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View Full Version : What Corals Can I keep?


Ryan_Lap
05-16-2008, 07:09 AM
Ive been looking to see which types of corals I will be wanting to put in my new setup. Ill be running a 48" 150w Coralife MH Fixture and Im not sure what I can keep. Please any input would be much appreciated. Also, anyone using this fixture let me know what you can keep.

Also looking to keep a bulb anemone (bubble tip). Does this lighting sound adequate to meet its needs?

I find websites I read up on state for lighting low, moderate and high. However, I do not understand what low, moderate and high lighting would be considered.

Thanks All

michika
05-16-2008, 02:11 PM
The 150w MH you have to start out is great.

Can you tell me more about your tank, its dimensions please? Depending on how tall your tank is 150w MH will be more then enough for a bubble tip anemone.

Low lighting would be for example, something like Power Compact Lights, Moderate would be a low wattage of MH or T5s, and high would be MH or T5s with a wattage or penetration ability that is sized for your tank depth.

Medium lighting would be something like at 48" tall tank, with 250w MH over it. The MH in this case isn't strong enough to penetrate too deeply into the tank. However if it was a 48" tall tank with 1000w MH, then that would be high/strong lighting because the lighting would penetrate to the depth of the tank.

Does that help?

Snappy
05-16-2008, 02:35 PM
The lighting you have is what I would consider low - med. 150 watt MH will not have the necessary depth penetration for more than about 18" for some corals so it all depends on what you want to keep. Rics, zoos, soft corals, LPS and a few sps will do great. Most sps will still grow well and stay healthy with that lighting but they will not likely have the vibrant colours they would have in stronger light. What have you got for flow as that is easily as important as the lighting for many corals?

Ryan_Lap
05-16-2008, 03:23 PM
The tank the light will be running on is a standard 90 gal.

So if I want to keep corals that demand more light I just need to place them closer to the light? If thats so then I can place them higher on my rock.

I knew someone would bring up flow, haha. Well I will be running a quiet one 4000 for my return out of my sump. For powerheads I will be using a Hydor Korolia 1, 3 and 4. Is that enough? I could always swap out the 1 for another 3 or 4 if need be too. I have a red sea wavemaker but, I hate the look of those maxijets and the hydors will just burn out on it.

Snappy
05-16-2008, 04:05 PM
Until you tell us what corals you want to keep it's hard to give any quality advise because different kinds of corals have different requirements. What kind of reef do you want?

Zoaelite
05-16-2008, 04:31 PM
If the 150W is running on a 90g that still leaves a fair amount of corals open to you. One major point I want to get across though is that although lighting is a major factor in any situation you need to consider everything about a tank in order to decide which livestock is best suited for you and the needs met by your tank. I personally have a 65G display and with my 800 GPH return and 3 Hydro Korillias(4) I still believe I need more flow, if you have the money available to you I would suggest upgrading to at least 3 of the Korillias(4). The other option which could assist you in caring for some more light detrimental corals would be adding a few actinic retrofits. For less than $150 you can add an extra 78W of power to your system, other benefits include having the ability to create a "Sun rise/ Sun Set" Effect in the tank and any corals that have fluorescent pigments will fluoresce under them (as below):
http://img363.imageshack.us/img363/9905/savedphoto1ya1.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
Of course this can only work if you have a canopy to mount the bulbs too.
Levi

Ryan_Lap
05-16-2008, 04:32 PM
I was just thinking about a mixed reef. I guess I could look for more exact types of corals, however I was just wondering if I could get a broad answer. What can I keep with what Im running? What should I definitely stay away from....

dsaundry
05-16-2008, 11:22 PM
Be careful on your coral mix, In a smaller tank you could end up with chemical warfare if you are not careful.:biggrin: