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FAQs about Large Marine System Lighting Related Articles: Large Marine Systems, Fish-Only Marine Set-up,
FOWLR/Fish and Invertebrate Systems,
Reef Systems, Coldwater Systems,
Small Systems,
Plumbing Marine Systems, Refugiums, Marine Biotope, Marine
Landscaping, Fishwatcher's
Guides,
Related FAQs:
Metal Halides for 40-200 gal. Systems,
MH for 200 gal. Plus Systems,
Metal Halides
for Medium-Sized Systems 2,
&
Large marine Systems 1, Large
Marine Systems 2, & FAQs on: Large System Design,
Large Tanks,
Large System Lighting,
Large System Filtration, Large System Skimmers,
Large System Stocking, Large System
Maintenance, Shark Systems, Fish-Only Marine Set-ups,
Fish-Only Marine Systems
2, FOWLR/Fish and Invertebrate Systems, Reef
Systems, Coldwater Systems, Small
Systems, Marine System
Plumbing, Biotopic
presentations,
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Ask yourself: "What am I trying to do, accomplish here?"
Just trying to see the livestock/system? Boosting metabolism of
light-needing livestock... going into the marine farming business? |
Lighting a Large Tank, Reef 8/9/08
Hello,
<Hello.>
I am researching and asking as many questions as I can about keeping a reef tank
because in a few years I plan on starting a 400 gal. tank that is 96"Lx36"Wx30"H
I am looking at light fixtures and my goal is that I would like to mainly have
LPS, polyps and mushroom corals (of course as far apart as possible to prevent
chemical warfare as well as other problems) as well as fish and a bubble
tip anemone and maybe one other type of anemone (probably not though as I am too
afraid of chemical warfare between two different species of anemone), but
seriously I am going to do more research before I start adding different
corals and fish.
<Good.>
The thing is I may want one or two SPS corals and I just want to have the right
lighting in the beginning so I won't have to upgrade my lighting if I decide I
want to do SPS instead, although I really am not big on SPS but I do like a few
Acropora
(http://www.liveaquaria.com/diversden/ItemDisplay.cfm?c=2733+5&ddid=45456) . I
am looking at Photon Plus 4' 2 x 400W HQI-SE+6x 54W T5 and I was thinking of
buying two of those for the tank but I have heard that MH's only cover a 2'x2'
area in tank and with it being wide
that would mean a foot of low light.
<Pretty much, a light every two feet will give the most even coverage. Some like
the look of uneven lighting.>
I could buy 4 Photon Plus 4' 2 x 400W HQI-SE+6x 54W T5 but then that would be 11
watts per gallon and I am afraid it would be overkill for my tank. I could go
with 2 Photon Plus 4' 2 x 400W HQI-SE+6x 54W T5 and 2 Photon Plus 4' 2 x 250W
HQI-DE+6x 54W T5 which would give me about 9 watts per gallon, but I am just
really confused on what is best in terms of lighting for my tank. I've looked
through several of the articles on your site and I couldn't find exactly what I
was looking for. 30” tall tank you really do not need 400 watt halides for this,
250’s will do fine. Do also consider the T5 lighting, something in the
neighborhood of 800-900 watts should do. The T5 lights will impart less heat
into your tank, saving you on power while offering flexibility in both bulb
configuration and the ability to add and subtract bulbs as needed for your
livestock.>
Thanks for any input you have.
~*~Brat~*~
<Welcome, Scott V.>
Lighting for the big one
02/03/2008
Hello,
<<Hi, Andrew today>>
I am building a custom tank from scratch. So far I have the tank, sump, and
skimmer done so now I'm to the point of choosing the lighting system. First of
all the tank dimension are 83"W x 27" H x 27" D. roughly 270 gal. the sump is
roughly 60 gal and the skimmer holds about 18 gal of water. The filtration has a
1800 gal meg drive pump to return water to the display and the skimmer is using
an ocean runner 2500 with needle wheel to re-circulate the water within it. .
The set up will start out as fish only and gradually going to reef plus fish and
eventually adding corals.
<<Sounds superb>>
I have searched and asked questions on many sites and forums but the opinion
seem to vary so much that I can't make an intelligent decision.
<<One of the many issued posed by forum questions. Lots of answers>>
I've been told that MH are only good for about 22" depth and compact fluorescent
even less.
<<A 400W metal halide lamp will be fine for over 22 - 24" deep tanks>>
I've been suggested to use a 400W MH in the middle and 2 175W on either side
with the addition of 2 compact fluorescent fixtures for the length of the tank
to even out the lighting of the display. This was suggested by a site that sells
lighting.
<<Certainly agree with the 400W, however having the 175w's on each side of the
400w will give the tank darker areas and may not be suited to you taste or
stocking plans>>
Now it seems to me that that is an awful amount of light not to mention the
expenses. Of course I'm thinking
the heat generated will give me a big problem as well. So how would you set up
the lighting for this huge tank?
<<Due to the depth of the tank, 400w lamps are your new best friend. If you deem
3 400w to be too much lighting, then maybe a 400w in the middle and a 250w on
each side of this and place light demanding corals per their lighting
requirements>>
Off the subject, what do you suggest as far as initial amount of live stock and
species to get this tank started?
<<That really only something that you can suggest, as its your system>>
Searching for an answer to this riddle, I ran across this site so here I am with
the question. Hope you guys can be of help on the lighting dilemma.
Thanks in advance
<<Thanks for the questions, hope it helps. A Nixon>>
T5 Lighting 7/7/06
I am in the process of upgrading my 55G tank to a 140G tank. The 140G is a
30" high tank which I know is less than ideal but was the largest one
I could fit into my space. I plan to keep some clams, soft corals, and a few
stony corals (high up only). My question relates to the lighting. I
have a T5 set up that has 3 80W bulbs and another in front that has 2 54W bulbs.
At the moment I have 11K Aqua Blues in the 3 bulb and actinic
bulbs in the 2. The lighting seems rather intense but one of my corals at the
bottom of the tank is losing its color. Is there a problem with my lighting?
<With this depth of water... likely so>
Do you have any suggestions on bulb setups? Thanks for all your help.
<For water depths over two feet, many "corals" "need" metal halide... Please
read here re:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/T5fluorFAQs.htm
and peruse the files linked above. Bob Fenner>
Supplemental HQI Lighting On A 900 Gallon Tank 8/6/06
Salutations!
<Hello Tim>
I'm currently in the process of setting up a rather large aquarium, a 10' x 4' x
3' monster (3 feet deep). The tank is acrylic, and has 3 large 30" square
cutouts on the top.
My setup is as follows:
1) I live in Arizona in a house with a flat roof.
2) I installed 3 24" Solar tubes in the ceiling directly over the tank. The
tubes extend down to about 18-24" off the top of the tank, and don't precisely
line up with the cutouts. The two on the ends are slightly to the outer edge of
the tank, and all three are more towards the back of the tank. (Joist placement
issues)
3) The tank is in a dedicated room, (front of the tank is picture-frame style
into the living room) so aesthetics of the fixtures is unimportant.
4) I plan to dedicate this tank primarily to shallow water SPS and clams.
I suspect that the three solar tubes, while providing a huge amount of light and
hopefully offsetting my electric bill, will not be enough light for this
tank. I also think that for aesthetic reasons, I will need some blue or actinic
lights to offset the natural sunlight coloring.
Along those lines, my current thinking is to add three 20,000K 400W HQI MH
fixtures to the tank. However, because of where the tubes are, these would be
centered more towards the front 1.5 feet of the tank. I'm concerned that alot
of my light will go directly onto the sandbed and the living room out the front
face. I was thinking perhaps I could angle the fixtures towards the rear of the
tank, but I'm not sure if this will cause a high loss of light through
reflection off the water surface. The other option would be to put 2 halides
over the braces between the solar tubes, but I am concerned about the effect of
the high intensity light being directed directly at an acrylic panel. I suspect
I will end up mounting a fan on the wall blowing crosswise across the entire
tank to keep the heat down. Also, the room is air-conditioned.
So:
What kind of supplemental lighting would you recommend for this setup?
How would you position the lamps?
Is a 400W HQI too much power? Maybe some other combination? I can always also
run them for only a few hours each day to simulate a mid-day-sun.
Any other thoughts on lighting this monster?
