lighting needed for a 15gallon Nano?

[Beano1169]

Hey everyone, Im stilll pretty new to this saltwater thing and I am trying to get the best bang for my buck in terms of lighting for my 15 gallon that Im starting up. I have a fuge moded AC110, a 240nano Koralia, and a Fluval E series 50w Heater. Im trying to get a grasp on LED v.s. well everything else, is the Marineland double bright LED better then Sunlight Supply New Wave 4 Bulb T5 ?? I would just like to know the best light so I too can have an amazing display of corals like many before me. Thanks for your time, feel free to give me some other adive as well :)

[Beanz]

Hey Beano for my 15g I am running a 70w JBJ K2 Viper along with 2 actinic bulbs in a coralife aqua light. Check out my build thread for updates on coral growth I just added my first yesterday. The one thing that i love about these lights are 1) you still get nice color 2) the shimmer from the MH looks really cool and 3) you can turn the MH off if you really want the corals to pop!! Anyways thats what I am running in my 15g, I'm excited to see yours running.

[gobytron]

The 4 bulb t5 will give you comparable light to the 70W viper...
Marineland double brights are just enough for softies.
Even the reefbrites arent quite powerful enough for SPS from reports on them.

Go with the t5's, you wont regret it.

[Beanz]

Ya I'm just saying what i went with... and that i like the shimmer effect and the light it produces is crisp. The only draw back is the light does heat up my room quite a bit but i can live with it.

[Wanderer]

i have an 18 gallon nano i use a 4 x 24 watt t5 unit on, temperature stays low, good colour and all the corals seem happy with it

[gobytron]

Hey man...
I run a 70W sunpod over my 12 gallon...
Awesome light...you can keep anything under it from clams/sps on down.

BUT....
it uses a lot of volage and runs quite hot...
70w halides are sort of from a time before t5's were really understood...

[Beanz]

I guess whatever floats your boat :D. I am gonna probably do a DIY LED set up for my 45g in the future cause MH for that will be way too hot for a bedroom 2nd story. I really like how LEDs look and that they can be dimmable to achieve the look you want for your tank. A DIY for a small tank wouldn't b too expensive either but I guess Beano hasn't put that in the lighting options for the tank. Sorry that im off topic, just another idea... Anyways, just my 2 cents. T5s r nice too just giving what i am planning on and am running on my tank now for some more ideas on your tank.

[Beanz]

Just to give you an idea of of i got going i snapped a FTS and you can see the lights and whatnot.

http://www.canreef.com/vbulletin/picture.php?albumid=583&pictureid=4601

[Beano1169]

Awesome thanks everyone for the feed back, I have another question to pester you all with. Does anyone know much about lexan, I may be making a lid/cover for my tank to limit evap and from water on my lights. I know that most glass tops are uv resisting and I have done a bit of research on lexan but I have never used it. Im asking for a bit of insight if anyone out there has an idea :)

[Beanz]

I used to have lexan on top of my 45 and it got bowed in. I didn't really like it.

[Beano1169]

thank you for the input that places a better perspective for me haahah. what would you suggest?

[Beanz]

Idk maybe thick lexan wouldn't bow in. But if ur looking for something else other than lexan to prevent evap I would probably go with glass. I'm probably gonna go with some kinda screen mesh type deal for me tank(s) but I have an ato.

[FishyFishy!]

Petsmart carries fairly cheap glass lids. Don't go with lexan unless its really thick. Lexan will also discolor a lot faster, and be harder to clean

For the lights, check out the 24" fixtures from this place. They have decent quality fixtures for cheap, and their shipping is relatively fast. They have everything from T5 fixtures, and T5/Halide combos. I personally have the 150W halide with T5 combo and it has been a fantastic light.

www.aquatraders.com (http://www.aquatraders.com)

[Beano1169]

Thanks , i checked it out and im pretty sold on this light 24" 298W Metal Halide System Extendable Series.

[FishyFishy!]

Yeah thats the one I had on my 10G nano, and it works great. I just replaced the stock Oddysea bulb with a 14K 150W Phoenix bulb and it kicks arse. I use it now for my frag tank.

[Beano1169]

Awesome, well sounds like ima get that then hahaha thanks again for the site address and soon in about a months time tank pictures should be up :)

[intarsiabox]

Thanks , i checked it out and im pretty sold on this light 24" 298W Metal Halide System Extendable Series.

I wouldn't be putting a glass lid on a 15g tank with this fixture unless you have it mounted up very high (but that defeats the purpose of getting higher watt MH's). You will have very high temps.

[FishyFishy!]

All I did was put a fan blowing accross inbetween the light and lid. The fan is $30 for a plug and play that mounts on the side of the tank.

Or just make a computer fan yourself. My temps never got above 82 even in the heat of the summer.

[Beano1169]

The highest temp that I have seen in my tank when it was a fresh setup was around 27 degrees celsius so with the fixture on I don't think I will have to worry all that much.

[FishyFishy!]

You can see my smaller computer fan here on the top left. It worked awesome. I could even touch the glass top without it burning me. I then upgraded to an actual tank mounted one that looked better.

http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c38/bilmaga/DSCN2008.jpg

[Beano1169]

Ahhh!! I can't wait till my tank looks like that. I'm aspiring to have a nano aa great as yours fishy.

[Beano1169]

So I have looked up some pricing on line and have read a little more on keeping SW nano tanks and I have decided that I may up grade to a :

12-1/2"L x 30-1/4"W x 13"H
24" 298W Metal Halide System Extendable Series
JBJ OCEANSTREAM OS101 - CIRCULATION PUMP 500 GPH

with my existing Fluval E series 50W heater, my koralia nano 240 gph power head and fuge modded ac110
Im just curious as to if this will be enough light and flow for the tank if I upgrade slightly, and I kinda just need a bit more wiggle room so i have a bit more dilution on my side

[Beano1169]

265 $ setback, little longer for the lights :( such a shame.