Lighting for a 10 gallon tank?

[Picasso]

I've got this little 10 gallon tank that I was going to make into a mangrove/ refugium tank but it will be a while to get more mangroves (since my first one's arrived looking like a box of frozen asparagus). They will be replaced but not until the weather warms. I've been throwing extra stuff in there and it's kind of looking good. I would like to get a nice light for the tank. This light needs to give room for growing mangroves and not bake everything in the tank. Any suggestions? The mangroves and the tank will be getting a good bit of natural light from a window. Cost is an issue. I would like to keep the mangroves, some live rock, and I'm thinking about an anemone and moving my clown fish over to that tank. Maybe try to make a pod breeding farm but no other corals in that tank. Thanks, Catherine

 

[Bifferwine]

Well, for mangroves you won't need strong light. A regular old plant bulb from Home Depot or Lowe's will do. But if you want an anemone, you are going to have to get extreme light. Since anemones require more light than most corals... I think you're going to have to choose one or the other, since their needs are so different.

 

[Picasso]

The main idea for the tank is the mangroves. I was just thinking that since I had the tank going it would be fun to try an anemone in a place where it couldn't do much damage if it decided to die or take a walk like in Yote's tank. I'm thinking about a clip on light on one side of the tank then putting a half wall on the other side where I'll fill it with sand and that way the mangroves will sit higher in the water. Eventually, I would like to hook this mangrove tank with my 26 gallon but necessarily for filtering purposes. I think the more water mass I can connect, the easier it will be to maintain my water quality. My HOB filter filled with LR and my Prizm skimmer seem to be doing ok for my 26 gallon. My 10 gallon will also have a HOB filter, skimmer and tons of LR, LS and the mangroves. I'm keeping my fish to a minimum and starting to overload on corals. HOPEFULLY this will be enough to keep everything clean and happy. Thanks, Biff, for the feedback!

Catherine

 

[yote]

Biffs got it covered.

 

[simpleman]

Catherine you're officially addicted!

 

[Picasso]

Totally!