changing 29 to sps

[mr pink floyd]

I have 65 watts PC on my 29 with softies, and I've caught SPS fever!

i want to keep this fixture, wit han actinic bulb in it, then get the aqualight clip on 150W DE14k halide bulb. My tank is 18 inches deep, the light will sit 3-4 inches off the water, the tank is 30" long, so im not expecting the light to cover the whole tank, so i plan on doing softies on the side towers, and building up the valley in the middle(right now it would be about 14 inches down from the lights), I'll post pics later, and I will most likely blow a fan across the water level during the 6 hour on period!


i want to keep a few acro frags, a derasa on the sandbed in the middle, and a few monti caps

ill post pics later!


~Mike

 

[thebicyclecafe]

Mike,

6 hours won't be enough with those lights (150s). With actinic supplementation you're looking at 10+ hours, adjust to meet your coral needs.
Something else you might consider is that you will need to keep the temperature pinned so do a little experimentation with the lighting and the fan combination, don't let it fluctuate more than 2 degrees during the day. Best is if there is no fluctuation.
Play it out very slowly, don't get the acros until a few months when you are sure everything is stable. The worst thing you want is to have those nice acros in your tank and have a temperature spike that takes them out. The light should be excellent for Derasa and Caps, make sure you keep those acros high.
Take diligent measurements of the calcium and alkalinity levels, also make sure your nitrates and phosphates are close to, if not undetectable. When you are absolutely sure everything is going well, chemical parameters are good, then go for a tank raised acropora. Wild colonies are not very hardy and you won't be happy with those. (This goes for maricultured colonies or frags as well, they are less hardy).
When that's set up come back here and I bet people and myself can give you good recommendations on which acro to start with.
Also running carbon is a good idea to get rid of the terpenoid toxins that the softies can potentially make. Good luck!

 

[mr pink floyd]

yea, wow 10+ hours, thats more than i expected, but i wont mind, it will jus teman changing the bulb a little more often!

i heard thet actinics supply no photosynthetic help to corals...
but im not sure. I will try to hav the fan blowing across the water level during the time the halide is on. i will probably use a small fan, nothign special, i dont want 1/2 gallon gone a day!

the acros will fo course be kept up high, and i will definately take it slowly. i took it slow with my softie reef, and it has been very sucessful! ill do the same with the stoneys!

i onyl want a few acro frags, nothing really big, i will dose with B ionic.


for lps i want a small frogspawn, a candy cane, and not to sure on others, a trumpet, and i want a brain, favites preferably!

anything anybody can add will help!

my 2 filters take up over half the back wall, i might need to try to sell one, so ican haev room for the skimmer and the hang on light, or i will put the filter on other side, and put skimmer on side!

 

[Cody Ray]

I run my 150 for 12 hours

 

[mr pink floyd]

how often, wow 12 hours, thats longer than my wimpy PC are on haah, how often do you change it?

 

[Cody Ray]

I haven't yet, got the bulb around August 1, 2005, going to real soon.

 

[mr pink floyd]

sweet, how far down are your sps?

i was thinkin the light will be about 3 inches above water, nad my acros will be about 8 inches below water level

 

[Cody Ray]

Right now I only have a monti cap frag. He is just a test piece. Once I get my skimmer installed the real test will begin. If it does well then I will move onto other sps.

 

[mr pink floyd]

yea monti caps can live under 130 watts PC in a 29 and do great!

a monti cvap will eb my first piece,. for acros i want a small green slimer frag (Preferably colony) and a monti digiata(sp?) colony, then a derasa as a clam, goniopora, and some other lps

 

[mr pink floyd]

bumpskis