Lighting for a 46 Bow?

[RJ]

Hey Folks...I'm upgrading my 29 softie tank to a 46 bow....built the stand and canopy this week...and have made it large enough for pc's or halide....I was thinking of going with 3 55w pcs...plus 2 NO actinics....I potentially have access to a 250w halide fixture with bulb....my concern with that is the bar across the middle of the tank...I've mainly kept softies but have picked up a small maxima that has looked great for a few months...I doubt very highly that I will ever go to SPS....just not into it...so stick with the pcs?...I know halide will be cheaper in the long run...but that doesn't overly concern me....your thoughts are greatly appreciated!...RJ

[Doug1]

Rob I think I would use the 250w placed to one side or the other , and throw an extra PC over on the other side, with creative reflector it should work out fine, How tall is the canopy?

[RJ]

10 inches from the top of the tank....another thing I noticed about halides is that they tend to bleach out shrooms...which I have alot of...

[Pineapple House]

What are the dementions of your aquarium?

No matter,
A halide would be great for your aquarium. All florecent lighting has low P.A.R. ratings, therefor, you will be very limited to what you can and will put in your aquarium. Metal Halides have a much higher P.A.R. rating, which will not limit you to what you can keep (of coarse, with a few exceptions). A 10,000k Ushio along with 2 URI VHO's (wattage and size differ from the aquarium dementions) would make excelent lighting.

FWIW,
Don't bother with the 250wt 20,000k Radiums. They have very low P.A.R. ratings, and therefor, wouldn't give you the "bang for the buck." I would recommend the 10,000k Ushio along with one or two additional actinics (I like the look of the URI VHO "03" Actinics).

I personally would not keep a clam in anything but metal halide lighting. How long have you had the clam, and how large is it (measuring from one side of the shell to the other)?

Take Care,
Graham

[RJ]

I'd say an inch or so...I can give it to my bro in law as he has halides...

[Pineapple House]

No wonder

As clams get larger, they depend more on their zooxanthellae to give them their nutrition. Small clams, under 3", will not use zooxanthellae, and will get the majoraty of food through filter feedings consisting of phytoplankton, zooplankton, and small planktonic larvae.

If you aren't already, I would regularly feed your clams. Take the clam out of the tank, and add it to a small gallon container (make sure this does not leach any toxins into the water column) containing the correct dossage of a plankton (I recommend DT's live phytoplankton). Let it rest in their until the majoraty of phytoplankton is consumed (the greenish look to the water has turned clear, or almost clear). Finally, place it back into the tank. This feeding should be done around 3x weekly. Make sure you make the transitions from the tank to the container as easy as possible. Make sure you do not damage the byssal gland of the clam, as this can result in death.

When they're around 3" or more, they should start using their zooxanthellae more frequintly, to a point where feedings shouldn't have to be any issue.

Graham

[Heyoo]

I've got a 46 bow, and I put a new Coralife 2x96W aqualight pc fixture. I got a great "introductory" deal from hellolights.com. Sure, they aren't halides - and I can't keep clams or SPS in that tank, but not bad for fixutre and bulbs for under $200. If you go that route - order the legs too (~$5) because the 3' fixture is about half inch too short to hang over the edges of the tank.

[RJ]

Looks like I may be giving that clam away....thats ok...

heyoo, do you hav enay pics of your tank?...I'm curious to see how you have it setup...thanks!...RJ

[RJ]

my lord my typing is bad...

[SouthernReefer]

for my 46 bow, i ended up putting 3x55w pc ultrareef light fixture. it provides great coverage. they also offer different setups as well, including a dual 150w hqi which would be perfect for a 46 bow. they are willing to to make them to any length you want also. i am very satisfied with with my setup. i would avoid a single metal halide setup, becuase of the center support strip ontop of the tank. the shadow that is created looks terrible, imo. but a dual 150whqi or 175wmh setup would look trick.

[btang]

How do you like the bow, Someone told me a store I go to that the bow distorts the view. I may be considering the same size.

[Heyoo]

Originally posted by btang
How do you like the bow, Someone told me a store I go to that the bow distorts the view. I may be considering the same size.

Yeah - the bow does distort the view a little if you look at the tank from an angle. Its not nearly as bad as the walleye-vision you get from looking into a bow-front corner tank, but it is there. I think its kind of a neat effect for a reef tank. As long as you have some asprin handy

[Heyoo]

Originally posted by RJ
Looks like I may be giving that clam away....thats ok...

heyoo, do you hav enay pics of your tank?...I'm curious to see how you have it setup...thanks!...RJ

Sure - I was just messing around the the camera tonight.
Keep in mind that my tank has only been set up for a couple of months. In fact, I plan on adding some more rocks - and you'll notice that there's a lack of motile life in the picture. My wife is nagging me to "get a fish already!"

[NJNick]

Originally posted by btang
How do you like the bow, Someone told me a store I go to that the bow distorts the view. I may be considering the same size.

I don't think the level of distortion warrants not considering it.

Heck my video card is all messed up, I need someone to monkey with it.

Bow fronts look great - gives some depth to the center. It all depends on how you build up your rock to take advantage. I've seen some really sweet set-ups.