Brand new to the forum and the marine hobby

[EliWhitney314]

I have to say this forum has been really helpful. Thank you.

 

[yote]

Your welcome.
Thats why we all use this site.
Well that and to poke fun at each other:D

 

[EliWhitney314]

hehe

Do you guys think a 250 watt Halide light is too much for my 35? I heard it can boil the water? How high should I raise it from the tank?

 

[Bifferwine]

It's not going to boil the water, but it may make your tank very hot. I'd keep it at least 8 inches from the top of the water, check your temps over a couple days, and if they stay low enough, lower the light by 2 inches. Check your temps, etc.

 

[dcantucson]

One good thing is that you can pretty much keep any coral with that light, if you can keep it cool enough. Add a couple of clip on fans to the top.

 

[EliWhitney314]

should I get a chiller? I don't want to if I can help it.

 

[yote]

should I get a chiller? I don't want to if I can help it.

JMO,But I wouldn't worry about getting a chiller.
If you can plumb then through to the garage they'd be fine.Or if you can vent them through an outside wall.
The problem with chillers is they basically are counter productive.Yeah,they cool the water,but they also produce a lot of heat,so its heating up the room the tanks in,so the chiller has to work harder and the harder it works,the more heat it produces.
One or 2 fans clipped to the top of the tank,will drop the water temp by at least 10 degrees.The only down side of the fans,is they increase evaporation.

 

[daugherty]

i have a 175wmh on my 10gal nano and it only gets to 80 and the light is about 10-13in above the tank

 

[Bifferwine]

The cheapest chiller you're gonna find is around $400, so chillers are out of the question for most hobbyists. Your tank is fine in the low 80s.

 

[EliWhitney314]

Yeah this kid at work is saying it's a mistake to get the halide light, but I think I trust you guys a little more. haha

I just got to figure out the fan situation and hang the halide high enough. I just don't want to hang it so high that I start to loose important light.

What are some hard coral that are good for a novice like myself? I want brain coral or something like that, but I can wait till I get the hang of this.

 

[daugherty]

well here is my 10 gal with a 175w mh and the temp soes not go over 80 on this tank. but if it did i would use a clip on fan to cool it down.

 

[EliWhitney314]

that is bright. haha

 

[EliWhitney314]

I have a concern about buying the live sand this saturday. I have a limited money supply until after oct 31st, and I probably will not be able to buy a skimmer for a month or so. Can I still have the live sand without a skimmer, or how long can I get away with it?

I don't plan on buying live rock or any fish yet. I am just going to have salt water, live sand, hob filter, heater, and the halide light. Is that ok?

 

[daugherty]

if you are buying the live sand in a bag than dont buy that. just buy dry sand. and then go to the lfs and buy a few pounds of real live sand. most lfs sell sand out of their tanks. the bagged stuph id over priced for what it is.

 

[EliWhitney314]

No he is selling me his live sand. It's a guy from craigslist.

 

[EliWhitney314]

But it's ok if I have live sand if it's from an established tank. I just know I won't have a skimmer for a bit.

 

[daugherty]

yes just ask him if he has ever added copper in the tank

 

[EliWhitney314]

yeah I will. I also want to see his tank and get is params.

 

[Bifferwine]

The sand will be perfectly fine without a skimmer.

 

[EliWhitney314]

thanks biff.