Lighting Question

[joetekyun]

Hello, I have a nano cube 6g with a 18W 12000K compact flash combo (actinic/flourescent). I currently have soft corals that are growing seemingly ok. Do I have anywhere enough lighting for any LPS or SPS corals? Are there any of those that grow well under this not so strong lighting?

[EdKruzel]

There are low light SPS, but seldom found in the trade (not commonly collected); but there are some good LPS that do well under lower light situations and even better, do well in a nano. Look for some lower light Blasstomussa, micromussa and Ancans, that will look great with minimal light and not become overly large.

On the flip side, I'd recommend increasing or upgrading to a little more wattage; you don't have to go halide or anything of high intensity, but adding another PC will give you a bit more flexibility.

[rlabriola]

nanotuners.com sells all sorts of upgrades for nanos

[Buzz]

I ran with the stock NC6 lighting for about a month and it was fine for what I had in there at the time - some zoas, shrooms, gsp, ric and a hammer at the very top.

I was determined to keep it stock but couldn't resist the urge to upgrade and ended up going with the 3.18 upgrade (54 watts total). I have now expanded to some low light sps and other LPS and all the corals appreciate the additional light. I highly recommend the 3.18 upgrade for your NC6.

[zack85]

nanotuners makes great products. you may eventually want to look into a retro kit from them...

Sun polyps are great in low light... So is Dendrophyllia (similar to sun polyps but larger and stay open most of the time).