Low light corals with this light setup - possible?

[larsson]

12 6ft long 56W flourescents. The tank is 36"H, but I plan to build the live rock up so that I could place corals nearer the water line. Are any low light corals, any low light anenomes possible with this lighting? How far would they have to be from the water surface to be able to grow nicely?

Also, any scallops possible?

[Rob_Reef_Keeper]

Well one problem might be the color spectrum of the lamps as well. What kind of flourescents are they?

[Silas]

Many of the mushroom doesn't need bright lights. Try www.liveAquaria.com. They list their coral with light, current requirements.

You can also place the coral closer to the top.

s

[larsson]

Originally posted by Rob_Reef_Keeper
Well one problem might be the color spectrum of the lamps as well. What kind of flourescents are they?

Plain old Phillips 56W

[larsson]

Originally posted by Silas
Many of the mushroom doesn't need bright lights. Try www.liveAquaria.com. They list their coral with light, current requirements.

You can also place the coral closer to the top.

s

Good idea Thanks...how far from the waterline would the corals need to be placed?

[Doug1]

With a 3 foot deep tank even with rock stacked I think anything less than VHO is going to be less than adequate.
A suggestion if I may, why not get the cheap 2 bulb E ballast I keep refering to, it will drive said tubes at near VHO levels, and only $135 each

[Silas]

those plain old Philiip is not going to work.. At a min, you will need either PC or VHO. For the size of your tank, my guess would be 400W MH per two feet.

s

[larsson]

Originally posted by Silas
those plain old Philiip is not going to work.. At a min, you will need either PC or VHO. For the size of your tank, my guess would be 400W MH per two feet.

s

even for low light mushroom corals?

[larsson]

Originally posted by Doug1
With a 3 foot deep tank even with rock stacked I think anything less than VHO is going to be less than adequate.
A suggestion if I may, why not get the cheap 2 bulb E ballast I keep refering to, it will drive said tubes at near VHO levels, and only $135 each

I don't have the money to spend more on lighting at the moment, but I may upgrade the lighting in six months or so and will definitely keep your suggestion in mind.

[grazzit]

Hey doug, can you drop a link for that cheap E ballast light set up you're talking about.

[SawCJack00]

I agree with Doug, don't add any coral until you upgrade lighting. Just stick to fish only for now. The NO lighting will not work for anything in a tank that deep.

[larsson]

Originally posted by SawCJack00
I agree with Doug, don't add any coral until you upgrade lighting. Just stick to fish only for now. The NO lighting will not work for anything in a tank that deep.

How about if I placed them at the top of the live rock, at about 24"? Also, are there any bulbs that would fit in those sockets that would widen the spectrum level to where I could have some corals?

[Silas]

I tried the plain old type bulb before on a 20 gallon tank which is about 18" high. The mushroom will not die but will not grow either.

s

[larsson]

Originally posted by Silas
I tried the plain old type bulb before on a 20 gallon tank which is about 18" high. The mushroom will not die but will not grow either.

s

Are there any better flourescent bulbs that size that would fit into the sockets and work well?

[Brooke]

Our FO is about 31" tall and I concur that anything less than VHO is a waste of money in a tank that tall. In this hobby you can either pay to do it right the first time or keep paying for multiple upgrades which is inherently more expensive.

If you are truly planning a 400 gallon tank, you need to sit down and plan everything out. It can take weeks/months to get everything together for a tank that big. Do a search for "the beast" and you can see all the planning that went into Mike's tank. If you don't do it right the first time you will be on the road to disappointment and dead livestock.

I would also encourage you to invest in some books before buying equipment. (click on the books button in the header above) I'm not sure what your knowledge base is right now...but you need to learn the basics about water chemistry, fish combatibility, etc. We all know how exciting it is to set up a new tank and the desire to stuff it full of pretty stuff. If you get that urge go put your keys in the freezer and sit on your hands. Take your time. You will be rewarded if you do.

HTH, FWIW-
Brooke