Lighting a 48x24x24 SPS Tank 2/20/08
I am setting up a 120 gallon reef that will be SPS dominated. Assuming I maintain stable water parameters ( a big assumption I know) I want to provide the best lighting for growth and color. I will be using metal halide but am not sure how many lamps to use. I can either go with two 400 watt lamps or two 400 watt and two 250 watt lamps. Would the four lamp system be overkill for a 24" deep SPS tank?
<Yes it would be overkill here. The two 400W lights can work, but is too much also, in my opinion. Do consider simply lighting with two 250W lamps.>
I also intend to keep some clams on the sand bed.
<This will be fine either way.>
Thank you for your advice and I much appreciate the help you provide.
Matt
<Welcome, have fun setting up, Scott V.>

Lighting requirements of Scleractinia  
Reef Lighting 10/29/07
Dear Sir or Madam,
<Hello Mike>
I would value your opinion on the lighting requirements of a small reef aquarium I am currently preparing.
The intended coral inhabitants of this aquarium are three or four small captive bred ‘frags’ of the Order Scleractinia, species specifically being considered are Acropora millepora, Seriatopora guttatus, Stylophora pistillata and Porites cylindrical.
I have read several books containing advice and information on this subject (notably publications by Tullock, Nilsen, Fosså, Calfo, Fenner and Borneman), which have been enormously helpful, but the dimensions of my own tank are giving me pause for thought.
The aquariums gross measurements are 36 x 18 x 16.5 inches (LxHxW). Allowing for rock and sand displacement the net volume is likely to be around 40 US gallons with the deepest parts of the tank around 15” below the surface of the water.
Unfortunately lighting packages I have found do not seem ideally suited to such light dependent corals within what is essentially a 3ft long, rather narrow vessel.
I have narrowed potential lighting down to the following (specific make/model in brackets):
4 x 39 Watt, 34” T5 tubes – mixture of white & blue/actinic (Giesemann Reflexx)
6 x 39 Watt, 34” T5 tubes – mixture of white & blue/actinic (Giesemann Reflexx)
1 x150 Watt metal halide (14,000k) and 2 x 24 Watt, 22” T5 actinic tubes (Arcadia Series 4 pendant)
2 x 150 Watt metal halide pendants (Giesemann Nova II)
It would seem from several posts on WetWebMedia that metal halide lights over such shallow water would not be suitable,
<Not that shallow, generally, tanks over 18" in depth will require metal halide/HQI lighting for the corals you want to keep.>
yet I note that in ‘Natural Reef Aquariums’ by John H. Tullock (Jan 2001) that two 175 Watt pendants are utilised over an aquarium of similar dimensions to my own for sustaining similar livestock (Page 72).
My current line of thinking is to make use of the Arcadia Series 4 and keep the aforementioned corals fairly central and high up on the rock, whilst considering the use of other corals in the lower wider areas (Genus Caulastrea and/or Favia).
I would greatly value your input on this issue.
<All the corals you have in mind require high to moderate lighting. Your choice of the Arcadia pendant should do the job depending on how high the fixture will be from the surface of the water, and keeping in mind your coral placement positions you have stated. Two 150 watt HQI'/14K lamps, with no other supplemental lighting, would be my choice for a tank size you have. Have you read here? Never mind, our site is not responding now, but do search "Reef Lighting" on our site, plenty of info and related links here.>
Kind regards,
<Thank you, James (Salty Dog)>
Mike

Can't get the BLUES... color coral sel...  07/28/07
Hi WWM Crew! I have a 1 year old 75gal mixed reef, which is slowly becoming SPS dominated. I run 2x175 Iwasaki 15K MH bulbs, supplemented with 4x96watt PCs (2 67K and 2 Actinics). MHs are on for 7hrs a day, and the PCs are on different times of the day for a total of 10 hours. My SPS that are pink, red, purple, green, and orange are doing great in growth and coloration. However, any SPS that has blue coloration quickly turn brown, although they grow just as well as my other SPS. Currently I have an Oregon Blue tort, and ORA blue tort, and a German-blue polyp digitata. All 3 of these are turning brown. Do sps that have blue coloration require higher temperature bulbs?
<Not necessarily. In fact, they may require less. Or it might even be what you're feeding them or something about your water parameters. Even in academic arenas, coral coloration is very poorly understood. (Maybe because, in these perilous times, coral researchers don't really care so much if corals are blue or brown so long as they're not dying.) In any case, your best bet is to find a blue colored coral that has been kept under lighting exactly like yours for at least several weeks (better if months). Please see here:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/spsbehfaqs1.htm>
Should I add more actinic lighting?
<Likely the only thing that will do is make everything *look* a little bluer.>
I have all 3 of the blue SPS species at the highest part of my tank directly under the MH bulbs, but still they are browning.
<So move them down and see what happens. It's something of a myth that corals only brown from lack of light. They can also brown from too much light (or for some other as-of-yet unknown reason). But in any case, the coral can still be very healthy, just not as pretty. If you just want some blue in your aquarium, you could think about a blue crocea clam. :-)>
Thanks for any advice you can offer, Jonathan
<De nada,
Sara M.>

Feeding a dwarf lionfish and thinking of stocking SPS, sys.    8/26/07
Hey guys,
First, I just bought a relatively small dwarf lionfish from the LFS and am wondering what would be a good food to use to wean him off of ghost shrimp.
<Mmm, "start wiggling" most any smallish meaty bits (frutti di mar package?) on the end of a "feeding stick"...>
I bought some fresh shrimp from HEB, the white gulf shrimp, and used a needle to thread some fishing line through a small piece and dangled it in front of the lionfish just after lights-out. He didn't seem remotely interested.
<Takes some practice, starving... a modicum of patience>
It has been close to a week since he's fed so I thought he'd be hungry enough to take it. Is there something else that he would prefer to eat other than the gulf shrimp?
<Maybe not... Perhaps some other live food for a bit... like baby livebearers... still expensive and inconvenient...>
Any thoughts or advice would be greatly appreciated.
<You have read here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/dwflionfdgfaqs.htm
and the pertinent linked FAQ file above?>
Next, I'm thinking of getting some Acropora but before I did I wanted to some advice first. I have 2 175 watt MH lights over a 75 gallon aquarium. The color temperature is 14000K. Is this good lighting for SPS?
<Likely so>
I have a 20 gallon refugium/plenum and a protein skimmer all being run with a Mag 9.5 and a have another 300 GPH powerhead going against the flow in the main tank to cause some turbulence. Would this be sufficient?
<Maybe, but I'd add to...>
My tank parameters are pH 8.1, DKH 12, Calcium 420, with no detectable nitrates, nitrites, phosphates or ammonia. 
I add Fiji Gold twice a week and that's all. Also, I have some Asterina stars in my tank and your website seems to think they are fine but GARF.org thinks otherwise stating that they are carnivorous feeding on sessile invertebrates and should be removed immediately. Any thoughts on this?
<I would not sweat these small stars>
I have noticed the occasional zoanthid polyp decline, possibly this was the cause. One last thing regarding my sump: I was thinking of removing the filter sponge and instead running the pipe down about an inch or two from the bottom of that chamber in the 20 gallon and filling it up with live rock rubble. This way the water would flow up through the live rock. Would the rubble, combined with a thick layer of Chaeto algae in the refugium section eliminate the need for the mechanical filter sponge?
<Try it and see>
Also, do I need any chemical filtration such as a carbon bag?
<Perhaps periodically... would likely help with water quality, clarity... Again, this is all archived on WWM>
I currently have a bag of carbon that the water goes through directly after the sponge and before the refugium. If needed, is that a good spot for it? Whew, I think that's it.
Sorry about how long this turned out to be, once I started I just couldn't stop. Thanks a ton you guys!
<Be reading. Bob Fenner>

Optimal SPS lighting?  Coral Competition and Lighting Issues   6/13/07
Dear Crew,
<Hi there! Scott F. at the keyboard tonight!>
I have a 75 gal mixed SPS/LPS system lit by two 250w MH's- about 12 inches off the surface.
<That's a whole lot of light for this sized system!>
The tank is over a year old; has optimal water reef water parameters including Ca=450 and dKh=9. Bioload is
light with just a pair of clowns. Corals include 3 Acropora (placed shallow), one Montipora and 2 Euphyllia (Torch and a Hammer, placed deep). I originally had 10K bulbs but noticed my coralline algae growth was sparse, so my LFS owner recommended I change to 20K bulbs.
<I see..>
So I changed the bulbs about four months ago and, sure enough, the coralline growth was good, but here's the thing: although the SPS growth is mostly positive (a staghorn Acropora and the Montipora grow like weeds while my A. echinata and another unidentified Acropora has
barely budged) but the Hammer and the Torch corals have shown
recession. The Torch, in particular, is dying off. I increased the frequency of direct feedings with Cyclop-eeze, but with no effect. The recession may have been there prior to the color change and I possibly did not notice it.
Questions:
1. Aesthetics aside, and all things equal (wattage, etc...), in terms of growth what's the optimal color for my SPS?... 20K, 10K or something in between?
<To be quite honest, the optimal color temperature bulb for the Acropora would be a 6700K. Daylight "flavored" light is generally what works for most of the high-light demanding corals. On the other hand, it may simply be too darned "yellow" for you from an aesthetic standpoint. I suppose that a 10,000k bulb is the optimum combination of useful color temperature and aesthetics, IMO.>
2. With regards to the LPS, is the color wrong? Or, as I suspect, just too much wattage (6.6 watt/gal)?
<It is a lot of light. These corals come from rather turbid water in nature, where light can be diffused somewhat. This is a really unnatural combination of animals, that could result in lots of problems down the line (assuming the Euphylliids make it), in terms of allelopathic competition. These are strong producers of such compounds, which can really damage the Acropora down the line. Bottom line, I'd dedicate a system just for them.>
I'm currently cycling up another tank (20 gallon nano system with 65w PC lighting) and am considering moving the sick LPS into that tank.
<That would be a good move, IMO!>
Thanks.
Russell in KY
<Best of luck to you! Regards, Scott F.>

Re: Optimal SPS lighting? Lighting Systems- Do You Get What You Pay For? – 06/14/07
Scott, thanks for the quick reply.
<Glad to be of service...>
I agree, my system (6+ watts/gal) has potentially a little too much lighting. However, the lights, hood and ballasts were obtained used for a great price, sold by a college student heading for the Peace Corp... so it was price vs. perfection.
<I've made that call be fore, myself!>
One quick question;
I've noticed that the pricing for metal halide lights is all over the place. Are the more expensive, German manufactured lights worth the price compared than the cheap Chinese imports?
RB
<Well, I'm certainly not an industrial engineer, but I have seen quite a few of the lighting systems that are out on the market today, and you can really tell the difference in quality vs. cheap units. There are some nice lighting units made in Asia- not all of them are poorly made and unreliable. I must say, however, that most of the German-made, European, and American units out there are very nice. The pricing can be a bit skewed at times, but in my experience, the vast majority of the high-end lighting systems are worth the money. The old adage about "getting what you pay for" generally seem to apply with lighting systems. In the end, you need to find a unit that fits your needs, budget, and quality requirements. HTH. Regards, Scott F.>

New SPS Tank…Will It Do? – 06/08/07
Good day crew,
<<Good evening Matt!>>
First of all thank you for all the years of help your website has given me.
<<Tis truly a collaborative effort…quite welcome>>
I have a 60 gallon acrylic (18" tall x 48" long) and it's being setup for an SPS tank.
<<Neat>>
I have a Mag 9.5 as the return with approximately 45x turn over rate in power heads and a Korallin 1502 calcium reactor.
<<Wow, that’s a LOT of flow…do be sure to check that those powerheads are not blasting the flesh right off your corals>>
I have a Tunze 9010 as the skimmer.
<<Good stuff…those Tunze products>>
Right now I am running 2x175 watt halides with Spider reflectors and my tanks levels are as follows:
Ammonia 0, Nitrite 0, Nitrate <5ppm, Calcium 460, DKH 14.7, Temp at 76.
<<Be careful of trying to maintain both Calcium and Alkalinity at their upper ranges as they tend to be mutually exclusive as is very well explained by Anthony C’s “marble analogy”…please read here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/calcalkmar.htm >>
My questions are these. Is my lighting sufficient for Acro's and Monti's or should I upgrade to 250 watt bulbs?
<<What you have will be more than sufficient for this tank>>
Also, are the rest of the parameters and equipment in my tank sufficient to run the most demanding of SPS?
<<The equipment/et al will be fine my friend, but there is so, so, much more than “equipment” involved in being successful…with any genus/species. Please start reading here, following the links in blue at the top of the pages…sooooo much more to know/to be absorbed than can be covered or passed in this short exchange>>
Thank you for your consideration.
Matt
<<Regards, EricR>>

SPS lighting and skimmer questions   4/21/07
Dear Crew
Love the site. Most of my knowledge in the hobby has come straight from you guys, so I'm of course very grateful.
<Here to help>
Now on to the good stuff... I'm in the planning and development stages of a SPS dominated system with LPS's near the bottom. I'm new to SPS's and would like to do it right the first time to avoid costly mistakes. I've bought the tank already, a 225-gallon acrylic show tank, 72" wide by 30" tall by 24" deep.
<Olly’s jealous Heehee>
I plan on using two 3/4" sea swirls on the front corners and two stationary nozzles on the back corners running 24 hours a day, fed from the sump return pump. Then a closed loop with two spray bars behind the rock and two 3/4" nozzles positioned in the front/middle of the tank pointed at the rock, tied to an Oceans Motions 4-way (version 2) device that will turn on and off when the lights turn on and off to mimic tidal movements.
<Sounds a very good set-up; of course try and aim the varying outputs at each other to create added random displacement>
Sand bed will be about four inches, with lots and lots of live rock. First up is lighting. I would think that three 400-watt metal halides would be perfect; problem is my canopy lid is split down the middle into two separate lids. So to have a symmetrical look I'll need to install four bulbs. I know SPS corals like a lot of light but I'm concerned I might bleach some corals with 1600 watts of metal halides, not to mention four 96-watt PC actinics that I was thinking of using.
<”Not to mention” electric bills>
I'll be running a very powerful chiller and although the canopy is low, clearance is 8.5 inches; I'll be installing fans in the canopy and two vents directly behind the canopy with fans on the roof that will pull humid hot air up and out of the room.
<Depending on the fixture used then the clearance may be reduced significantly, I imagine you will be left with around 5-6 inches>
This should combat the intense heat produced by four 400-watt bulbs. So my question is, what combo of lighting would be best for the corals? Should I consider two 400's and two 250's? Or will four 400's be ok?
<I personally think 400’s are often used unnecessarily and a normally overkill. A tank with a depth of more than 28” is when they come into their own. For this reason I would use the combination of two 250’s and two 400’s. Or if you installed retrofit and read up on the many articles on ballast/bulb and reflector output then I think four 250’s would work fine
http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2007-04/jb/index.php>
On to my skimming question. I was sold on an ASM G3 but now I'm thinking... why not over skim a little and go for the G4? I have room for it, question is, is it really possible to skim TOO much? And how much is too much? The G4 is rated at 350 gallons, the G3 at 250. My Tank is 225 and I figure the sump/refugium will be around 75. But actual water volume will be much lower. I don't want a crazy amount of fish but would like to be covered in case I over do it a little ;-)
<I have no experience with this brand but looking over their products and ratings; I would go with the G4 as over skimming is a very influential part of many successful SPS systems. Also like you say, this covers the odd indulgence in future>
Looking forward to hearing from you.
Sincerely,
Chad
<Hope to have helped. On the lighting issue – I believe that part of being a Conscientious Aquarist involves striking a balance between taking from nature and maintaining what is already there. Using 400-watt halides isn’t normally necessary unless you’re striving for quicker enforced growth, and this often doesn’t materialize. However you will significantly increase the amount of pollutants affecting the wild reefs with excessive energy consumption and also spend more on this electricity which could be used to further benefit your tank from other additions. I’m not trying to sway you ^grins^ but I’d stick with 250’s – save energy, benefit your tank, feel better with yourself! Cheers and that wasn’t a lecture at you, it an opinion that I wished to share and found my incentive. Hope I’ve helped, Olly>

