LPS corals

[cwilson758]

Hi everyone,

I just wanted to say thanks again for all the patience and positive info i got an my last post. As you suggested i thought more about what type of coral i wanted to keep and after some research i found these.

I'll start with the ones i would like to have the most and go down from there. First i like the candy cane coral(caulastrea furcata), Doughnut coral(cynarina lacrymalis), lobophyllia brain coral(lobophyllia sp.), plate/disk coral(fungia sp.)

I found all the info on peteducation.com. They all have close to the same requirements on lighting and water flow. Plus they say good beginner coral.

After some more research on lighting and taking everyone's suggestions into account i think i'm still leaning toward the orbit pc hood(4*96w dual daylight 6700k/10000k and dual actnic 420nm/460nm with 4 lunar lights.
I had a suggestion to consider MH components and i did, but my only concern was that i would have to get a chiller.

I know you should pick out what you want to keep then design your system around their requirements, but i really don't intend to keep SPS corals in this tank and probably not at all for a few years.

If you guys still think this lighting hood is not what i need or won't benifit the coral i want to keep then i will just have to save for awhile longer before i start, but i would much rather do it right then endanger my tank inhabitants.

Thanks again,
Corey

[TheReefer12]

I have a suggestion about the PC's. I have 4*96 watt over my 30 gal. I build the canopy myself and saved a huge chunk of change. I don't know if you are handy but you may want to consider building something yourself to save. Later down the road you will have the extra cash to upgrade if necessary.

[cwilson758]

Will the lighting hood be enough for the coral i want? Also are these a good beginner coral?

[skeety]

sorry...how big (and deep) is the tank again?

sounds like a very good lighting selection for the coral's you've choosen to me...but I can't remember the exact size of your tank again.

[Twitterbait]

I am not sure about a few of those. The candy can prefer MH light (most CC). I would say go for MH. I have 2 250w over my main display and i don't have a chiller. go ahead and give us some stats on the actual tank and filtration. We may want to move this discussion to the LPS forum too.

[cwilson758]

i don't actually have a tank yet, but i want to get a 72gal bowfront oceanic.

[Twitterbait]

Looks like your a few months out at least then. How long do you plan on cycling your tank before adding livestock?

[cwilson758]

Originally Posted by Twitterbait

Looks like your a few months out at least then. How long do you plan on cycling your tank before adding livestock?

probably 2 months or more

[skeety]

okay. I actually kept some of those corals in my 72 gal bow-front under that same lighting. They did ok. But have since gotten MH lighting..and are doing MUCH better.

I had that tank, and had 4x96wt PC lights. And can tell you...things did live...and grew a little...but after a while (6 months), I knew I needed to upgrade my lighting.

Short answer: That lighting is sufficient...but not ideal. Even for what you want to keep.

[SaltBlock]

I must agree, living and thriving are very different standards. I have run MH on 2 different systems and never used a chiller...fans are a really good idea though. A lot depends on your room temp...for me anything over 80F room temp and I have trouble keeping the tank below 80...but I keep the room around 70F and have no problems.

I like the coral selection, several of my favorite coral are LPS. In reference to twitterbait's comments...a good test kit is a must once the system is up and running. This will help you determine when the system is "ready."

Andrew

[cath]

Hey, guys! I moved this thread over here so that it would be in its own special place. If you see this, you followed the redirect thingie just right

[Twitterbait]

Thanks cath!