Enough Lighting???

[sabadaque]

Have heard that you should have between 3-4watts per gallon. I have a 45gal corner tank that is pretty deep. So I should be pumping between 135 to 180 right?

I have a 4 x 24watt Nova Extreme T5 power compact on it right now that has been up and running for about a year now. I haven’t seen much of any growth at all in my tank but nothing has died either. Do I need more light? Can it hurt to have too much light?

 

[mikid]

what kind of corals do you have................or want to keep........:rollface:

 

[Michael]

i have 2 watts per gallon myself, and think my lighting is very good, it depends on what you keep and what type of lighting you have, i have t5s and leds, however the leds are high powered but 2 watts per gallon works for me

 

[sabadaque]

Also, have heard that watts per gallon is a useless metric! My tank is probably 30" deep I would say with out being home to measure it...

 

[turretdr]

Watts per gallon is a very old and vague way of determining lighting. It is a matter of light intensity more so than watts per gallon.

I read a study somewhere showing a Christmas tree bulb over a Dixie cup of water. The light worked out to some wicked high number of WPG but it would not have been able to sustain corals.

You can have too much light.

Coral placement, water clarity, flow all play a huge roll in coral growth.

 

[sabadaque]

Not sure if it is the depth of the tank or how the lightining fixture sits on the tank! May B not reaching the front floor or what. I am only doing softies right now and have a large brain coral down low in the sand. Also 1 Nem.

Just not seeing the propigation I thought I would!

 

[sabadaque]

Have a mag 9 return pump hooked to an octopus splitter that switches the flow every 8 seconds also a powerhead in the back. Have 2 frog spawns in different locations 1 in flow lower in the tank and 1 medium flow higher. Also some shrooms throughout. Water Qual has been right on and water changes every 2 weeks

 

[mat167]

For most softies I don't think you'll have a problem. As it has been mentioned already, the watts/gallon rule is useless. One main factor to consider is the photosynthetically active radiation (PAR). The problem is that PAR meters are usually expensive so most people judge by wattage. I'd say that as long as you keep the reflectors clean and change the bulbs often you shouldn't have a problem.
As for growth, that could depend on several factors. Maybe supplemental feeding is necessary, as many softies don't do as well in pristine water as they would in less pristine water. More light would probably help them to grow faster. Frogspawns (not a soft coral) and brain coral (also not a soft coral) aren't particularly fast growing species, so you'll have to be patient. These might both benefit from supplemental feeding once in a while (though not too often).
How long has everything been in there? Remember, even some of the fastest growing corals growth is still measured in inches per year.

 

[sabadaque]

what type of supplemental feeding? turkey baste some shrimp???

Have had the tank set-up for about 13 months. Have had the corals 3 months after I intially set it up. What would be the ideal placement for these corals to do ther best! Frog spawn, Brain, Riccordia and Rodactis (can't spell)?

And is a moon coral a acan?

 

[sabadaque]

I do hand feed my brain and Nem! How often should I be doing that?

 

[sabadaque]

These are the only corals that have multiplied.

Don't know what they are

 

[turretdr]

First picture looks like (green) star polyps. Second looks like caulustrea and anthelia, maybe.

 

[sabadaque]

Cool Thx I will look those up! Really like the Anthelia's they are sweeet

 

[IslandCrow]

Maybe supplemental feeding is necessary, as many softies don't do as well in pristine water as they would in less pristine water.

This is really not true. I can almost guarantee that the water in areas where soft corals are found in the wild are far lower in nutrients than any of our tanks. Supplemental feedings never hurt, but many soft corals cannot be spot fed.

You're lighting should be fine for most everything you have, sabadaque. The anemone is what concerns me, though. What species is it. Most anemones in the hobby will require more intense lighting. The Nova Extreme is a decent lighting fixture, but it's on the low end of T5 lighting. I'd keep your Caulastrea (Candy Cane) and Frog Spawn in the upper half of the tank, but it'll probably be fine a little lower down as well. The Rhodactis and Ricordea tend to prefer more light than other mushrooms, so they may do better in the upper 2/3rds or so, but should do OK at any depth. What type of brain do you have (there are probably a dozen or more species commonly called brain corals). Chances are, you'll want to keep that in the upper half of the aquarium as well, but if it's a Trachyphyllia (Open Brain), its flesh can get irritated by rocks, so it's best to keep it on the sandbed.

 

[sabadaque]

BTA

BTA

My Nem is a white BTA.

It acts really wierd tho and my LFS guy said as long as it doesn't move and eats it should be fine (which it does). But the wierd thing is that it comes out at night but hunkers down during the day.

My first thought was that it was on a different time zone but it should've adapted by now I have had it almost 6 months.

Don't know what species my brain is will post a pic in a sec!

 

[sabadaque]

Brain

Brain

This is my Brain Coral. Not too happy in this pic but puffs up really nice during the day.

 

[IslandCrow]

That's a Trachyphyllia geoffroyi (Open brain coral). It would probably do better under more light, but should be just fine with what you have. As for your anemone, the only white BTAs are bleached BTAs. BTAs are some of the less light demanding, but your lighting may still be insufficient. Continue feeding it every couple of days, and hopefully it'll get its color back. If it was white when you bought it, I'd try to get your money back, because whatever you paid, it was too much. A white BTA is generally pretty close to death. Your open brain can also be fed 2-3 times per week. It looks like it's in pretty good shape, so if it's having issues, it's still at a state where it can easily recover under proper conditions.

On another note, that yellow tang is going to quickly outgrow your tank. I had one in my 46g when I first started off, and realized before long why 75g is the minimum suggested tank size. They're very active fish, and their health tends to decline rapidly in smaller tanks. I unfortunately lost mine to disease before I figured that out.

 

[sabadaque]

I have seen at the LFS tanks with many Nems in them, but they tell me not to put anymore in my tank. Why is that? Can I have more or not?

And if it is not a White BTA what is it?

 

[mat167]

be careful feeding the brain that often, as they sometimes develop gut rot. I wouldn't feed more than twice a week.

 

[IslandCrow]

What I'm saying, sabadaque, is that it's probably a BTA, but your LFS sold you a bleached anemone. If you can post a picture, I can confirm whether or not it's a BTA, but I can pretty much guarantee that it's bleached. Your LFS either doesn't know what they're doing, or they sold you an anemone they knew was doing very poorly.

As for multiple anemones, there's no reason you can't have more than one, but I think you need to concentrate on trying to get this one healthy first. Anemones are really not for beginners. They need very stable conditions with proper lighting.