What corals can withstand two watts per gallon?

[aquariumkeeper2]

I have a 10 gallon nano reef tank with 20 watts(2 watts per gallon). What soft corals would be able to live with 2 watts per gallon???

 

[rwb500]

what type of light fixture is it, exactly?

make and model, and any bulb info would be great too.

is it one of those screw-in PC lamps?

 

[curlykid]

jeez, i have 3 watts per gallon, i have to keep sps corals low so they don't bleach!

 

[teesquare]

It is not so much about wattage, but PAR. Some lighting types have higher par values per wat than others.

So, you might want to do a search for a thread ( there are several I am sure) about PAR.
Hope that helps!
T

 

[aquariumkeeper2]

what type of light fixture is it, exactly?

make and model, and any bulb info would be great too.

is it one of those screw-in PC lamps?

Its the light fixture that comes with the walmart 10 gallon starter kits. Its an incandescent hood that holds to screw in bulbs. I have two 10 watt coralife bulbs in there.

 

[aquariumkeeper2]

jeez, i have 3 watts per gallon, i have to keep sps corals low so they don't bleach!

what do you mean by bleach?

 

[B-Willz]

Not much will live with those lights, you will want to look into upgrading the lighting system. You can keep some mushrooms with what you have now.

 

[B-Willz]

what do you mean by bleach?

Bleaching is a cause of to much light on some corals. He is just messing with you. Like said before, it is not a watts thing it is a par thing.

 

[aquariumkeeper2]

Bleaching is a cause of to much light on some corals. He is just messing with you. Like said before, it is not a watts thing it is a par thing.

I'm new to the hobby, what does par mean???

 

[teesquare]

Try reading this article - it will help explain a lot, and any questions - ask away!

T
http://blog.captive-aquatics.com/ca...r-and-reef-aquarium-lighting-what-is-par.html

 

[aquariumkeeper2]

Try reading this article - it will help explain a lot, and any questions - ask away!

T
http://blog.captive-aquatics.com/ca...r-and-reef-aquarium-lighting-what-is-par.html

thanks, the information really helped but i'm not sure where i can find that device to measure the par???????

 

[B-Willz]

PAR is photosynthetically Active Radiation, it is the amount of usable light waves that reach the tank. The bulbs that you have, have very little par, meaning that very little of the light in the tank is at a usable wave length to sustain life. It is like keeping a house plant in your bathroom and expecting to live with the light over your mirror.

 

[B-Willz]

You do not need a par meter to get the lights. You will want to know what types of corals you want to keep. Being new start with the softies, and when you get the hang of that and get a bigger tank, because you will, then you can step up to more challenging corals. For softies you can use power compacts, T5's, and LED's. For starting out I would probably start with the power compacts.

 

[teesquare]

Par meters are often available for loan or rent thru local clubs. I highly recommend that you do a search here on RC to fully understand the whys and hows , rahter than just throw some lights on a tank. It also helps to decide first what it is you want to keep.
With some study, anyone can start anywhere they want in this hobby.

If you can imagine, I remember hearing an old timer in the hobby tell someone to start with freshwater, and learn the basics! The truth is - that person would have to un-learn some things if he followed that advice.

PC lights are hot, and not as PAR productive as T-5 bulbs. And - PC's are getting more difficult to find in areas where the hobby keeps moving forward.

IT

 

[Timanator]

Kelp!

 

[teesquare]

Sorry - there may be no "Kelp" for you!:lol2::wavehand:

T

 

[keno1984]

mushrooms you can keep. i've had them when i first started with less then 1 watt per gallon

 

[aquariumkeeper2]

mushrooms you can keep. i've had them when i first started with less then 1 watt per gallon

thats the coral i was thinking of getting...

 

[John_D]

You can buy screw in PC bulbs of the correct spectrum from Coralife, I believe. However, you may want to consider upgrading. I prefer MH and LED, but that's because neither require bulb replacements. However, you should light the animals you intend to keep, not the tank!