Transition to Shallow Water, Stony Coral, Display  - 04/05/07
G'day Crew
<Dan the Man…you’ve heard that before right?>
I am currently running a 6', 22" deep 110gal reef  with 4 x 96W PC lighting.
<And let me guess….you’re looking to upgrade?>
My current Cnidarian residents include a Heliofungia, Catalaphyllia, corallimorphs, zoanthids, Duncanopsamia, and a few leathers.
<All can (sounds like they are) do well under power compact lighting, though I too would prefer a few different types of systems first.  The rate at which PC’s decrease in their lumen output, makes them, for me anyway…appear uneconomical.  Their color in comparison to standard fluorescents, VHO, T-5, etc. …is also sub-par.>
All is going well so far and everyone is happy.
<Good.>
However, I have unfortunately(?!) been bitten by the SPS bug
<Mmm…those colorful shallow-water Acroporas.>
(maybe it came in on a piece of live rock). I would like to introduce some acropora species in particular, they are just stunning.
<Do be sure to do your research on these.  They are “keep-able” but are shall we say less forgiving than what you are use to keeping.  Also, whenever you can attain captive reared specimens over recently wild collected.  Your nutrient levels will need to be kept at a minimum and you’ll want mucho mucho mucho (lots) of water-flow if you do not already have it. I’d suggest “Corals” by Eric H. Borneman for text guides and here are a few articles:
http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2007/3/aafeature1
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/acropori.htm
…much more research on WWM, net in general to be had.>
The opportunity has come up to purchase some metal halide lighting but I have a number of questions that my LFS doesn't seem to be able to provide satisfactory answers to.
<I will attempt to comply…>
1) Is it possible to keep LPS and soft corals with SPS or are their light needs too different? Would MH lighting be too much for the guys already in there, or could they be acclimated/moved to lower lighting areas.
<The lighting needs are but one concern when mixing cnidaria life.  It is true that some of your current animals my have difficulty n adjusting to more intense lighting but with proper acclimation it is typically possible (though for some there is such thing as too much lighting).   Having said that I do not recommend mixing this type of cnidaria life long-term. There are chemical-warfare (allelopathy) issues to be considered…simply put it’s not a good idea. And you can see some notes on that here (http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2006-02/snn/index.php ) as well as gain some other opinions/research on WWM and the net.>
2) If I stay with my PC lights I'm considering adding some additional actinic tubes for aesthetic reasons.
<Yes but it would not do much of anything in the way of P.A.R. rating or intensity.>
Could any of the Acros  be kept right at the top of the tank with this lighting configuration?
<Very few, you would have to compensate elsewhere…lots of water flow, highly stable water quality…supplemental feedings….I would not recommend this for someone with relatively little experience with these animals. This lighting could work in the shallowest of settings/depths but if you do go ahead with this…I would recommend changing all of your lighting to the 6500k to 10,000k range (which it doesn’t sound like you want to do.>
3) On a totally unrelated matter, I was talking with Brandon about keeping 2 Centropyge angels (flame and coral beauty) which I've decided to probably have a go at.
<Not to contradict Brandon but I would not try this in tank unless it was at least 180 gallons, and surely not in a tank with such an array of invertebrate and cnidaria life at risk.>
Could I quarantine them both in an 80L QT if separated with a piece of glass, acrylic or other material?
<You could…..I wouldn’t.>
Thanks for your feedback!
<Of course.>
Since finding your site the frustration levels are lowering and the enjoyment levels are rising!
<Awesome.>
Dan in Sydney, Australia
<Adam J in California.>

Lighting Options For An SPS Tank   1/6/07
Hello,
<Hi there! Scott F. with you today!>
I am starting an SPS reef tank.  Either 75 or 120 gallon reef.
I have a chiller, skimmer, sump, and all the bells and whistles from my previous tank. My question is should I use 400 watt or 250 watt lights, along with T5?  Cost vs. effectiveness....
<Well, if you're looking for "bang for the buck" with light-demanding SPS corals, I'd be inclined to go with 250 watt halides. T5 supplementation is optional, IMO. I am currently running a large array of just T5 lights on a new system, with good results, but I question its value as a supplement with halides, myself, unless it's purely for aesthetics.>
Do you suggest the Aqua Medic combo sexy series, or PFO Acrolights?
<I have heard good stuff about both of these makes/models. Ask some fellow hobbyists on the message boards and get a feel for what people who use them have to say.>
I know I will use 10K bulbs along with the actinic supplementation....
<Or 10k by themselves, if you like the color.>
Thanks so much.
Ronnie Shingelo
<My pleasure! Regards, Scott F.>

Halides for SPS   12/27/06
<Hi Matt, Mich here with you.>
Just wanted to ask a quick question, in your opinion what would be a preferred color temp halide to maintain the color and growth of SPS corals?  I have read that most suggest 10000K - 12000K, would this be correct?  
<Bulbs in the 10,000 K range tend to have a more complete color spectrum.  Here's a resource you may find helpful http://www.reeflightinginfo.arvixe.com/>
Thanks for your time.  
<You are welcome.  -Mich>
Matt

SPS corals... lighting a 3' deep marine sys.   12/22/06
Hi,
      Thanks for all the help through the years. I am looking to add SPS to my system. My tank is about 6' long and about 3' high and 3' wide.
<Wowzah... hope you have long arms!>
I have 2 65watt 10,000K pc's and 2 65watt actinic bulbs PC's. I was wondering if I could just put 4 10,000Kbulbs
<...? How many watts? I don't think the changing of temperature of the lamps will make much difference here>
in and add SPS
<?...>
or if I just need to kick-up the wattage to a 96watt bulb system. Or, do I need some MH bulbs.
<Reading...>
I would like just to use PC's since I have them, or do I need the full MH system. Please help.   
  Thanks and happy holidays!!!   
  Jeromy
<Please read here: http://wetwebmedia.com/mhlgsysfaqs.htm
and the linked files above. Bob Fenner>