Skimmer and light upgrade:need help!

[Wildheart]

It was easy learning stuff about marine aquariums,at least 'till I reached lighting and protein skimmers...

As you all know,I have a Sera Marine Biotope Cube(130l-32g)which came with a
PS-130 skimmer and 2 PL 24W blue-white neons+ 2 blue LEDs for moonlight.
This is good for soft corals,but not for most LPS,and absolutely horrible for SPS.

I was intending to change the 2 PL 24W neons with a daylight and T5.
But this worries me,since I have no chiller(only ventilators) and T5 might be too strong.I am clearly not an expert when it comes to watts and light measurements.
How many watts does a T5 have?I also don't know what neons would fit into my ''roof''.
The neons I have now are quite short.:confused:I'll try to measure them(but you might know already how long PL 24W are).

Can anyone write a small list recommending different types of bulbs and what would fit best in my biocube?Also,the requirements in watts each type of invertebrate has(corals,clams,anemones).

When it comes to the skimmer,I am faced with another dilemma.Skimmers should remove unnecessary particles form the water,leaving it clear.My water has some dust in it,but that may be caused by the fact that the back pannel only has a tiny door,and that door is right over my wavemaker,so I don't think much water gets to enter at the back of the tank.Should I place the wavemaker on the left of my tank,right under the black pipe which propels water back into the aquarium?The pipe's holes are turned upwards,towards the surface,but I still think the current will be very strong.I can try though...
Do I need a better skimmer?Gonioporas hate crystal clear waters,but he might live for a very short time,so the corals coming after must have a good quality water...UFF!
This is so hard!Too many problems!TMP!!!!!!!

 

[Wildheart]

Reading some other threads,I see some people have taken off the original cover and created an open aquarium with a light stand above(containing halides),while others chose some T5 neons.Even more confused...

 

[ErinCahir]

I don't know exact lighting requirement for inverts/corals.
But I highly recommend switching your lights (as you already were planning to do). I think you best bet is getting a MH pendant. That way you don't have to worry about whether or not it will fit on your aquarium. I'm also not super familiar with cube tanks, though, but I know a lot of others on this site have them. Hopefully they will chime in soon.

 

[fastrd400]

It looks to be a basic Nano, Bio-Cube. You could remove the hood and place a T5 Fixture on it, somewhere in about the 24" range. You can also gut the hood and by searching the internet get a retro MH, or LED that should bolt right in. Rapidled.com has some nice LED systems that will screw right into existing holes in some cubes, and they are fairly reasonably priced. Viper makes a "clamp-on" MH light that is 70 watts as well.

 

[Ulta]

If it was me I would add a 150w MH Fixture.
or the 150w MH with 2x T5 actinics (For nice color supplementation)

This will allow you to keep any type of coral and make ur tank look fantastic! :)

You can find the 150w MH with 2x T5 actinics for only like $100 now days... (they have crappy stock bulbs in it tho)

EDIT: I have a 150w MH with 2 Actinics on my 24g Aquapod and love it! (Link is in my Sig)

 

[Wildheart]

I'd prefer something internal to prevent dust from coming in and water from evaporating.
Also,I'd have to buy moonlights too.And it is a lot harder to handle the rock with the lamp over the tank,I'm affraid I might smash something.
The shop near us has an aquarium just like mine,with light upgrades,and I will try to do something similar.:mrgreen:

Still need tips for skimmer!

 

[fastrd400]

Tunze makes a great little Nano skimmer. I think it is the 9002. Also Hydor just came out with one that I saw in a tank yesterday, it is getting really good reviews as well.