<Tim, a few questions before I can proceed. First, is the tank currently set up
and running? If so, are any SPS corals or clams in the system at present, and,
how are they looking with just the solar tubes? James (Salty Dog)>
Tim
Big Tank- Big Plans (Pt. 2)
Dear Scott,
Thank you for your response.
<You're quite welcome!>
One last thought please. Will the live rock/sand in the sump and tank floor itself need special lighting ? What kind do you recommend? How long should the lights be left on if I put live rock in the sump?
<The sand does not necessarily need to be lit. If you are going to keep macroalgae
in the sump, lighting is, of course, mandatory. I'd use an inexpensive power compact fixture, run on a "reverse daylight" schedule
(i.e. lights on when the display is dark, and vice-versa).>
You guys have no idea how much I appreciate all you do and it is obvious so does everyone else!!!
Chris Drialo
<Thanks so much for the kind words! We certainly enjoy bringing WWM to you every day! Good luck with your system! Regards, Scott F.>
Lighting a Huge tank
Lets say I built a aquarium 96" long by 48" wide by 48" tall. Is this even
possible??)
<Sure>
out of plywood and glass according to the methods on www.garf.org. Would 8 96"
VHO's be enough lighting to make this tank relatively bright and enough light
for live rock and softies and polyps and shrooms?
<Barely... metal halides are best for this size, depth of system>
If I made a tank to these dimensions, would (2) Berlin XL's Protein Skimmers
each rated for up to 500 gallons be enough skimming?
<Should be close... but I'd look into EuroReef, ETS lines>
How many GPH on an external pump would you recommend?
<5-8kgph... look into Baldor-motored Sequence pumps... much cheaper to operate>
And HOW would I heat a tank this big? With what type of heaters? This would sure
require a lot of salt. Well, Thanks!, Adam M.
<There are in-line resistant heaters of thousands of watts... You can find these
on the Net. Bob Fenner>
Tank Recommendations - 06/20/05
WWM Crew,
How's it going?
<<Well, thank you.>>
I'm sure you get a lot of these types of "Is this right?" questions so I
appreciate anyone who can take the time to reply.
<<Just glad you're asking the questions now <G>.>>
I'm currently planning (I over plan everything. From substrate to filtration
to livestock to daily/monthly routines) a 375 gallon reef tank.
<<SWEET! That happens to be what I have too!>>
It will be 96x30x30 with a sump of around 80 gallons.
<<Hey man!...you been peekin' in my window?>>
That is unless I can get it plumbed into the closet in which case I want to
go bigger.
<<There ya go!>>
As well, it will have a 100 gallon refugium that will be on a stand next to
it.
<<Excellent!>>
My goal is to actually make the refugium interesting and not something
hidden away.
<<Is just as fascinating as the main display, yes.>>
With mainly Chaetomorpha and Gracilaria Parvispora for occasional tang
feeding.
<<Both great algae for a vegetable refugium...but I would recommend picking
just one to go with. Just like corals, the algae will compete for
space/dominance in the refugium.>>
The refugium will have a 6-8" sand bed, 150-175 pounds of Fiji live rock,
and will be where I can finally put my 3-stripe damsel.
<<Dude...I was right there with ya up to this point! With the sand bed
(which I applaud) and the live rock, you won't have much room for macroalgae
growth. I would suggest choosing one method or the other (rock 'fuge or
veggie 'fuge). And whatever you do...DON'T put that damsel in the refugium,
it will quickly deplete your pod population (read: defeat the purpose of the
refugium).>>
As well, I'm planning on keeping a mated pair of coral banded shrimp, and a
flame hawk in this tank as well.
<<All good. But do be aware hawk fish are neither peaceful nor particularly
reef-safe.>>
Moving on, the main display will have over 500 lbs of live rock (mainly
Fiji, but some Tonga branch), a 3-4" sand bed.
<<Way too much rock, in my opinion. Think about going for a more "open"
seascape. Open space/rockwork looks fantastic in a large tank like this,
gives corals/fish space to grow "big", not to mention the ease on the pocket
book. You really don't need to "fill" the tank with rock for effective
bio-filtration, specially with the DSB (I'd bump that to 5-6 inches, by the
way.)
