power compacts

[Salt Freak]

I was wondering if you can use power compacts on hard corals. I want to do a nano reef the tank I want to use is a 20 gallon with the same base as a 29 gallon just shorter. I was thinking this tank because you have a nice bottom to work with and because it is short you would have good light penetration. The lights I wanted to use is a 55 watt 10,000 K daylight and a 55 watt atinic 403 phosphor.

 

[Ed4567]

You could problably keep most LPS and some of the less light demanding SPS. However 110 watts probably doesnt have surficient PAR output to saturate the most demanding corals (i.e. it just doesnt produce enough light in the correct spectrum for these corals to get what they need).

Have you also considered the need for good water conditions (eg. nitrate, phosphate, calcuim, alkalinity etc.) which may be fairly hard to keep stable in a small system?

Of course I could be talking rubbish, in which case someone will correct me!
Ed

 

[Navarre]

I think you will find its possible. However dont expect these corals to keep their colour. sps corals get their deep colouration as a protection against powerful lights. if this light itsnt powerful enooughthen it loses its protective shielding and turns a basic brown colour to maximise the light exposure on it

 

[Salt Freak]

yes i plan on using RO water and I really only like the LPS corals anyway. I don't plan to have very much fish maybe a firefish gobys stuff like mostly inverts like crabs snails corals stuff like that.

 

[superman]

The use of RO water is not what Ed4567 was talking about, but rather the large swings of nitrate, phosphate and calcium that will take place in a small tank. Smaller tanks are harder to keep stable RO water or not, and inverts are more sensitive to water quality than most fish, so you will have to really make sure that you aren't letting the water quality slide. This means testing your water AT LEAST once a day, twice or three times would be better. I just hate to see someone going this direction with a small tank without knowing all of the remafications. Just trying to help you out. On a side note, firefish aren't gobys.

 

[Salt Freak]

I do plan on using a sump the tank i'm lokking at for the sump is 15 gallons.
If that helps any )

 

[parker313]

You might want to post over at nano-reef forums. They have a lot more people working with the smaller tanks so you'd get a broader range of experiences.

How tall is your tank? Those are the same lights I have on my 10g and was planning on getting an LPS or two, but don't know if I trust the lights to keep an SPS alive...

 

[superman]

The powercompacts will keep some sps alive no problem and will keep most lps alive as well (in a tank that is very small and shallow of course like the ones in question)

 

[Salt Freak]

The tank dimensions is 30 long 12 high 12 wide. It is basically the same tank as the 29 gallon only six inches chorter.