New to the SW world

[Reef_surfer]

Hey guys im new to the world of salt water and forums in general. i just set up a 33g tank not to long ago, and im just looking for some help with the lighting part. I have an unusal tank size as its 30" long and im not finding very many fixtures, i dont want a CF because of the coral i want to put into my tank and i think a MH setup would be to much for my tank. and the LFS's are telling me i need at least a 4 bulb setup. im not in any hurry to get a fixture as my tank is still in the cycling process. so any other info would be great thanks!

[fishytime]

Welcome to Canreef.

[BlueAbyss]

:welcome:

I just posted in your tank journal about buying water :smile:

Hmm, by CF do you mean compact fluorescent, like the screw in type? Or do you mean PC, power compact fluorescent? If you mean PC, there are a number of people growing coral just fine under them. Also, what makes you say that you think MH would be too much for your tank? I have MH over my 10 gallon, and I can honestly say I wouldn't be happy with anything else (well, maybe LEDs :lol: ).

Are you planning on hanging the fixture, or are you looking for a hood, or... ?

[Reef_surfer]

well i would like a hood, as i have nothing covering my tank. Im still trying to figure out what i can use becuase i have a hang on skimmer so takes up alot of space.

as for the lighting i read that the MH can bleach or be harmful to LPS. and i was thinking of fabricating an adjustable bracket stand of the backside of the tank that can hang lights as i cant hang from the ceiling so i can still adjust the height of the light. so far i found a couple 30" light T5 HO fixures that would do the trick. i will put pics up tomorrow to show what i am working with

[mseepman]

Welcome to Canreef and Saltwater!

Having a 30" tank is not always the easiest. Here is a link to a light that might work well for you. They are not high end lights, but they stagger the bulbs (for better coverage of 30") and they have individual reflectors (which is important for good lighting) and they are resonably priced. http://www.catalinaaquarium.com/product_info.php?cPath=71_136&products_id=1414

Hope that helps.

[BlueAbyss]

I have only zoas / palys and a Trachyphyllia open brain coral under my MH (14K, 70W), and everything seems fine being around 8" from the light (the open brain is on the sandbed, so more like 12"). I've had things closer to the light also and have yet to see a coral melt from overlighting. If your tank is over 18" deep, you could likely go with a 150W MH and as long as you acclimate your corals LPS should be okay if they're in the bottom half of the tank (which is where'd you probably want to keep them anyhow). Well, that's if you decided you wanted to go with MH. T5s are awesome, but I'm seriously addicted to MH :lol:

Out of curiosity, what are the dimensions of your tank?

[Reef_surfer]

Out of curiosity, what are the dimensions of your tank?

it is 30"x12.5x18.25. LxWxH kind of an odd ball tank. i purchased it 2ns hand and the lady thought it was a 30 gallon but i had a spare 30 gallon and its totally different dimensions so im assuming my new tank is a 33 gallon.

also i think i may go with MH after all. Kelly from the ReefShoppe is hooking me up with a 250W MH for a good price so i cant go wrong, just have to fabricate a bracket as im not allowed to hang anything from the ceiling (the joys of having landlords)