The skimming will be done with a Euro-Reef CS12-3 and I'll also be using a
KNOP Calcium Reactor S-IV. This is the only brand that I've found for this
size at a reasonable price. Any recommendations would be great.
<<No problems here with either product. I have the same skimmer on my 375,
though I went with the PM-CR622 for my calcium reactor.>>
As well as Maxi-jet's, Tunze Turbelle Streams, and such for water movement.
<<Love those Streams! I'm pushing around about 11,000 gph...would recommend
same (or more) for you.>>
My first question is about lighting.
<<Uh oh...shoulda been pacing myself.>>
My goal is to primarily keep LPS with some Zoanthids and a couple of
Montipora SPS species. Would you recommend 4 400W MH or 4 250w MH?
<<Wouldn't recommend 400w even of you were keeping "high light" acros...go
with the 250w... or better yet 150w (DE), considering what you want to
keep.>>
Also, do you think PC actinics or VHO actinics would work better?
<<Moot point...use 10,000k halide bulbs and the actinics will be for your
pleasure, not the corals.>>
Would 1 watt blue LED's reach the bottom of the tank for moon lighting?
<<Yes. But again...this is for you.>>
Also, what do you recommend for Kelvin rating? I've seen really good tanks
with 10,000k and 14,000k, but have also heard recommendations for mixing
different ratings.
<<Maybe...tis up to you. My recommendation is all 10K.>>
I know much of this is opinion questions, but I really do like getting
honest opinion.
<<No prob! Opinions I have in abundance <G>.>>
As far as livestock, I'd like to know if you foresee any problems with this
livestock list (attained over a very long period, 2+ years). All quantities
are 1 unless stated otherwise: Opistognathus aurifrons,
<<Hold off on the mandarin for at least a year (good advice for all fish if
you can do it!) until the refugium can provide a sustainable food supply.>>
6 Chromis viridis, Centropyge Aurantius, Centropyge Multispinis, Ecsenius
Midas, Salarias Fasciatus,
<<I don't really consider ANY blenny to be "reef-safe.">>
2 Amphiprion Ocellaris, 2 Black Amphiprion Percula, 2 Elacatinus Oceanops, 2
Pterapogon Kauderni, 1 Stonogobiops Nematodes, Gobiodon strangulatus, 1
Gobiodon Okinawae, 2 Nemateleotris Decora,
<<The gobies will be great in this tank.>>
Paracheilinus Filamentous, Wetmorella nigropinnata, Cirrhilabrus, Laboutei,
Pseudanthias Dispar, Oxycirrhites Typus,
<<Longnose hawks are fascinating, curious fish...but you'd be surprised at
the size shrimp they can get in their mouths...you are forewarned.>>
Centropyge Loriculus, Centropyge Bispinosus, Tank Bred Pseudochromis
Fridmani, Tank Bred Pseudochromis Springeri, Acanthurus Achilles,
<<I can't endorse the Achilles Tang...needs more flow/more space than even
this tank can supply.>>
Ctenochaetus Hawaiiensis, Paracanthurus hepatus , Zebrasoma Flavescens,
<<Honestly...not a tang person when it comes to reef tanks...but these last
three should be fine in this size system...if you must <G>.>>
2 Blue Synchiropus Splendidus.
<<Again with the mandarins? Please do wait on these.>>
As well as various snails, hermits, and cleaner shrimp.
<<Other than noted...a fine selection...do keep an eye on the pygmies
though...can be risky to mix so many, even in a big tank, as well as a risk
to corals.>>
Any feedback you have would be greatly appreciated. I'm just looking to make
sure I have the best possible start that I can provide for my underwater
friends. Also, one last question, I want to use a 55 gallon tank just for
holding live rock to culture algae on it so I can put it into the main
display for the tangs and angels and then remove it and continually replace
it with other pieces in the algae tank about once a week. My question, what
lighting would you recommend for growing algae on the rock and would I have
to use any supplements on this tank as well to encourage growth?
<<No supplements...and a couple or three 65w 6500K PC lights will serve you
well.>>
Thank you again for your help.
Nick
<<Is a pleasure, Eric R.>>
Lighting For A Deep Tank - 08/12/05
Hello,
<<Evening>>
I have a large reef tank that is 3.5 feet deep with the lowest part of the tank
being 3 feet from the (soon to be) halides.
