is the light enough for sps?

[decentkid]

hi bros...i thought of going into sps but would 3 FL and 1 atinict be sufficient?

i cant afford MH...still a student..

[FuEl]

No it's not enough even for LPS in the long run.

[decentkid]

but i hammer has been with me for 6 months and is still doing very well..it has split into 2 heads even..

[ryz]

can sustain LPS and keep them living but not thrive.

[spawns]

how about a single mh 150w with 20k? tank is 3*2*2.

so sorry to cut in.....

[FuEl]

how about a single mh 150w with 20k? tank is 3*2*2.

so sorry to cut in.....

Not enough. You'll need at least 250W for a tank of such depth. The bulb should be DE for higher intensity. 20,000 K might not have enough PAR for high growth rates. You'll do better with a 10,000K bulb supplemented by blue T5s. Alternatively you can opt for a 400W 20,000K bulb but it will not be cost effective.

[danano]

d-kid, the short answer is no. FL is inadequate for keeping sps. You may already know this but lighting is but one essential element. I suggest you read up a little more and check out the following thread on sps keeping and husbandry.

http://www.sgreefclub.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=1629

spawns, your 150w 20KK MH would be the absolute bare minimum. You'd have to keep them directly under the light and in the top half of the tank. I've seen a nice sps tank (3x2x2) with 2x250w 20KK MH... something to consider if you're seriously thinking about venturing into sps.

http://www.sgreefclub.com/forum/index.php?...opic=12083&st=0

[spawns]

ths danano & fuEL.

just bought this from OB. I guess its no no for acro....

[wedgee]

Hmmm since u just bot the lite, we might as well make the best of it - if u havent used the bulb yet, try to get it changed with the LFS - use a 150W 10KK DE instead - issit a DE ballast? Advanced reefer magazine quotes dat it is comparable to abt 175W SE, so if u place the sps higher, at least at the top half of the tank, it will have a good chance of retaining its color, or at worst, turn green heheh

Of course, it is still the water quality (stability!) and enough water flow that is CRITICAL to yr acro's well-being, so after u finish up yr lights, aim at improving these 2 factors instead...

[DeepBlue]

d-kid, I started with 2 X 10kk FLs and actinic for keeping softies and LPS, they are alright ..but you'll notice the difference in growth and extension of your corals when you switched to MH (so will your electrical bill) ...

For 150W MH... Lightningstrike had had success with them by placing them high up. Alternatively...use T5's. Then again...do take note of the depth in which you are placing your acros when you use T5s and 150w MH.

For SPS...not only water parameter..the general current and flow in your tank must be good enough. I am running a tunze and still finds that so much can be done to improve water circulations in the tank.

[decentkid]

ok...my tank is a 3 by 1.5 by 1.5 ....any recommendations for the power of MH lights.....and how much would it cost me....btw....i very curious about the power bills on your tanks alone....care to tell me...so i can decide to change to MH or not

[Jewel]

Hi,

There is quite a lot to read up on sps before you jump into it.

Keeping sps is very demanding and you need to have extremely good water conditions to keep them decently well.

You need to consider good skimmer, chiller, calcium reactor and you need to

be ready to sleep with it..

That's passion..

[danano]

Jewel's pretty much summed it up.

Be prepared to give your sps 24/7 TLC.

[decentkid]

well...i m sure my skimmer is not a good one....i have a chiller.....i use drip rather than calcium reactor....will it help?

but now i really want to find out about MH cos it is the most ex...

pls advice...

[jd_n]

well...i m sure my skimmer is not a good one....i have a chiller.....i use drip rather than calcium reactor....will it help?

but now i really want to find out about MH cos it is the most ex...

pls advice...

Now lets break down wat u need to spend initially and near future.

1. 250W MH would be highly recommendable - ard $200 with ballast, reflector and bulb.

2. Regular dosing of calcium and reef builder to maintain ur Ca and Alk if u dun hav a CR - Price varies and be prepared to set aside $30 for a mth for this supplements.

3. Or get a CR and CO2 tank - easily in the range of $250 and above

4. A good overrated skimmer - price varies $200-few K.

5. Phospate remover (eg. contraphos, biophos, rowaphos....) - $34-90 and they need to be replaced periodically especially if ur tank is new.

6. Nitrate remover (eg. AZNO3) - shd be ard $40odds if ur tank is new w/o any means of tackling ur NO3 problem or any nutrients export.

7.Wave maker (eg. tunze) - $185 for a 6060

8. Chiller - easily in the range of $250 and above. Do note tat once u run a MH, ur present chiller may not be able to cope with the heat especially if ur chiller is a under-rated one.

9. Reputable test kits (eg. salifert,...) - ranges frm $20-40 per kit. Test kits mostly needed (KH, Ca, PO4, NO3 etc). A stable system wil need less regular testin.

10. Occasionally u will need to dose strongtium, magnesium, iodide.

Above r juz a guide for the equipments and supplements part. U will need top scotch water quailty before tryin for sps. Preferably with a matured system or else u have to compensate by havin excellent equipments to help u obtain the water condition required for sps to survive and thrive.

Overall, once u go into sps...its spend, spend and spend with very little room for mistake.

Goodluck kid.

[Eric]

well...i m sure my skimmer is not a good one....i have a chiller.....i use drip rather than calcium reactor....will it help?

but now i really want to find out about MH cos it is the most ex...

pls advice...

Just my opinion......

Electricity bills for lightings alone.......

Recommended for 3x2x2

2 x 250W MH = 500W x 8hrs(minimum) x 30days /1000 x $0.1544 = $18.50/mth

Recommended for 3 x 1.5 x 1.5

1 x 150W MH + 4 x T5 blue = (150W + 39W x 4) x 8hrs x 30days /1000 x $0.1544 = $11.30

If you go for 250W MH, you can have more freedom of placing your sps corals almost anywhere due to the higher intensity. If you use 150W + T5, you should try place the sps near the upper region of the tank, a high rockscape is nessecary.

