New Year - New Member

[crharvel]

Good morning all and Happy New Year. I have been registered and floating in the forum for a few months now and figure this is as good of time as any to introduce myself. The RRC seems like a really able group that is willing to lend some help to new folks like myself as I switch gears to SW.

This will be crucial because.....

my new years resolution was to spend an inordinate amount of care, time, money and at times futility on something that was not my day job....while simultaneously disrupting the irie of my wife. From my exhaustive reseach, this hobby seems to fit the bill!

As far as where I am now....

I just set up my QT tank (29) with a simple HOB Penguin 350 and a NS 6025 and Powersweep 214 for circulation. It has a Sea chem Tidal Marine substrate from the prior cichlid occupants.

As far as a main tank, it is not set up yet but I have assessmbled some of the main peices. I got a 40B and Joe drilled that for me as well as baffling up a 20L fuge. For the skimmer I purchased an Octopus NW-110. For circulation I am thinking two Koralia 2's in addition to the return (Quiet One 2200 @ 581 gph).

I have hit "analysis paralysis" however when it comes to the lights. With how shallow the breeder is, I am seriously entertaining T5's for the heat/energy/bulb life considerations but it seems like in the end everyone comes back to halides.

Would 4x or 6x T5's be fine (with or without individual reflectors) or should I just bite the bullet and go with 2x250 MH's?

Based on how short the tank is... I really dont want to build a canopy unless I have to. I just think that the 16" tank with a 16" canopy will detract from the look.

Thanks
-Chad

[J. Montgomery]

Either T5 or MH is fine, both can give you good results. If you decide on T5, get individual reflectors and put in as many bulbs as you can fit over your tank. IMO, regardless of whether you go with T5 or MH, a canopy always looks good b/c it blocks light from spilling into room.

[JMBoehling]

Welcome! Lighting is such an individual decision! They both have ther advantages.. T5's offer a very economical powerful light source, with limitless spectrum and CRI options by simply changing the order of your bulbs sequence, etc...

Halides look awesome... Clear, crisp and shimmer, but they are hot and very expensive. You "MAY" need a chiller on your setup with them to add the overall cost. Even with Halides, you will probably want to add some supplimental VHO or T5's for Actinics or just general viewing when the Halides aren't fired up.

Good luck with your decision. If you select T5's, I would put 6 on your 40. I'm sure other with chime in. Does the 40Breeder have a center spline? If not you may bee able to hang (01) 250 watt Halide and add a few T5s for the best of both worlds :)

Later,

Jim

[Fishpoor]

Remember that with the MH's you will lose a lot more water and it will be a constant "top off" IMO, TALK TO JOE! LOL he just hooked me up with an awesome set of t5's that he built for my 48" tank they don't have the shimmer but they look great!

[crharvel]

Thanks for the feedback.

I had not thought about the light spill Josh, good point to make me consider going with the canopy. Then I could just use retrofit kits versus a prefab.

I plan on putting this in the middle of the den so I guess a few hundred watts of light would be annoying if the light was above eye level while sitting.

Jim - The 40 B doesnt have a center brace so it is great to not have to deal with this from a light perspective as well as working in the tank. Some of the retrofit kits have both.

Fishpoor - What size tank do you have and what type of T5 setup did FW hook you up with

[Charlie Davidson]

Welcome RRC! :D
Boy, you started with one of the hardest questions-- but you are definantly starting at the right place.. (instead of buying some, then wishing you had bought something different)
Short answer-- I would have replied much like Jim did.
As I spent some time reading, searching this website--- I found that most long time coral keepers (successful) have MH. (many mix it with VHO or T5)

[Charlie Davidson]

BTW, you and I have @ same total water volume... IMHO, 600g return pump is too big.. I found a mag 2 works best for me.
(I have tried a mag 5,3,2 on current set up)

[Charlie Davidson]

:) just throwing another item at you, many of those thathave successful tank have macro-alage (IE cheato,etc) in slumps or other side tanks. I truly believe it helps any system.. Are you planing on using any in your slump?

[crharvel]

Thanks for the warm welcome Charlie. The more I think about it, the metal halides seem to be the route to go and will give me the most flexibility in the long run (planning for the eventual...er make that ineveitable tank upgrade). I have a couple of PC fixtures I can disassemble and use in a canopy to supplement with actinics and such.

With respect to the pump, you know how it goes... thinking more is more :D I also wanted a litte more overhead b/c I plan on running a valved tee off the return side to drive two phosban reactors with carbon and GFO down the road. If it proves to be too much I am sure I can strike a deal with someone to take it off my hands ( or keep it as a backup)

Sump is definately going to have some macro algae based on what I hear from you guys on RRC. As a rule I try to feed my stock lightly but still probably is too much... so I will need some nutrient export. The sump is only split into two compartments so I have my doubts about being able to put a deep sand bed because of the flow; however I believe what I have read about cheato is that it works pretty good when rolling with a strong flow through the sump.

[aqua11878]

welcome!!!

[cnelson]

Welcome to the club!!!