<<neat>>
I was wondering if 250w HQI bulbs would be sufficient to keep various Montipora
species alive at the lowest levels.
<<Well...I'm one of those folks that believe lighting is a bit "overrated and
overstated" when it comes to reef tanks. Not saying it isn't necessary mind
you, but rather than just throwing mega-watts of light at the corals I feel
proper flow and adequate feeding can do much, with "light" serving as an adjunct
to these rather then the other way around. I would try this, especially if you
keep the species with higher light needs in the upper two-thirds of the
tank. Do pay special attention to water clarity (ozone is wonderful for
this!).>>
Also how far apart should I space the lighting fixtures from one another.
<<Maximum of two feet apart, but I like to go with 18" (or less) myself for a
bit more "overlap." EricR>>
Large System - 08/16/05
I recently acquired a 600 gallon tank that I am planning some
upgrades for.
<<cool>>
The tank came with 2 - 6' VHO's. It's a 4' tall tank, and I just want it to
look REALLY nice, not necessarily try to grow anything in it (aside from healthy
fish).
<<ok>>
I haven't gotten it filled yet, or the lights hooked up so I'm
not sure how bright it's going to be, but I'm curious if VHOs can hack it or
would it be recommended to bump it up to halides even though its a FOWLR.
<<The VHOs will work fine for the fish (may want to add a couple more tubes),
but I wouldn't expect any life to "flourish" on the live rock in the bottom
third of the tank. I prefer the look of a single-point light source
myself...and considering the depth of this tank, would likely opt for the
halides.>>
I want to mount my 125 above the 600 if that is possible and use it as a
refugium/invert display to complement my FOWLR, so it would be nice if I could
avoid the heating issues that would inevitably arise with halides.
<<A valid concern...but don't be fooled in to believing VHOs won't be hot. The
use of cooling/exhaust fans will likely be required for either application.>>
That leads to my next question and that is...are there any nifty tricks aside
from drilling (glass tank), and overflow boxes (the devil) to getting a top
mounted tank to overflow to a tank below?
<<Not that I'm aware/would trust. Drilling really is you're best option.>>
Third question - The tank came with two Oceanclear canisters (which I am
scraping for this project), and two 1200 gph external pumps. There are four
drilled holes and bulkheads in the bottom of the tank from this, and two pumps I
have no great use for. Would it be hazardous at all to just run two small
closed-loops right out the bottom - provided that I elevated the drains above
the substrate?
<<Employ "true" closed-loops and you have no worries.>>
And would that be worthwhile?
<<Absolutely!>>
I'm going to plumb a Dolphin AquaSea in for a closed loop on the back so if I
had to plumb them any other way it probably wouldn't be worth the hassle.
<<More flow the better...whether a reef or a FOWLR.>>
Lastly - just before my dreams get out of control - assuming I have top notch
water quality, and 600+ lbs of live rock how many "stocking rules" can I break
in a tank this size?
<<Every tank has it's own set of rules...>>
Can I keep a school of Yellow or Blue Tangs...or
multiple Pomacanthus angels...or keep a Sohal with other types of tangs...or....you get the picture :)
<<Unfortunately yes, I do <G>... You don't give the tank dimensions, but at 4
feet in height I'm guessing it's no longer than 8 feet (96"x48"x30" ?). The
Sohal gets too big even for this tank to be happy/well adjusted for its
lifetime...the blue tangs (Hippo?), though not quite as large as the Sohal at
maturity, are so robust, active, and high strung/twitchy as to (in my opinion)
require more swimming room, more flow, and more "hidey holes", than most casual
hobbyist can provide...especially if more than one. As for the yellow tangs, I
might be tempted to try a trio (all same size introduced together) in this
tank. Careful selection of a Pomacanthus might prove interesting as well (two
might be trouble)...tho be warned, these can/will become bruisers at
maturity...choose tank mates well. At least research your selections
(fishbase.org provides good info on adult size, gut content (food), etc.) and
seriously consider their requirements/needs before purchase.>>
Muchas Gracias, I always appreciate your input.
Scott
<<Happy to be here to assist/give opinion. Regards, EricR>>
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