[franklinr_casedo]

Hi guys,
sory to bother you. am about to start my 50 gallon reef tank. my questions are:
1.how will i put liverock at a time. will use this as part of a cycling process.
2.do i need to buy right a way MH although my tank is only in a cycling process
3.what time will i open protein skimmer.
4.what device will i buy to measure water params such as nitrate amonia nitrites

thanks
please help.
frank

 

[jsm11482]

Only one I can answer is #4: Doc Wellfish makes a "Master Test Kit" for salt water and freshwater aquariums: http://www.drsfostersmith.com/produ...&Ntx=mode+matchallpartial&Np=1&pc=1&N=0&Nty=1

Good luck with your new setup!

 

[caferacermike]

You can add all of your rock work at one time to the tank. Wait about 6 weeks with your system fully running, skimmers, filters, lighting etc... Your tank and rock will cycle together.

Do you need a MH light at all? It all depends on what you want to keep. If you are going reef and really want it to "pop" then yes a MH is for you. Can you get away with T5 flouoros? Yes you can. Will it save you money in the long run? Probably not. Buying several fixtures and bulbs is more expensive than one nice MH. Can you wait 6 weeks while the tank cycles? Yes you can. Your coraline algae may suffer and die off. It will comem back but slowly. The main reason for coraline is that hair algae will not grow where coraline is.

I'd run the protien skimmer from day one. This way you can figure it all out before adding the fish.

Aquairum pharmacueticals does make nice kits. The Doc wellfish name is being replaced by API. Salifert and Seachem are regarded as the best most accurate kits. Don't forget a nice swing salinity guage or refractometer.

 

[franklinr_casedo]

thanks mike
but anyway what do you mean T5 flouros, sory i got lost.

 

[Lupin]

thanks mike
but anyway what do you mean T5 flouros, sory i got lost.

They're light tubes, Frank. You're lucky I was studying on light tubes lately as I was preparing for my planted tank.:mrgreen: Try the lights branded Phillips. If you can, get 40 watts(one tube).

 

[caferacermike]

If you went with T5 or power compacts I'd recommend way more than 40w unless it is a fish only tank. More like 150w or better. I know of everal 20g nanos with 250w or more to keep very specific corals alive.

 

[franklinr_casedo]

you mean in order for my anemones to stay alive and healthy what i need to do is to put two philips (80W) in my reef tank? are you refering flourescent or is it different?

 

[Lupin]

you mean in order for my anemones to stay alive and healthy what i need to do is to put two philips (80W) in my reef tank? are you refering flourescent or is it different?

Hi Frank.:wave:

With 150W Mike has mentioned, you'll need 3-4 tubes. They should be fluorescent, of course. Incandescent just gives off too much heat.
I haven't known any lighting here that has more than 40W per tube other than 40W.

 

[franklinr_casedo]

that's great, that way i can save money. i went to lfs and they told me that 20w MH would be enough for my anemones. am very confused

 

[Lupin]

that's great, that way i can save money. i went to lfs and they told me that 20w MH would be enough for my anemones. am very confused

20W seems far too low but then again, MH is still different from fluorescent. I'd go with fluorescent rather than metal halides. MHs need to be hang as they tend to give off much heat.

 

[usmc121581]

franklinr_casedo wrote:
that's great, that way i can save money. i went to lfs and they told me that 20w MH would be enough for my anemones. am very confused

I think you are talking about a 20w flourescent. MH's dont come in 20w. Or you got it confused and your LFS said 20k MH, which will be good for your anemones. For the MH lighting it comes in 10k, 14k, and 20k. Me I would go with the MH light from the beginning. I learned a expensive lesson not going with MH first. It toke me 2 flourescent fixtures later to relize that MH's were the best way to go. So from me I would recommend MH's.

20W seems far too low but then again, MH is still different from fluorescent. I'd go with fluorescent rather than metal halides. MHs need to be hang as they tend to give off much heat.

Yes MH's do give of heat but if you have the proper ventalation your tank temp would never fluxuate more then it would normally. I have 2-250w MH's 6" above the water and the highest my temp has got has been around 83 degrees and that right around when I'm going to turn my MH's off, and I have 765w going into a 120gal.

 

[Lupin]

Guess that pretty much ends up the confusion. I've never touch on MHs rather than fluorescents.

Good luck, Frank.:thumbsup:

 

[franklinr_casedo]

thanks, its clear now, will use MH.
but usmc as u mentioned, 6" above the water? how will i hang my MH and what particular time will i turn it on? and what other light will i use when MH is turned off?

 

[Lupin]

how will i hang my MH

The long cord can be attached to the beam. Your tank should be open-topped.

 

[usmc121581]

I built a canapy for my tank. I had a light fixture that I gutted and attached to the hood. My light schedule is like this.

Actinics: 11:30am-10:00pm
Daylights: 1:00pm-8:30pm
MH's: 2:30pm-6:30pm

 

[franklinr_casedo]

it's a big help for me. will use the same schedule then. one more thing, what do you mean daylights? is it flourescent or the ordinary lights?

 

[Lupin]

it's a big help for me. will use the same schedule then. one more thing, what do you mean daylights? is it flourescent or the ordinary lights?

They're fluorescent. The ones you use for your house.

 

[franklinr_casedo]

on the schedules u said, just wondering, there are times that those lights are simultaneously turned on? and those three lights inside the canopy?

 

[Melissa]

it's a big help for me. will use the same schedule then. one more thing, what do you mean daylights? is it flourescent or the ordinary lights?

The daylights are the 10,000k bulbs, you should be able to get them at just about any lfs.

 

[usmc121581]

They're fluorescent. The ones you use for your house

If you use the ones for your house, who knows what bad stuff would grow in your tank. The modern house flourescent is a T8 or T12 tybe bulb. They use A lower light spectum to light your house. My Daylights are a 10K spectum flourescent type. You can get them from any LFS.

on the schedules u said, just wondering, there are times that those lights are simultaneously turned on? and those three lights inside the canopy?

As for this yes there all are turned on at 2:30pm-6:30pm. Thats when I have the most light going to the tank. When the MH's are on you wont be able to tell when the other bulbs are on. But rest asure that the coralline algea and what ever else you put in there are using the spectrums. What the actinics are for, is it simulates the natural blue in the shallow reef in the wild, blue actinics are a very important part of a reef.