hey there 20 long info!

[mr.bear]

i was wondering if yall could give me some input on a setup im planning to do.i want to make a 20 long reef tank.with just mainly mushrooms and zoanthid polyps.

(i have a 30 cube right now with mixed corals doing good.i just have lots of live rock,live sand in it,a maxijet and sieo powerhead for flow,and a hang on cpr fuge,also as for my lights i have a 150w mh sunpod hqi.real simple setup/nothing to fancy)

id kinda like to have this 20 something like that.not much of a diy person.haha never hung lights i just have mines sitting on top with the legs.never made a sump or even had one.but i guess if its better that way ill try it out for a project.

so heres my few questions i was pondering on;

-what lights best fit a 20 long?and should i be looking for mh,pc,t5s?
-whats the pros and cons to having a sump?or should i just stick to the cpr hang on fuge.im really afraid of having an over flow out not sure if its true just heard here and there that i can happen...
-whats good flow for a 20 long?will the maxi 1200 and sieo 820 be enough flow on different ends?

thanks in advance for taking your time and reading my topic

lates luis

 

[mr.bear]

any input?

 

[bayreef]

maybe HO is your best bet or VHO, you may need only 1 bulb. i would use workhorse 5 ballast with two 50/50 bulbs raised up from suface about 4 inches or just one bulb down lower. Mushrooms look best with slightly subdued lighting. Zoos can take more. A sump makes dripping top off easier IMHO allow a place for you to do things, and more importantly extra water volume. all of these are a plus. Mag 3 or 5 to tank and power heads you spoke of should be fine, just watch the mushrooms move them untill they open up nice(lower in tank from side to side checking flow(should be alot of flow but gentle)

 

[mr.bear]

thanks for help,any more ideas,info,or anything that you can let me know that will help guys...thanks in advance

 

[BigJPDC]

I have a 20L waiting in the wings, so to speak. It looks like a problem with the 20L is the 30" length, which makes it too big for 24" T5's and too short for 36"ers. What I'm planning on doing is to use 24" T5's and slightly stagger sets of two blubs, to cover the entire tank. In looking at it, the small depth (12 inches, less is you are going with DSB) will make the staggering invisible.
One or two WH5 ballasts for the bulbs - each will run up to 4 24".

HTH
jp