Advice needed please

[dwdenny]

I have been researching what and how I want to set up my tank 40g breeder 36"X18"X16" and I think about corals and what to keep and I always come back to Zoas. I love the colors that you can get with them is absolutly beautiful. Any way this what I want to set up my tank with. I just need some advice on flow in the tank. I was orginally going to do a closed loop with a Pan World 100PX-X but this seems like it might be too much not sure. Might just be better off with a three MJ1200 or 2 seio 620's. Will be putting a Calfo overflow as well that will drain to the sump with 2 1" bulkheads then returned with a quiet one 3000(not sure yet on this pump) Light I was planning on a 4X39w T5 retro with IC reflectors with 2 abuablu and 2 blue+ bulbs is this to much or should I go with a 3X39w T5 retro. I am also planning a 2" sandbed inthe display but a 6" sandbed in the fuge part of the sump. What do you all think.

 

[CoralNutz]

Sounds pretty good. Have you seen any tanks in person that are lit with T5? I have, and with lots of different bulb combonations. IME, none of the actinics I have seen even compare to VHO's.

If you are going to go with an IC ballast, you can mix and match bulbs.. Run T5 for the 10K or whatever daylight spectrum you prefer and then VHO actinics....

I think the MJ's might be better than those seios. The seios are fairly large (at least the ones I've see) and won't be as easy to hide in the rockwork as the MJ's will.

I also have a shallow sandbed. Just to let you know, to keep it nice and white, you will probably have to siphon it out a little at at time and then replace it with new stuff periodically. IMO, I would just skip it and get with the faux sandbed starboard deal. Would be real easy on that small of a tank. If you want a link to a Step by step (with pictures) of the faux sandbed starboard setup, just PM me and I will find the link for you. (it's posted on another forum and I think that violates the rules to post here) I know it's posted on here too, but can't search for it since I'm to cheap to cough up the $24 for the search feature.

 

[dwdenny]

As far as the T5 yes I have seen some but no the combo that I am thinking about using. Will look into the fuax sandbed thing sounds great. If I go with MJ will look at a wave maker or something to that effect that will give random flow. Will look into the VHO's as well I wont be running a IC ballast though.

 

[dwdenny]

do you think that 2X39w aquablues and two VHO actinics or just one VHO

 

[CoralNutz]

Well if your not running a IC ballast I wouldn't recommend the combo of VHO and T5's. I am not sure of any other ballast that will mix and match bulbs like that. I am sure lots of ballasts will. But they probably don't reccomend it. What were the T5's your looking at?

Those can be pretty spendy to do them right. The individual reflectors are very important. I have seen T5's that are in the all in one fixtures that use juse one big reflector and IMO they aren't much brighter than NO's.....

 

[dwdenny]

It will be retro with IC reflectors or aqualuxlighting reflectors as per Grim there is not much of an output difference but a big price difference $21 for IC and 14 for aqualux ones. At only 16" tall tank might be worth the two different types plus soom zoas dont like a lot of like and some do so that would give the option to keep some higher and some lower. What I was thinking last night was using an ARO 2X95w URI Super Actinic (to make the colors pop) and 2X39w T5 aquablues have pretty good PAR as well but a bright white is what I have seen out of these bulbs. I dont want the tank tidy bowl blue but I do like a little bit of blue color like the Pheonix 14k bulb look.

 

[dwdenny]

CoralNutz could you PM that link on the Fauz sandbed.

Thanks
Doug