need some help

[dahay78]

i need some help i have a 30g tank. i need some help as i am fairly new to salt water, i would like to know what kind of light i will need to grow leather corals and other corals and keep my live rocks looking well.

i dont have any fish at this time. i want to wait to get my corals growing first. i am not sure if that is a good idea.

i live in tucson and looking for other salt water reef keepers to help me in my quest to overcome the many challenges that i am confronted with.

plus does anyone know how to join the tucson reef keepers club forum etc..

thanks for all your help in advance

 

[fishaholic911]

Welcome

i need some help i have a 30g tank. i need some help as i am fairly new to salt water, i would like to know what kind of light i will need to grow leather corals and other corals and keep my live rocks looking well. T-5's

i dont have any fish at this time. i want to wait to get my corals growing first. i am not sure if that is a good idea. I think this is a great idea

 

[dahay78]

thank you very much fishaholic911! i am going to go and buy t-5 today do you know if they sell them in the 30" are would i have to hang it above. i found a guy on Cl that has a halide lite 400 watts he said that i could hang it over the tank that it does not have to well be perfect. i dont want to half it please advise thanks again

 

[fishaholic911]

thank you very much fishaholic911! i am going to go and buy t-5 today do you know if they sell them in the 30" are would i have to hang it above. i found a guy on Cl that has a halide lite 400 watts he said that i could hang it over the tank that it does not have to well be perfect. i dont want to half it please advise thanks again

If it is the 400 watt lite that I am thinking of than no it will not be a good fit. They sale 30" fixture's in M/H or T-5's, I would not go to a 400 watt as it would be way too much for a 30 gallon. Look for a nice 4 bulb T-5 fixture or a 150/175 watt M/H fixture for your size tank. Do not rush buying the light as it is one of the most important pcs to your system. Look at SWSW or SEA for the light, they will point you in the right direction without you having to give a arm and a leg

 

[Mandosh]

400W halides will cook a 30g, especially if you only want leathers. Go with the t5s.

Sent from my GT-I9100M using Tapatalk

 

[dahay78]

thank you guys so much for this information what is SWSW or SEA

 

[brettinteriors]

I agree 4 bulb t5. simply elegant aquatics on Cambell. great place

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk

 

[fishaholic911]

thank you guys so much for this information what is SWSW or SEA

Southwest Saltwater = swsw it is on prince and oracle

SEA = Simply Elegant Aquatics it is on glen and campbell

 

[Newsalth2o]

Welcome to the club....

Go with T5s on a 30 gallon. You could use a simple two 2 lamp 39W fixture with one 10K and 0ne 420nm lamp to get started. I grew some nice corals in a 50 gallon with that exact fixture. Go to you tube and look at what other people have done to get ideas. Watch CL for used stuff and piece stuff together for a while while your learning. Then when you get the hang of things start thinking bigger and fancier...T5s are very inexpensive to power and Metal halides require much more energy, Halides produce alot of radiant heat to your tank and t5s do not. Temperature can be difficult to control in a small tank. Best advice I can give you is take your time ask lots of questions and do alot of web research. It is a great hobby.....Happy reefing..

 

[dahay78]

thanks a lot everyone! thanks for making me feel welcomed and all your help! i am going to go with the t5 as i was told by a guy at the store not to go with LED, not sure why, i noticed that many people are using t5 and you guys have suggested t5. that is what i am going to get and thanks a lot for the CL tip i have looked on there everyday for a t5 lamp with bulbs, nothing yet. i am going to go slow with my tank, i want to make sure that everything is correct for all my inhabitants.... if anyone knows anyone in tucson that may be selling a used t5 please send them my way, it will be greatly appreciated.


peace and love always!