Posted: 2006.06.10(Sat)17:01 Post subject: Lighting for a FO tank
I have a 30 gallon tank and am hoping to just have live rock and absolutely the lowest lighted corals. I am curious if an 80 watt T5 strip will give me the light I need for this? I am also curious if a Penguin 350 power filter will be enough for this tank or if I should get an Aquaclear 110?
hehe
FO = Fish Only
FOWLR = Fish Only With Live Rock
Reef = well...Reef
if that's what you plan, you'll have a reef tank, not a FO tank
anyway...that lighting might be sufficient if you stick with really low lighting corals...zoas and maybe xenia come to mind...
and power filters really are worthless unless you're adding it for circulation. most people just use power heads so maxijets and the like. but you should get a small skimmer or something as well
oh and you'll also need a decent heater and refractometer _________________ MY FISH IS BETTER THAN YOUR FISH!!!!!
Just signs of how new I am to saltwater. It's funny though because I realized before I got back on here that it was an FOWLR tank, but didn't realize that the corals made it a reef tank. I was hoping to get a nice Penguin 350 for this tank. Then eventually a small skimmer. I basically want some Ocellaris Clownfish and some other small omnivorous fish. Just a few. Then a Banded Coral Shrimp with some Cleaner Shrimp if they'd be okay. Then some various hermit crabs and some Emerald Crabs. Then finally some snails. That's basically all I want. I'd like to get some low light corals.
It's kind of funny. I got into fish. I ended up having a 55 gallon freshwater tank and a 30 gallon freshwater tank in my room. Then my dad came with me to the fish store one day and saw the saltwater fish. So the next day he came back and bought an entire 11 gallon setup. He's got 36 watts of light. He's also got 3 Feather Dusters and I was curious if they have a certain level of watts per gallon that they need to live happily.
hehe yep even low light corals turn it into a reef. I've seen some crazy tanks just packed FULL of zoas and nothing else...lol...
anyway, no problem as to being new we all start somewhere
anyway, you're pretty much starting backwards with the live stock. FIRST you start out with the clean up crew (snails, hermits, etc), then move onto shrimp, and finally add your fish last. corals...well, you can do them as long as you're done cycling and YES YOU MUST CYCLE!!!
so first get your sand, around 1lb a gallon, some do more, some do less. really up to you. also your live rock, around 1lb a gallon as well, once again, some do more or less. let that tank sit for a while and let it just cycle and depending on whether you have dead rock or live rock, or bagged sand, you might need to seed it.
anyway...11 gallon set up? o.O I don't think I've heard anything like that...there are 10 gals and 12 gals with that much lighting...but never 11...O.O which brand company is that? o.O _________________ MY FISH IS BETTER THAN YOUR FISH!!!!!
I knew about which things I should add first to the tank. I just listed them so that you'd know what I am planning on doing.
The cycling part was another question I had. So once I get the sand (I'm getting white marine sand) and the live rock I should let it sit for about a month. Maybe add the snails or hermit crabs a little earlier.
Well, I already bought the Penguin 350. It's coming brand new and should be here tomorrow or the next day. I am not planning on using it until I get the tank water changed to saltwater. Does that filter sound okay for this setup?
So with just under 3 watts of light per gallon of water would I ever be able to keep an anemone? I know you shouldn't add those for around a year, but just asking for the future.
And finally, I'm just wondering if by having the Xenia, Zoas, live rock, and fish it's going to be called a reef tank? Just asking so that when I brag about it I don't call it the wrong name. lol!
Yeah, my dad's tank is kind of unique. I've heard of weird gallon sized tanks, but never an 11 gallon. Until now. It's kind of more upright. It's acrylic. It's got a silver trim and the front corners are rounded. It's 15" long, 18" tall, and 9.5" width wise. It's got an Aquaclear 70, a small skimmer and a nice small heater in back. It's nice, but I wanted a bigger tank so I could keep some small fish. He's got inverts and 2 Seahorses and the Seahorses are doing really well. It's a cool little tank that's out in our living room so everyone sees it. My tanks are in my room for my own viewing and the fact that we didn't have room for 2 fairly large tanks anywhere else in our house.
white marine sand...? I have no idea what company that is or if it's just like sand box sand or yeah... and cycling time depends on whether your rock is cured or uncured and also your water testing. if ammonia, nitrite/nitrate, etc all zero, then go for it.
the penguin 350...well...POSSIBLY you could use the insert for the cycle but afterwards, take that insert out. and if you want, sent a small "fuge" lol I'm kidding but instead, you could put in rubble rock inside the penguin (since the insert can be considered a nitrate trap) and since your live rock is your primary method of filtration, more inside the penguin will help no?
and...I think it's obvious to say this but don't add your live rock or live sand when all you have is fresh water marine salt isn't that expensive. I use oceanic or instant ocean. both brands are fine and most people use instant ocean so yeah
yep 3 watts a gallon is really for very low light corals and anemones need a MUCH bigger tank than that I think the smallest one grows 10 inches across any I believe anemones need 6-8 watts at least don't buy them even experienced reef hobbyists have a hard time and no you don't need them to make clown fish happy. it's really common for clown fish to host xenia only problem with xenia is once you get it, more than likely it'll grow very fast and take over a lot of the tank pruning is quite necessary
and as to your dad's tank...well...small tank sizes...more than likely I'll get quite flamed on here but I'll say it anyway I have a 12 gal tank with only 1 clown so far. gonna add another later to pair him up. people on this forum will disagree with this but people at n-r forums won't although they will say 3 fish in a 12 gal is really pushing it and shouldn't be done more or less so your dad really could do it if he wanted to as could you but hey, 30 gals is good too! more space to be creative!
Wow, that link to the picture before the actual picture is amazing. My dad had a small patch of that stuff (Zoas I guess) But it somehow died. Not sure why though. Well, nevermind, he had a huge red algae problem and it choked out just about all corals he had. So do Zoas come in all colors? And can they get somewhat stringy like in the picture in the link? Also, do they get any bigger or are they normally just very small and in patches?
It's funny when people are smily crazy so don't think of it as a bad thing.
Anyways, I hope to eventually get a bigger wattage light, but I just want to get things going first. I posted an add for the freshwater fish in the tank currently just a little while ago. Then I'll have to sell the fake plants and ornaments since my 55 gallon freshy is all natural and the fake plants and ornaments would kind of make it lose the look, sell the hood and 20 watt fluorescent, dump the water and take out the sand currently in it, switch in the white marine sand (it's basically crushed coral, but pulverized into sand), then I'll add the liverock, give it awhile, then start adding inverts slowly.
Just curious though, I've got a freshwater testing kit that has the exact same testers as the saltwater kit, but with a lower pH testing strip. Couldn't I use the same kit since it's got Nitrates, Nitrites, and Ammonia. Then get a high pH tester?
ah not pictures of MY corals just similar ones sun coral is a bit of a pain in the butt though because of feeding -_- but hey...I got a sun coral and a brain coral for 40$ total...20 bucks a piece for nice big corals...pretty happy with that
anyway I agree with oscer I asked this same question when I was starting out but you should just buy a salt water test kit just to be safe _________________ MY FISH IS BETTER THAN YOUR FISH!!!!!
Last edited by djchristone on 2006.06.13(Tue)0:52; edited 1 time in total
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I realize I use a lot of faces when I type but O.O that is seriously a lot...lol 
