. the light has a dual daylight bulb and dual actinic bulb its a really nice light but i went to a sunpod 150w HQI i used the orbit for 2 months.

LINK
http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=1049950
 
Last edited:
As promised, here are the most current pics of my tank:
<a href="http://www.omnipresence.ca/images/blog/aquarium2.2/3_11_07/P3110034.JPG" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.omnipresence.ca/images/blog/aquarium2.2/3_11_07/P3110034_tn.JPG" border="0" /></a> <a href="http://www.omnipresence.ca/images/blog/aquarium2.2/3_11_07/P3110037.JPG" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.omnipresence.ca/images/blog/aquarium2.2/3_11_07/P3110037_tn.JPG" border="0" /></a>

As you can see the coraline is growing everywhere. I have to scrape the glass with a razor blade all the time.

If you would like to see all the pictures in this set click on the red house.
 
I have coral life 96 watt as well, but over my 9 nano. For a little over 100$ and it was an upgrade to the lighting I had before.

Since my tank is about a month or so old - Im gonna use this fixture for at least 6- to a year.

I have 1 frogspawn
1 monti cap - not seeing growth yet but stable
2 zoos flourisng
mushrooms -happy
candy cane -doing very well
and some various other.

About the fixture though, evenm though its a 50/50 it really gives off alot of white light into the tank.
 
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