Lighting

D

dustyboy316

Reefing newb
Hey guys. I'm going to buy an aquarium (probably 20 gallon). I am just wondering about the differnet types of lighting. I can't really seem to get a straight answer.

Anyways what light would work best for coral as well as some smaller salt water fish such as clown fish.

Also what is a good flitration system for a 20 galllon tank?

Thanks guys, I'm trying to keep my spending down on this, but I'm not going to cheap out if it will risk the animals or coral.
 
first off welcome to the reef. and second a good set of t-5's will be good for your tank with corals, but as far as lighting and fish go. that doesnt matter, fish dont need the light to survive
 
That lighting fixture is a normal output T5 with only two bulbs.It won't be good enough to keep much,maybe mushroom corals if that.This 24'' T5-HO fixture with four bulbs and lunar lights will allow you to keep most corals.
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=3578+3733+12772&pcatid=12772

Filtration is somewhat tricky for small tanks.My suggestion-20+ lbs of live rock,a decent skimmer(if one will fit) and a powerhead or two for added flow.
 
reeffreak said:
That lighting fixture is a normal output T5 with only two bulbs.It won't be good enough to keep much,maybe mushroom corals if that.This 24'' T5-HO fixture with four bulbs and lunar lights will allow you to keep most corals.
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=3578+3733+12772&pcatid=12772

Filtration is somewhat tricky for small tanks.My suggestion-20+ lbs of live rock,a decent skimmer(if one will fit) and a powerhead or two for added flow.
Click to expand...

Ok, so if I don't get any corals and just buy live rock I don't need any light?

It seems like a decent light is a bit out of my range now, as I'm jobless for another month or two.

So if I just buy some live rock and get a filtration system I can keep some fish? If that's true what else can I put into the tank (I.E. Crabs, snails, shrimp etc).

Oh and what advantage do the power heads give, just keep it cleaner by circulating?

Thanks.
 
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You can do live rock without having to invest in a light.
For a FOWLR tank,Just regular old light strips will do just fine,untill you can do better.
And you'll need a few snails anyway.Shrimp will be fine,as well as any of the smaller gobies.
Just invest in a good skimmer,get 20 pounds or so of live rock,and start her up.
Theres nothing in the rule book that says you HAVE to start with a reef.
Power heads keep the water moving.Which helps keep detritus and other crap from building up and killing your water quality.They are pretty much a must have in this hobby.
 
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dustyboy316 said:
Ok, so if I don't get any corals and just buy live rock I don't need any light?You don't need any special light.Why would someone want to run a tank without a light?Any stock hood/lights or the one on Ebay will do.


So if I just buy some live rock and get a filtration system I can keep some fish? If that's true what else can I put into the tank (I.E. Crabs, snails, shrimp etc).Check compatibility but yes everything you listed can be added.Only the fish is considered part of the bioload or anything that has to be fed.Wait til after the cycle is complete before adding anything.Shrimps are more sensitive so wait even longer for them.

Oh and what advantage do the power heads give, just keep it cleaner by circulating?Adds oxygen as well and salt can't stay mixed without some kind of circulation.Flow brings food to corals,clams and anemones.Some corals don't have a skeletons to hold themselves up and other corals need flow to swath off film when they grow.The coral part doesn't apply to you,at least not yet.

Thanks.
Click to expand...

Are the colors annoying?
 
yote said:
You can do live rock without having to invest in a light.
For a FOWLR tank,Just regular old light strips will do just fine,untill you can do better.
And you'll need a few snails anyway.Shrimp will be fine,as well as any of the smaller gobies.
Just invest in a good skimmer,get 20 pounds or so of live rock,and start her up.
Theres nothing in the rule book that says you HAVE to start with a reef.
Click to expand...

Ok, thanks for the post. I actually found some cheap coral in my city so I wanted to start with that. Probably is better I'm not anyways, better to get used to just fish first.

So I need:
Tank (20 gallon)
Filtration system
Skimmer
Live Rock

Is that all I need to start my tank?
 
reeffreak said:
Yote,I actually think the small Prizm will work good for his 20 gallon.Somewhat small and doesn't take up so much space.I wouldn't use one on a 75g. but hey,its only a 20.I highly,highly suggest you get the surface skimmer with this skimmer,it will work much better.Pretty useless without it.

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=3578+4392+7928&pcatid=7928
Click to expand...

That's an intense skimmer. It says the surface skimmer comes in the package, so I'm going to look on ebay and see if I can find this baby for a bit cheaper.

How much does live rock usually cost? And can I put some "dead" sand on the bottom of the tank, or is there a certain type to put down?
 
reeffreak said:
Yote,I actually think the small Prizm will work good for his 20 gallon.Somewhat small and doesn't take up so much space.I wouldn't use one on a 75g. but hey,its only a 20.I highly,highly suggest you get the surface skimmer with this skimmer,it will work much better.Pretty useless without it.

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=3578+4392+7928&pcatid=7928
Click to expand...

Didnt think about that.But I've never run a prizm.

Dusty,Make sure you only use aragonite sand.You dont have to pay the higher price for live sand,so just pick 20 pounds of dry aragonite.
 
yote said:
Didnt think about that.But I've never run a prizm.

Dusty,Make sure you only use aragonite sand.You dont have to pay the higher price for live sand,so just pick 20 pounds of dry aragonite.
Click to expand...

Ok sounds good. How much do you think the live rock will cost?
 
That depends a lot on where you get it.But expect to pay at least 4 to 5 bucks a pound for it.
I know around here,local.It'll usually run anywhere from 10 a pound up to about 14.
But shop around.Check your local craigslist.Local reefers,and such.You might find somebody thats getting out of the hobby,and get a great deal on rock.
 

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