MikeG's 10 Gallon Mini-Reef

MikeG

Ex-Member
Well I decided that 3 tanks wasn't enough and I wanted to set up a small tank specifically dedicated to coral. Well and maybe one small fish, but I'll decide on that later. Going with a 10 gallon tank and I'm trying to decide between to different light fixtures, one is a 4-bulb T5 and the other is LED's (a knock off of the Marineland Reef Capable LED's) but almost $100 less. Here are the links:

Odyssea 20" T5 - eBay - New & used electronics, cars, apparel, collectibles, sporting goods & more at low prices

and

Beamworks LED's - eBay - New & used electronics, cars, apparel, collectibles, sporting goods & more at low prices

I'm open to opinions/suggestions on which one might be the better choice. The Beamworks LED's has the same number of LED's and Lumens as the same size Marineland Reef Capable and I have the Marineland on my 36 gallon and like it, but I think maybe the Odyssea 4-bulb T5 might be the better choice. Ideas???

The Tank
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Stand
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Dry Rock and Sand (I have more rock if that's not enough)
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I'm gonna use the two Hydor Koralia Nano 425's that are currently in my 36g (ordered Hydor Koralia 550's to replace them in 36) and will be picking up a heater tomorrow. Can wait to get this project started.

Give me your ideas on the lights, I want to buy them this weekend so they will be here by the end of next week. Thanks.
 
Im a bit worried about your stand. Your tank is going to weigh around 100lbs when full and I doubt that your bookshelf is designed to support anything close to that.
 
I think the two 425s is going to be too much flow. I have two 240s and that's more than enough. Also I have the odyssea on my 10g and they are nice but I wish I would have gone with the leds instead. I say this bc Im looking to replace the bulbs but I cant find better bulbs anywhere that small. The leds might also look brighter too. I have the marineland reef leds on my 29g and I love them.
 
Lil, thanks for the concern but the "stand" is very heavy and solid and I don't think it's gonna be a problem. It's a lot more sturdy than it may look in the pic.

Bee, check out Live Aquaria, they carry AquaticLife T5's in the 18 watts in the white 10,000k and 420/460nm actinic. I was worrying about the bulbs that came with the Odyssea too and found these. But I too have the Marineland Reef Capable and I like it and might go with the LED's on this tank.

As for the flow, I was thinking that two 425's might be a bit of overkill, so I might just start with one and see how that goes.

Any other thoughts on the lights?
 
i used my stock odyssea lights on my 10 gallon and i was able to keep sps high up. the bulbs are portrayed as much worse than they actually are.
 
I have always been a big advocate for LEDs. I have 2 AI Sols over my tank and the LEDs look amazing. I do know that a lot of knock offs are able to go cheaper because their spectrum isn't the same as the real thing which may make growing corals hard (this is just what I have heard. I am by NO means an expert). I do really like LEDs though, they are much more energy efficient and give off very little heat.
 
I have a Odyssea PC fixture on my 60g with the stock bulbs and it has been just fine with them. If I went with the Odyssea T5 fixture I don't think I would bother changing out the bulbs till they got old anyway. Probably not worth the $ to change till they needed it.

I do like the LED's (my MarineLand RC on the 36g) but I don't think I can afford the cost of AI Sol for a 10 gallon tank. And I'm not sure it's worth spending $165 on the Marineland 18' LED when I can get almost the same thing in a Beamworks 18" LED for $68.

This decision is becoming tougher than I thought. T5 or LED??????:frustrat:
 
Here is one thing to think about. With the T5 fixture, you will have to replace bulbs once a year. With most LEDs, you have to replace the entire fixture every 5 years. In the long run, usually the LEDs are cheaper.
 
Yea if the leds are the same exact thing as the marineland then I would pick the leds. More energy efficient, stays cool, takes less space, overall look is better IMO.
 
The AI Sols are pretty awesome. If you wanted to do something from AI over your 10 gal (if you ever needed/wanted that upgrade) they have the AI Nano which would be more than adequate for a 10 gal tank.
 
Thanks, Mikme, Ive been looking for replacement bulbs for a CoraLife fixture Im planning to get for my 5.5! (Dont want something I cant rwplace bulbs in, ya know?)
 
Decided a week ago to move the tank to the kitchen (I know I'm a copycat), but I didn't like where I had it originally and needed something in the kitchen to watch beside the TV. Added some more dry rock and got a new light. Still waiting for the cycle to complete and trying to decide what I want to put in it fish wise. Saw a Tail Spot Blenny at the LFS on Friday and after a little research I think that's what I'm gonna go with when the time comes. Anybody have any other suggestions??

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