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Coralife Lighting?

D

ds4x4

new forum member here so hello! ;D and i have a lighting question for you all..

i have the coralife aqua-deluxe with 4 compact florescent lights, 2 10,000k 65watt and 2 460mm 65 watt actinic. i bought a 10,000k bulb since one was burned out and now after one day it does't work along with the one that worked the whole time.. i've only had the tank about 4 days, someone gave me almost all the quipment. so are these bulbs that sensitive? they are $35 a piece at the local store that has them.. i pretty much have to move the light any time i do something with the tank since it lays on the top..

heres a link
http://www.oceanicsystems.com/products/freshwater-aqualight-deluxe-series---double-linear-strip.php#

and here my setup and a few pics from the other night

55 Gal tank
Coralife hood with 2 10,000k 65 watt flourescent and 2 450mm 65watt lights
60 lbs of live bahama sand
Marineland Emperor 400B filter with bio-wheel
Marineland penguin 150 filter with bio-wheel
250 watt stealth heater (marineland)
a smaller elite heater/backup for temp.
basic floating thermometer.
digital thermometer.
Salinity is at 32ppt/1.024 spg.
temp 79.0 F this morning
i have 4 pieces of live rock and a few other pieces of rock along with a few snails and a starfish or two that tagged along


HPIM2241.jpg

HPIM2238.jpg

HPIM2239.jpg
 
reefsandrotts

reefsandrotts

NJRC Member
I would scrap the light and buy new if possable go either T-5 or a combo of T-5/MH if your going todo corals.I would also loose the scuba dude and the air stone on the back glass your looking at a case of salt creep in the future with the fine air particles breaking the surface.
 
D

ds4x4

reefsandrotts said:
I would scrap the light and buy new if possable go either T-5 or a combo of T-5/MH if your going todo corals.I would also loose the scuba dude and the air stone on the back glass your looking at a case of salt creep in the future with the fine air particles breaking the surface.
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are there any models that are recommended? i don't think that i will be doing any hard corals based on what i have heard.. this tank is more of a starter tank and my first experience with saltwater.

the air stone is already gone and the scuba guy is just for S&G and set to very long intervals.
 
D

DaveK

First let me say that I'm not trying to play "beat up on the new guy". I want you system to work out well for you, so I feel I should point this out.

In addition to the lighting, and assuming you want to keep corals, you tank is set up using a lot of methods that would be considered almost obsolete by todays standards. The shallow sandbed, the hang on tank filters, the air bubble items, the low amount of LR, and the lack of a skimmer will all tend to contribute to problems along the way.

It's not so much that these ways don't work at all, it's that there are much better ways to do things today.

I highly recommend you get yourself several good books on start of the art reef systems, and see what is being done today. The two books The New Marine Aquarium by Michael Paletta and The Conscientious Marine Aquarist by Robert Fenner are a good place to start.

SW livestock is very expensive, and it only takes a few losses to pay for the more modern equipment you should have from the start.
 
C

chaoscat

The diver with the treasure chest makes me laugh. I can just picture the appalled faces of some of the "oh so serious" purists. I'm surprised somebody didn't make him take it out before they would reply. ;D
 
D

ds4x4

DaveK said:
First let me say that I'm not trying to play "beat up on the new guy". I want you system to work out well for you, so I feel I should point this out.

In addition to the lighting, and assuming you want to keep corals, you tank is set up using a lot of methods that would be considered almost obsolete by todays standards. The shallow sandbed, the hang on tank filters, the air bubble items, the low amount of LR, and the lack of a skimmer will all tend to contribute to problems along the way.

It's not so much that these ways don't work at all, it's that there are much better ways to do things today.

I highly recommend you get yourself several good books on start of the art reef systems, and see what is being done today. The two books The New Marine Aquarium by Michael Paletta and The Conscientious Marine Aquarist by Robert Fenner are a good place to start.

