Low lighting

cthegame

cthegame

Reef enthusiast
Currently, I only have 190 watts of light for my 80 gallon. Is that enough to keep minimum to moderate light required corals? I could probably add another 30 or 40 watt florescent light if it will make a big difference making it 230 watts total.

At 190, how many options do I have (if any).

Thanks
 
what kind of lighting is it? VHO, PC, T-5, MH?

that is barely 2 watts / gallon. You want 3 watts / gallon to grow leathers and mushrooms. 5 watts / gallon for LPS and 8 watts / gallon for SPS. With your current lighting I would not try any corals. Just me.

-Dr Marco :sfish:
 
I agree with the Doc. 2 watts per gallon is not enough to keep anything, in my opinion. Adding another 30 or 40 watts won't help. You really need a minimum of 4 watts per gallon to keep just the basics. Sorry man :(.
 
But hey! You can get some non photosynthetic corals if you are REALLY desperate. Like sun corals. But since they are non photosynthetic, you will have to hand feed them every single day. Not worth it, in my opinion, but Freak loves his sun corals and takes good care of them. If you have the time, go for it.
 
oh my GOSH, Biff!!! You agreed with me? That means I am not a total TARD...YAY!!!!:bounce::bounce:

Back to the thread: If you want to keep corals, determine what you want. A lot of folks have T-5 lighting and can keep every kind of coral. I am not a huge fan of SPS corals so I have PC (power compact) lighting and I have softies and LPS corals with about 6 watts / gallon. remember, you are trying to imitate the sun with your lighting. Corals like light.

-Dr Marco :sfish:
 
Oh geez...don't get any non-photosynthetic corals.Look into upgrading to better lights if your wanting to get into corals.Also start looking at what kinds of corals before deciding on lights.
 
What i have is coralife power compact but i got it for $99 which was great. I wont get corals until i have at least 4 watts per gallon. I still have a few months to go before i even start buying corals so i have some time to save up for better lights. Since i already have the PC light, can i still use it and save the money on buying one high wattage fixture? Any options for adding say another 150 waat or so? Can some one recommend a few lights that range from 150-200 watts only that i could use with my current PC.

Thanks.
 
Last edited:
hmmm. I would discourage mixing lights: like PC or T-5. If you are starting with PCs, stay with PCs. That way your lighting stays consistent. If you keep you PC and then add 200 watts of T-5, there will be a brightness discrepency and it will look funny. IMO.

-Dr Marco :sfish:
 
You can mix and match lights, but I don't think you will be happy with the way it looks in the long run. A few months down, you will probably end up replacing both fixtures with one good one. I think a better approach is to just stick with fish only for now (since lighting doesn't matter for fish only tanks) and save up. When you get enough money, buy the right lights. That way you won't have to waste money upgrading and replacing over and over. It can be tempting to rush into things and say you want to supplement your existing lighting, but trust me, even if you get 4 watts per gallon by adding on another fixture, you won't be happy with that over time either, since that is the bare MINIMUM of what you need to keep corals. You will want to start keeping more light intensive ones anyways and will have to upgrade anyways.
 
Bifferwine said:
You can mix and match lights, but I don't think you will be happy with the way it looks in the long run. A few months down, you will probably end up replacing both fixtures with one good one. I think a better approach is to just stick with fish only for now (since lighting doesn't matter for fish only tanks) and save up. When you get enough money, buy the right lights. That way you won't have to waste money upgrading and replacing over and over. It can be tempting to rush into things and say you want to supplement your existing lighting, but trust me, even if you get 4 watts per gallon by adding on another fixture, you won't be happy with that over time either, since that is the bare MINIMUM of what you need to keep corals. You will want to start keeping more light intensive ones anyways and will have to upgrade anyways.
Click to expand...


That's exactly what i will do. Thanks for the advice. Lights have become so cheap these days...I see for arround $400 i can get a very decent light that will suffice for most corals. Saving $400 in a few months shouldnt be a big deal. Definately worth it. I can then use my PC for something else or even get rid of it.

Ok so no mixing lights.
Mission: save up $400
Goal: to keep corals
Life: no purpose in living until goal has been reached
Money Status: broke
Impulsive behavior: must have corals or die! Must have everything right away (crying)
Personality: Robot

LOL
 
If she is Biff's twin, I need to clear my schedule to prepare for the therapy needed.....j/k/ Biff - you would be a piece of cake as a client as compared to my paying job.

-Dr Marco :sfish:
 
Damn parents never told me i had a twin. I would hear this female voice in my head saying "dont buy the power compact, i repead DO NOT BUY THE POWER COMPACT!!!" but i never figured where it was comming from. Just figured its my evil alter ego or something...It all makes sense now. Biff my long lost twin trying to warn me.

By the way Doc, im not a girl. i change sex when i see a hot looking bigger female.
 
interesting..your problems are more prounounced that I originally thought. hmmm. I will prepare a full battery of tests to determine how best to help you. Male, female, bi, trannie, I have worked with them all. Relax, have a xanax, and let me get to work...

-Dr Marco :sfish:
 
yeah. Yote and Reef have sold me on the idea of T-5s. I found a nice set of lights for my 90 with the cool reflectors for about $400. I will add those when I get the canopy since they are retrofit. I never thought I would get excited over lighting...we are all such dorks...well maybe just Biff.

Anyway.

-Dr Marco :sfish:
 
Read the fine print:

"All Sales Final. Item sales "AS-IS ". Please read Payment instruction and confirm S&H before bid. Buyer agree and accept all terms listed in this auction when a bid was placed. Any question, please email us first, not after the auction. Thank you :)"

Does that mean if it comes broken, you are SOL? No returns if it is a piece of crap?

In my opinion, if a light has that warning underneath it, BUYER BEWARE.
 

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