light for tall skinny tank

[LeeR]

hey im new here and i am making a tank that measures 12"X 21"X 12" (l X H X W) its also got a built in overflow/sump in the back.. anyways.. i need to figure out lighting and i dont really want to go the metal halide way because of money. so i was thinking of using the 12"coralife aqualight 2X18w.. do you think this will be enough so suport some type of soft corals

thanks

[marcingo]

If you get corals that dont depend on light then yes- for example sun coral. Maybe if you put mushrooms and zoos near the top of the tank it might work.
What I would suggest is if you have this light already find in your city that might be willing to give you a coral or two to try.

If your in edmonton I can give you some brown palys. Maybe a piece or two of xenia.

I know my friend has a tall hexagon(talller than yours) and he has some of my palys in there running only 2 25watt power compact screw in bulbs(50/50) and the xenia and brown palys seem to be surviving.

However as a sidenote- most likely for your tank you will either need HO t5 lamps or a MH lamp. If you dont want to spend too much you can buy a ballast, bulb(off ebay) and reflector. This will cost pretty cheap and will work well. For example I bought my MH pendent from China- had a really good bulb (double ended MH) electronic ballast and pendent for $75. One of the ballasts broke but the other is working fine for a year now. Another option may be to buy used off the forum just keep an eye out.

In the long run trust me you will want either a MH or HO T5 because you will see all these corals you like and will want to buy them. Thats what happened to me.

Here is a picture of sun coral (for your interest).
http://www.pmas.org/lipski/Sun-Coral.jpg


Good luck.

[Der_Iron_Chef]

You will be very limited by those lights. I would recommend patience and waiting for someone on the forum here to sell something more substantial. Buying used on here is far cheaper than getting it at a store!

P.S. Where are you located?

[04scoobysti]

I dont think T5 HO's are an option as the shortest length of bulb is 22" with fixture around 24" so they would definitly spill over the sides of your tank. I'd go with metal halides to penetrate the depth of your tank. Just wait for a deal from someone from this board, im sure someone will chime in soon with just what you'll need :)

[LeeR]

i ended up getting the 16.5 current usa sunpod... and i live in vernon b.c.

thanks for the replys

[04scoobysti]

very nice choice, you'll be happy with that!

[LeeR]

ive heard that the bulbs arnt always burnt in properly but mine hasnt had any problems. i havnt used it much though because the tanks not up and running yet.