New Marine Aquarium Owner

[MissDanniC]

I currently have a Kent Marine 94 litre tank. Inside I have an sea urchin, crabs and snails. I am trying to work out how long i should have the lights on for and which lights to have on when.

I have no idea about the lighting, other than what it says in the book. 'The main source of light in your aquarium is the twin T5 power compact fluorescent lamps- these supply 75% white light and 25% actinic blue lighting.
The lighting if further enhanced by the addiction of 6 x 1 watt marine white LED's and 4 x 0.5 watt blue LED's- each light system is individually switched - T5, white LEDS and Blue LEDS.

The T5 power compact lamps, also referred to as 'PC' lamps supply the majority of light for your aquarium- the bright white light provides 10,000k daylight.

The second kamp uniquely provides two different spectrums; first it provides 50% bright white 10,000k daylight and the remaining 50% as actinic Blue spectrum.'

What should my tank lighting structure be like? When should I have which light on?

 

[CarrieB]

The inverts don't depend on the lights. Are you planning on having any coral?


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[MissDanniC]

Yes, I currently have a little tiny bit, not sure which one or how much as i have gotten the inverts together from a previous owner. I will be adding some clownfish and anemone and some coral shortly, when the tank has settled down for a couple of weeks to ensure its ready.

 

[MissDanniC]

The inverts don't depend on the lights. Are you planning on having any coral?


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Yes, I currently have a little tiny bit, not sure which one or how much as i have gotten the inverts together from a previous owner. I will be adding some clownfish and anemone and some coral shortly, when the tank has settled down for a couple of weeks to ensure its ready.

 

[CarrieB]

Hopefully, someone who has one of these tanks will chime in. In general, the blue lights are what feed the coral. White lights are just there for you, if you don't like the blue. The white lights may grow unwanted algae.

Try out the combinations and see what you like.

BTW, reef experts recommend waiting a year before you add an anemone. They can be difficult.


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[SeaCucumberFan]

I +1 everything CarrieB said. The inverts don't depend on light, they can't do photosynthesis, various inverts eat various things,

Snails eat algae
Brittle stars eat algae
Starfish eat snails, mussels, and corals
Sea cucumbers eat just about anything

I do
9:00am-9:00pm blue lights
12:00pm-6:00pm white lights
9:00pm-9:00am No lights

You might consider looking around in the "New To The Hobby" forum.

 

[Ron Reefman]

Snails eat algae I'll agree to this one.
Brittle stars eat algae Maybe, but they are more likely to eat meaty foods like shrimp or small fish and clean up the sand.
Starfish eat snails, mussels, and corals Yes, yes and maybe but not often and it really depends on what kind of star.
Sea cucumbers eat just about anything Sand sifters eat sand and remove the organic stuff and poop out 'clean' sand. The filter feeders remove very small bits of food and extremely tiny animals from the water column. Saying "they eat just about anything" makes them sound like they aren't reef safe.

You might consider looking around in the "New To The Hobby" forum.

MissDanniC, Your tank should be at least 6 months running without issues before you add an anemone. 9 to 12 months would be even better given how small yours is. Water quality and stability are important as is the maturity of the system. Just because you have made it through the nitrogen cycle does NOT mean your aquarium is ready for anything you want to put in it! And like corals, most anemones need quality light to survive.

You might want to ask your lighting question in the 'Equipment and Lighting' forum. But in general, snails, crabs, stars, sea cucumbers, shrimp and fish don't much care what kind of light they get. Corals and anemones use more blue light to do photosynthesis and they need a minimum of 4 to 6 hours to keep them healthy. I'd suggest you do research first, then ask questions and then consider what you should or shouldn't be buying.

 

[SeaCucumberFan]

By "they eat everything" I meant detritus, algae, microfauna, etc.

#BadChoiceOfWords