Other than lights, you might wan to consider having good turnover rate & flowrate for your tank. Keeping nutrients & bioload on the low side through a refugium or a good protein skimmer.

Stable water parameters is a must........

Tank maturity is a plus point IMO, not a must........

Test out with a frag or two for a few months to experience its growth and colour changes before you spend on colonies & at the same time save some money on better equipments like Calcium reactor, better skimmer, pumps, PH........etc

Good luck :-)

Eric

[Golden Tooth]

I would say mature ur tank while u do some savings. Build ur reef slow n steady. Don't rush or u'll waste everything.

[decentkid]

ermz...ok....my tank is only 10 months old...hehe

how much does the 250w cost?

[Golden Tooth]

Now lets break down wat u need to spend initially and near future.

1. 250W MH would be highly recommendable - ard $200 with ballast, reflector and bulb.

2. Regular dosing of calcium and reef builder to maintain ur Ca and Alk if u dun hav a CR - Price varies and be prepared to set aside $30 for a mth for this supplements.

3. Or get a CR and CO2 tank - easily in the range of $250 and above

4. A good overrated skimmer - price varies $200-few K.

5. Phospate remover (eg. contraphos, biophos, rowaphos....) - $34-90 and they need to be replaced periodically especially if ur tank is new.

6. Nitrate remover (eg. AZNO3) - shd be ard $40odds if ur tank is new w/o any means of tackling ur NO3 problem or any nutrients export.

7.Wave maker (eg. tunze) - $185 for a 6060

8. Chiller - easily in the range of $250 and above. Do note tat once u run a MH, ur present chiller may not be able to cope with the heat especially if ur chiller is a under-rated one.

9. Reputable test kits (eg. salifert,...) - ranges frm $20-40 per kit. Test kits mostly needed (KH, Ca, PO4, NO3 etc). A stable system wil need less regular testin.

10. Occasionally u will need to dose strongtium, magnesium, iodide.

Above r juz a guide for the equipments and supplements part. U will need top scotch water quailty before tryin for sps. Preferably with a matured system or else u have to compensate by havin excellent equipments to help u obtain the water condition required for sps to survive and thrive.

Overall, once u go into sps...its spend, spend and spend with very little room for mistake.

Goodluck kid.

A rough guide.

[decentkid]

ermz....i kind of missed that post.....wah....i still student leh....no $$$......guess i will go into sps only next year..

[madmac]

A rough guide.

what a put-off!

decentkid,

you're quite right, in looking for a MH first. Don't lose your desire to START keeping SPS.... you almost have everybasic equipment.... a chiller, a sump or cannister filter and some live rocks.

This is what I'll do, if I were in your shoes....

Look for a single 150W MH btw 10kk to 20kk... I would prefer a 20kk one. if possible, place your MH about 4 to 5 inches from the surface of the water.

look out for cheap frags to start off with, like those btw $5 to $10. Have them placed about 4 inches from the surface.... this would be about a total 8 inches away from the lights. You could easily put about up to 5 to 7 frags (not all at once, over a period of time) close to each other under the lights... that I think should be about enough to get started with

Watch your water parameters! If you're comfortable with your consistently low Nitrate level, then you should work toward reducing your PO4 next.

The other issues mentioned above will challenge you... AS YOU GET STARTED. For SPS keeping, "things" pan-out along the way, every new "thing" you add will change your the water parameters, even changing your lights, will alter your water. So take your time, start out small to reduce your $$$ risk, be reading BUT pls get started.

I'm using for a 3 feet tank >

- a single 20k 150 on for 8 hours and two blue lights (36 W each) on when I retn at night

- a hangon weipro 2011 (that is hardly a good skimmer)

- cannister filters

- chiller

have found that, for the 4 SPSes I have, they colour up very well.. and what a joy it is to see it!

after getting a FR much, much later... to get rid of algae problems, the SPS started to grow in size. I drip Kalk daily and buffer twice a week. The tank is no show tank... it is just for me. : )

best rgds,

mm

[DeepBlue]

As mentioned by most guys - I think the info provided should give you some idea of the basic requirement to run a SPS reef. They are just doing what SRC promotes- responsible reefing. Thus they probably hate to see you go into it too lightly and misguided without knowing what the whole thing involves. Wasting resources may not be what you want to do as you have mentioned you with tight budget constrain.

Good that so many guys are chipping in to help you understand SPS reefing better. If you decide to take the plunge and is committed to try SPS. DO ask more questions about keeping SPS....I'm sure they will be helpful to give you more pointers.

(WHat I did when I wanted to try SPS a while back...I go checked out all the old posts in the SRC SPS forum ...very informative inputs from a lot of reefers then. Interesting to see Joe_P's journey towards keeping sps as well...haha...)

No matter what. Enjoy. (I am always a LPS and softies lover..so my tank is also packed with these corals as well )

[decentkid]

i just read the TOTM article.....danone is using 6 T5 tubes

would 6 T5 tubes be cheaper then one MH and would the power bill will be cheaper for one MH or 6 T5????

[lightningstrike]

1x MH = 150W or 250W, in ur case, i dun think u shld go for 400W

6x T5s = 39W x 6 = 236W

this is juz a general guide, there r issues on full utilisation of power on MH over T5s too which i hv not taken into account. so which do u think is more power-saving?

[iewnehz]

T5's intensity will not be better than MH.

going SPS, you should need at least 39W t5

so, 6x39W = 234W(still lesser than MH 250W)

BUT, using MH is much much more hotter..therefore, your chiller will kick in more..eventually the bill go higher