Want to get into LPS what do I need to know?

[got2lb]

I'm really wanting to get into some LPS stuff. Right now I mainly have softies. Zoos, clove polyps, anthelia, xenia, a few leathers, etc...

I do have a torch and a frogspawn though.

I really want to get some acans, blastos, stuff like that.

I want to upgrade my lighting and am on the fence between what to get. What would be the best lighting for this type of setup? The tank is 60"x20"x20"

Do LPS require the kind of prestine water quality that SPS do? I know that you can feed them as well. Do you have to or are they photosythetic as well? If so what do you feed them?

Thanks for the help, I want to get everything straight so I don't just start randomly killing these creatures!

 

[xdusty6920]

ok, this is quite a bit to answer but im more then happy to take the time because you did the right thing .......asked for info first.
well lets start with lighting. i have a tank of similiar measurements so i can tell you personally mh's have worked very well for me. more specifically 2-250w mh's with 20k xm bulbs. a pair of 175w mh's would work well also. i prefer the 250w because it gives me the option of growing sps as well as lps. not saying 175w couldnt but i feel 250w are better suited. there are other options such as t5,vho, and pc's but thats a whole thread in itself.
water quality. no lps do not require perfect water like sps but they do need high water quality to thrive. id suggest getting your levels within acceptable range and then focus on keeping them stable.
feeding- yes lps are photosynthetic but most will eat. foods like mysis,brine,squid,clam,cyclopeeze, etc are really common but vary from coral to coral. but no most lps dont need fed ever (dendros,sun corals, however do need to be fed)
feel free to ask anymore questions you may have.

 

[got2lb]

I'm on the fence between 2x250 watt halides and 6x54watt T5's right now. Just wanted to make either one would be okay.

Do you get pretty good growth with your 20k xm's? If I go MH I was leaning towards the 14k hamiltons just because they seem to have a higher par than the xm's do.

My water quality is pretty good. The tank has only been setup since Jan. so I'm still working on a better way to do water changes so that I do them regularly.

Do they tend to grow faster, look better, if fed? I've been feeding my torch and frogspawn mysis about once a week now.

 

[xdusty6920]

yes thats the benefit to feeding. faster growth! any combo of diced meaty food will do the job.
id go with mh's over t-5's. the reason being.....t-5 are still just flourecent lights, it has its limitations. not saying they arent worth being around or that there arent people who favor them, because there deffinently are. i'm not intrested in a light that can produce growth and keep corals alive.......i want the light that does it the best. and for me and the majority its mh's.
over the years ive gone threw alot of types of mh bulbs. all the 10k's ive tried have produced awesome growth but there where always corals that didnt like the intense lighting and lost some of thier color. so then i start trying out 14k's. better color but growth slowed dramatically. i still have a tank with 14kxm's over it and i can tell you, growth is barely faster then under pc bulbs.
then i figured id go with 20k's. after looking around i found the perfect bulb. 20kxm. not too blue, great growth (a tiny bit less the the 10k) and really cool color.
asking about lighting is like asking who's the best singer or band. youll get tons of different opinions. thats exactly what i ran into when i first started in this hobby. i tried things for myself and have found that non of them can hold a candle to mh's.

 

[got2lb]

I've really been leaning towards the 250's so this may seal the deal I guess!

Have you ever run 14k hamiltons? They have a blueish tint but still have pretty good par on them.

I'm also probably going to add 2 vho's for actinic's or maybe T5's depending on how the new URI T5 bulbs turnout.

Thanks for the info I appreciate it.