Taking The Dive Into The Nano World!

[xwake4lifex]

i would go with 1K2's and 1K1 the K2 at the front blasting onto rock and the K1 at the back or what ever works for you.

if it were me i would go with 4*24 watt T5 tubes individually reflected from a DIY hood (a lot easier and cheaper than a luminaire sometimes)

Could something like this be sufficient? T5 System

I'm gonna do a search and see what I can come up with for DIY lighting stuff.

 

[Truck]

i would go with 1K2's and 1K1 the K2 at the front blasting onto rock and the K1 at the back or what ever works for you.

if it were me i would go with 4*24 watt T5 tubes individually reflected from a DIY hood (a lot easier and cheaper than a luminaire sometimes)

Could something like this be sufficient? T5 System

I'm gonna do a search and see what I can come up with for DIY lighting stuff.

ive never used any of there products but if you can afford it look at these

arcadia 4*24watt marine T5 luminaire

or arcadia OT2 over tank luminaire

 

[Trod]

What lighting is on the tank at the moment?
If you have T5 this is fine for a FOWLR and a few soft corals, I would stick with what you've got and if or when you want to keep SPS/LPS corals i'd up grade then.

Lighting is only really important for corals

 

[xwake4lifex]

What lighting is on the tank at the moment?
If you have T5 this is fine for a FOWLR and a few soft corals, I would stick with what you've got and if or when you want to keep SPS/LPS corals i'd up grade then.

Lighting is only really important for corals

The lighting is what ever built-in system the tank came with, with a stronger bulb I bought at some point. Just a basic single fluorescent. Should I just upgrade now anyway?

 

[Trod]

In that case, yes I would say so

 

[xwake4lifex]

In that case, yes I would say so

Something for me to spend my federal refund on .

T5 2 bulb
T5 4 bulb

What would I be limited to with the dual bulb, and how much more variety could I keep with a 4 bulb?

 

[Trod]

Softies can be kept with both those lights but if I were you I'd go with the 4 bulb as they have moonlights, and you can simulate the day/night cycle

I'm no expert on lighting so I'd wait a bit and someone with more knowledge will be along shortly I'm sure

 

[xwake4lifex]

Softies can be kept with both those lights but if I were you I'd go with the 4 bulb as they have moonlights, and you can simulate the day/night cycle

I'm no expert on lighting so I'd wait a bit and someone with more knowledge will be along shortly I'm sure

I'll probably go with the 4 bulb version.

I stumbled upon 2 other tanks today. The tank I already own is the 20G high (24x12x16in.), but I found a 20G long (30x12x12in.) and also a 29G (30x12x18in.) I'm willing to buy either of these tanks because they're not expensive, plus the tank would be a little larger.

Should I use either of those 2 new ones instead? Obviously they would be a little larger (well the 29G) and the 20 long would be more room length wise. Suggestions?

 

[Truck]

go for the 29 gallon tall, it gives you more lenience when positioning LR

 

[Trod]

Yep second that the 29g

 

[xwake4lifex]

go for the 29 gallon tall, it gives you more lenience when positioning LR

Yep second that the 29g

Done and done! Now its time to order some last minute supplies! Time to make a shopping cart !

Best sand to buy? I want something whitish in color so things stand out against it. And how many pounds would I need to cover the bottom of the 29G? Should I put some eggcrate stuff under the sand to help distribute the weight of the LR?

 

[Truck]

go for coral sand, 20lb should do it, and yes you can use egg crate if you wish

 

[xwake4lifex]

go for coral sand, 20lb should do it, and yes you can use egg crate if you wish

Can't wait to get it up and running. Tomorrow I'm going to visit a couple LFS to see if any of them are quality or not. I need to find some good LR.

 

[TigerIssey]

I used egg crate, just gives piece of mind that there is not a pressure point from the rock that cause the tank to crack, don't want to lose everything if that happens (I am probably really overcautious but hey thats me).