SW livestock is very expensive, and it only takes a few losses to pay for the more modern equipment you should have from the start.
Click to expand...

i will check out the books this weekend if borders has them, and thanks for the info.. I'm here on the forum to learn what to and not to do. That is the whole point, right? basically most of the setup was free and this is just a start-up phase.. really i don't need a skimmer at the moment for there is no protein to skim. but i will be getting one or a system that has one built in.. there are alot of setups out there from shelf models to custom.. i'm mostly here to read what has been posted not be the poster and ask a ton of questions that have already been asked a million times.. I do know how to use the search feature :). as far as lighting goes for what i have at the moment it will suffice, 2 10,000k bulbs and 2 460mm bulbs.. i don't have any coral at the moment and am just getting everything to really start growing on the lace rock. I picked up some more live rock today that had coralline already growing for a couple bucks.

Also, the sand is about 1 1/2" deep i believe.. what do you consider the appropriate depth?
 
Hawkeye

Hawkeye

ds4x4 said:
Also, the sand is about 1 1/2" deep i believe.. what do you consider the appropriate depth?
Click to expand...

at that depth - your talking pure aesthetics - which is fine. If you wanted a deep sand bed for additional nitrate reduction you'd need probably 4" minimum. Below that - I'd just keep enough to keep any sand-dwelling critters happy and to avoid the sand getting swirled around by the pumps.

btw i like both the books dave recommended.
 
JRWOHLER

JRWOHLER

i will check out the books this weekend if borders has them, and thanks for the info.. I'm here on the forum to learn what to and not to do. That is the whole point, right? basically most of the setup was free and this is just a start-up phase.. really i don't need a skimmer at the moment for there is no protein to skim. but i will be getting one or a system that has one built in.. there are alot of setups out there from shelf models to custom.. i'm mostly here to read what has been posted not be the poster and ask a ton of questions that have already been asked a million times.. I do know how to use the search feature :). as far as lighting goes for what i have at the moment it will suffice, 2 10,000k bulbs and 2 460mm bulbs.. i don't have any coral at the moment and am just getting everything to really start growing on the lace rock. I picked up some more live rock today that had coralline already growing for a couple bucks.

Also, the sand is about 1 1/2" deep i believe.. what do you consider the appropriate depth?
Click to expand...

The books are great ideas. Your lights are fine for now. Don't throw much more money into them though. Sorry I posted on your other link too about the skimmer. I will give my thoughts quick on the lights. Eventually you will probably want to replace the lights with T5 or MH. T5 are the less expensive less heat way to go. More expensive maybe then what you have, but the heat from T5 is a lot less, and the bulbs last longer. Or you can go MH but with softies and LPS that is overkill. Plus the added initial expense and energy just not worth it IMHO. So take your time and figure out what you want and then apply it to the fixture as you shop.

Building up with live rock over time is fine make sure that you are using rock(base rock or straight out of someones running system) that won't cycle again or your tank will have problems.

PS I liked the diver dude.
 
D

ds4x4

JRWOHLER said:
Building up with live rock over time is fine make sure that you are using rock(base rock or straight out of someones running system) that won't cycle again or your tank will have problems.
Click to expand...

Luckily i had picked up some good books and did alot of reading before jumping into this.. also i checked out some sites and read about the different fish and corals. Aslo some how to, along with just checking out pictures to see what i actually liked aesthetic wise.

http://www.saltwater-aquarium-online-guide.com/buying-saltwater-fish.html
http://www.saltwaterfish.com/
http://www.ratemyfishtank.com/

I think I'll go with a T5 setup for both the reasons you said.. if i find a good skimmer for sale then i'll pick one up. I'm spending enough at the moment just getting things running.

Oh, I can neither Confirm or Deny the whereabouts of Diver Dan..
acae.gif
;D
 
D

DaveK

ds4x4 said:
...

i will check out the books this weekend if borders has them, and thanks for the info.. I'm here on the forum to learn what to and not to do. That is the whole point, right? ...

Also, the sand is about 1 1/2" deep i believe.. what do you consider the appropriate depth?
Click to expand...

I should state up front that sandbed depth is are area where you almost cant go wrong. It's possible to use no sandbed at all (bare bottom) to over a 4" deep sandbed. My personal preference is to use either just enough to cover the bottom, or go with 4" of sand to get a working DSP. I feel 1 1/2" deep sand tends to trap more dirt but doesn't provide the advantages of a 4" DSB.
 
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