Looking for LPS or Soft Coral Frags

[titus]

Hello,

Man, most of you guys are in Surrey and Chilliwack. I think it'd be a good idea that whoever can trade/sell bring their stuff to the club meeting. That way people wouldn't have to travel as far and have a bunch of stuff to select from.

Titus

[canadawest]

Yes Titus, I will be bringing whatever frags I have at the time to the club meeting.

BTW.. Has a time/place been finalized yet?

And Flame, my email address is available on the message board, just click the little envelope icon on any post.

[BCReefer]

What type of lighting would a frag require. I only have a single fluorescent light in my 27G aquarium.

[DJ88]

BC Reef,

The lighting a frag needs depends on what the coral is. Soft, LPS or SPS. SPS are the most demanding for light although they all really need a fair bit of light in my opinion. For them to do well.

If you only have one NO flourescent I would say you don't have enough light for any coral really. I presume that you will have about 20W of light over that tank. Give or take 5W.

Fish would not be a problem but you would not have the light to keep a coral alive.

I have a 33 gallon right now and have about 290W of light over it to keep SPS, LPS and soft corals. I am increasing this by adding a second MH and changing my Actinics from NO to VHO.

What are you looking to keep in your tank? That is a good spot to start then the gang here can help you get pointed in the right direction. [img]images/smiles/icon_smile.gif[/img]

[FlameAngel]

27 gallon tank? that sounds almost like an eclipse unit or something?

PC lighting is probably your best bet for such a tank. check www.ahsupply.com
or www.lampsnow.com

If you want to keep low light lovers. You'll get away with placing another 20W (or maybe) two above the tank.

FlameAngel

[titus]

Hello Canadawest,

There has not been a meeting time/date finalized yet. From what I know, either Darren or Scott will be working on that.

Titus

[reefburnaby]

Hello BCReefer,

Lighting...another one of those unsolved mysteries that everybody has a different opinion about. 29 Gal...let me guess, 30x12x18 -- or something like that.

Well...it really depends on what you keep. Suppose the tank has a properly built 20W 2' NO lamp (say F20T12s from Home Depot), then it should be enough to keep undemanding mushrooms and low light corals at the bottom of the tank. They will grow very slowly...but they will usually stay alive. If you have a deep sand bed (something like 4 to 8 inches), then the mushrooms will grow better because they are closer to the light (i.e. more light). Sadly, the frags mentioned above (the leather, the hammer, sps and etc), require more light than a single 20W lamp -- even if you placed it near the top of the tank.

What would I do if I had this tank and I wanted to keep some of the frags mentioned, I would either go for 1 X 96W PowerCompacts with 10000K lights for about $200 CAD. 96W are 3' long, so you'll have to place the lights diagonally. OR...250W 6500K or 10000K Metal Halide -- about $250-350 CAD (see Hydroponics shops). Those are DIY prices -- 1.5x to 2x the price if you want a professional package. Go for the metal halides if you can afford it.

Lighting and water movement are very important in coral keeping. Try not skimp on essential supplies, like lighting, because you'll end up paying more due to lost corals and buying useless/inadaquate equipment. If you are still not sure...buy a good book and visit a good lfs (say, j&l or Animal house).

Just remember to have fun [img]images/smiles/icon_smile.gif[/img] ...

- Victor.

[FlameAngel]

I found it still cheaper to get lighting stuff for the US, than anyone here.

[BCReefer]

Everyone that I spoke to told me that with my simple lighting that I could not get any frags so I was looking at getting 4 – 5 fish and a clean up crew with 2 cleaner shrimp. I am adding equipment in stages or I would end up in divorce court. When I look at my aquarium I feel something is missing. With only LR and the fish, it seems so empty. I would love to add some frags, they would add so much. How much LR can I have a 27 G? I have approximately 22 lbs now with lots of room left over.

Thanks for all the help.

[BCReefer]

I have only an inch of sand on the bottom so I guess don’t have room for the mushrooms.

How does everyone who uses the high intensity lighting work it into the surrounding of the house. I live in a condo so space is limited, plus my aquarium is in the living room so a bright light standing off the aquarium would not work. I guess I am stuck with the setup that I have now until we move and I get a proper 75 – 100 G tank and do it right.