Soft Corals that will grow like Weeds Under MH lighting?

[dudedudedude]

I was thinking about doing an SPS 65 Gallon tank but dont have the time to makle a calcium reactor so I though I would hold off on that and just do soft corals and some LPS. I am going to have a 175W 14000K under a luminarc and was wondering with this lighting what soft corals would grow fast and fill up the tank? I may upgrade in the near future to 250W 14K or do 10K 175W with some T5 actinics.

 

[NanoReefWanabe]

i personally dont think that one bulb would sufficiently cover a 65, but there again i guess it really depends on the shape of the tank, and how big the luminarc is..

my softies are doing okay under 10K PC lighting...adn the 150 MH will be going on soon, but i bought most of my softies off a guy selling because his lights were too much for them...he had 3 14k 250W pheonix over a 150 though..

that said you may need / want to have 2 mh fixtures over a 65...unless it is a cube...but what do i know i am just a nano guy buying softies off guys going SPS

 

[apex003]

Many photosynthetic softies should thrive under that lighting. Mushrooms, ricordia, xenia, sacrophyton, capnella, sinularia, zoanthids, pachyclavularia, etc. Many LPS will also do quite well. You should have no problem finding nice corals to fill your tank.

 

[apex003]

light coverage is a good point, wanabe. what are the dimensions?

 

[michaeldaly]

I am running 2 150W 14000K Mh over my mixed reef and I find that most leather grow extremely fast under the lighting, I battle to keep mushrooms as I think they are getting to much light though.

BTW you don't need a calcium reactor to keep sps, Kalk or dosing a 3 part system are just as good.

 

[ben&bobbi]

Re: Soft Corals that will grow like Weeds Under MH lighting?

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9424656#post9424656 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by dudedudedude
I was thinking about doing an SPS 65 Gallon tank but dont have the time to makle a calcium reactor so I though I would hold off on that and just do soft corals and some LPS. I am going to have a 175W 14000K under a luminarc and was wondering with this lighting what soft corals would grow fast and fill up the tank? I may upgrade in the near future to 250W 14K or do 10K 175W with some T5 actinics.

you don't NEED a calcium reactor. make your own randy's 2-part and dose your tank until you get a reactor.
Ben

 

[dudedudedude]

Thanks for the input so far. The dimensions of the tank are going to be 18" deep by 36" wide by 24" tall. I am building a custom sized luminarc so that I get coverage over the tank but I expect to keep most the corals at the top and center.

In regards to calcium reactors, I know you dont need a calcium reactor. It has been a few years since my last reef tank, but looking at alot of current SPS tanks, it seems to me that those who have fast growing SPS that eventually fill the tank need so much calcium that only a reactor can give it. Is it possible to get fast SPS growth with the DIY 2 part?

 

[samherston]

In that size tank, I would run 2 250W 14K bulbs. You want to have 1 bulb per 2 foot of tank. I think that it would be a good mix for what you are doing in your tank!

 

[ben&bobbi]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9434387#post9434387 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by dudedudedude
....In regards to calcium reactors, I know you dont need a calcium reactor. It has been a few years since my last reef tank, but looking at alot of current SPS tanks, it seems to me that those who have fast growing SPS that eventually fill the tank need so much calcium that only a reactor can give it. Is it possible to get fast SPS growth with the DIY 2 part?

got me there, maybe that's why mine doesn't grow as fast! but part of the point was you can get started with the 2 part till you get the reactor. I have one in my future plans .... someday!