Lighting

[mellowchef87]

I know I have been asking a TON of questions here in the last week but i want to make sure I do things right. I have2 questions. Firstly, I am thinking about buying a frag of some sort. I am a beginner, and had a FOWLR tank, until a hitchiking mushroom popped up. I was wondering what would be a good beginner coral to go with? I definitely want something cool looking, but I also want to get something that is pretty hardy and easier to care for. Secondly, With this I am wondering if the LEDs that came with my tank will be enough light to really support growth, or if I will need to get a new light. Thanks in advance for any advice!

 

[Greenman]

What kind of tank is it, If this is one of the walmart kits than def. not. You can look for a good T5 High Output fixture for a 10 to have good coral growth. Until you update that lighting I'd stay away from the corals because they'll just end up dying under that stock light.

 

[kbuser92]

If its the Marineland one, youre stuck with soft corals: more mushrooms, zoanthids, leathers, kenya tree, xenia, star polyps, etc...if you feel adventurous and all goes well, you could try LPS like frogspawn, hammer, open brains, etc... but only high in the tank. And if you do try, be prepared to get a better light because what you have may not be enough for those. And I would personally upgrade before trying hard corals to be safe, but good luck either way!

 

[mellowchef87]

Its the Top Fin 10g LED hood. It has 6 LEDs total. Probably not too strong huh?

 

[Greenman]

not really

 

[kbuser92]

No. Not a chance. If you want a cheap soft coral compatable LED, look at the Marineland Double brights. ~$40, I think. Or get a better quality, cheap 4-bulb T5 for the time being. They can be found from about $50 on up, depending on size and quality.

If possible, buy the best system you can afford since its arguably the most important piece of equipment youll buy.

 

[Greenman]

I use t5's on my 29gallon tank and i LOVE them, Easy to use and doesnt give off much heat.

 

[mellowchef87]

Cool thanks

 

[chichimom79]

I like the PAR38 bulbs for small tanks. I have one over my ten gallon

 

[mellowchef87]

Well I was unable to find any good lighting at any of the pet stores around here so I guess Amazon it is

 

[Northstar24]

Look at a Par38 LED bulb. They are relatively cheap (less than $100) and they plug into any light socket. so your mounting options are literally limited only by your imagination. In a 10 gallon tank, you'll be able to keep anything you want. If you upgrade to a larger tank in the future, you can either add more Par38's or use the one you have to light a refugium

LEDs - PAR Bulbs - Rapid LED
PAR30 Reef Lamp

 

[mellowchef87]

Awesome. And not too expensive either. Thanks!

 

[Northstar24]

There are several users here that recently put these over 10 gallon tanks as part of a site contest, there should be some build threads on the site somewhere, these are awesome for the small nano tanks

 

[chichimom79]

I like the PAR38 bulbs for small tanks. I have one over my ten gallon

Just call me Ms. Cellophane LOL

Feel free to check out my ten gallon thread. There's a link in my signature. The Rapid LED PAR bulbs have been upgraded on their site since I got mine, but I still like it. :Cheers: