Reef advice

[Mr. H]

Let me start off by saying "Hello" to everyone. I was referred to this site a few weeks ago, and I love it so far. I need some advice for my tank, heres some of the details:
-45gal. hexagon tank. 24 inches deep
-96 watt Compact florescent light
-Fluval 404, CPR Protein Skimmer
-45lbs of Live Rock.
Weekly water changes.

I want to start up a reef tank with some basic corals, but I'm afraid to spend the money on the corals if they die as a result of insufficient lighting. I realize that MH lights are the best for reef tanks, and I would love to have a MH setup for my tank but I’m afraid of the cost of it and the amount of heating it would inflect on my tank. My question is can I sustain a decent reef tank with my setup or will I have to go out and get a MH setup?
Thanks again for the help.

[elgordoinavw]

I had my first reef tank w/ 2x 96 watt pc. I have a used Hamilton Tech 2x 55 watt pc retro that I'll sell for $70. That would give you 206 watts of PC- good enough for most things except SPS and Clams (well some SPS would be fine. Like Monti Cap and Monti Digi)

[David M]

...can I sustain a decent reef tank with my setup

Depends on your definition of "decent" The light is not going to penetrate well to the 24" depth so you want to arrange coral choices vertically according to light requirements, IOW arrange the rock in a pyramid reaching as high as possible. A pre-skim box for the backpac will help by keeping the surface clear for better penetration. Of course more light would be better but you can probably manage a "decent" softie display of some sort in there.

[farrington300]

Dont forget you can always choose items that do not require light, feather duters, tube anemonies, etc. I have seen some really cool "low lights" reef tanks.

[peterluber]

PC is fine for softies, some sps, and even squamosa and derasa clams, but i wouldn't try those in a 24 inch deep tank with PC's. maybe an 18 inch. i think, though, that if you invest in a 250W or even just a 175W MH system, it will really be worth it. if you go to mike parkis' site (www.mparkis.com) , you can pick up a MH kit (150, 175, 250, or 400) for around $170-$180. the bulbs cost up to $90, but only have to be changed once a year or so. if you go with the PC's, the light doesn't look as good, doesn't penetrate as well, doesn't do as much for the colors, and you will end up spending ~$220 bucks a year on bulbs, since they will need to be changed every 6 months. oh, and welcome to SDReefs. im looking forward to seeing a thriving reef from you .

PS. But really, i was going to go with ~400W of PC's over my 90, but decided to go with a 250W MH in the middle, and two 36W PC's on each side for supplemental lighting, and it is such a dramatic color difference, i couldn't imagine not picking the MH. and as for heat, if this is in an enclosed hood, invest in a fan, installed in the side of the hood, blowing the hot air out. if you want to get really fancy, marine depot has an IceCap "SmartFan" with a temp probe so when the air gets hotter, it spins faster. HTH.

Peter

[wsonner]

Originally posted by farrington300
Dont forget you can always choose items that do not require light, feather duters, tube anemonies, etc. I have seen some really cool "low lights" reef tanks.

I'm so glad you said that. Everywhere in the reefdom there is the prevailing idea that with lighting more is better...and in most cases it probably is. But I think there are alternatives out there....anyone have any ideas on what they are? (Excluding FO :-).

[farrington300]

anyone have any ideas on what they are? (Excluding FO :-).

Low Light tank

Primary inhabitants are low light requiring corals which may or may not be photosynthetic. Typical inhabitants may include mushrooms, polyps, sun coral, non-photosynthetic gorgonians, mobile invertebrates and of course fish.

Lagoon tank

Primary inhabitants are soft coral and LPS. Focus is on invertebrates that live in this reef environment. Anemones may be included if sufficient lighting is provided. This type of tank is popular for housing seahorses and pipefish.

There are a million little critters and corals that do not require a lot of light. Some of wich are difficult to keep and some are easy. Just takes research.