Why isn't my hammer bright green like in the lfs?

[reeffish6]

Originally Posted by MoreDakka

So looks like having corals there isn't really a cheaping out, specially on lights. Found some more Taotronic stuff, wondering if these are the same. They look the same and not too expensive. I'm sorry for my ignorance but I want to try to grow corals but don't have the money to do the mega high end lighting stuff, trying to find the correct medium.

Thanks all for all the great info.

So with the water changes, should I be doing 30% biweekly to try to correct the nitrates?

I would do 10-15% once a week

[mrhasan]

Originally Posted by MoreDakka

So looks like having corals there isn't really a cheaping out, specially on lights. Found some more Taotronic stuff, wondering if these are the same. They look the same and not too expensive. I'm sorry for my ignorance but I want to try to grow corals but don't have the money to do the mega high end lighting stuff, trying to find the correct medium.

Thanks all for all the great info.

So with the water changes, should I be doing 30% biweekly to try to correct the nitrates?

It is expensive but not as expensive as some people tends to make it look like. You don't need mp40 or GHL mitra or BK skimmer to run a successful reef, you just have to make sure you get the best out of your budget Like many are suggesting, T5 would be an ideal option; you can't go wrong with T5 unless you put 6500k over the tank and see nice algae growth But yes, you will end up spending around $200 atleast for a proper lighting.

[DAVE]

IF you are just sticking with softies/LPS I would buy these lights.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/310657779860...84.m1497.l2649

Not sure if the link is allowed (moderators feel free to remove)

$200, arrive to your house in 3 business days, dimmable and full spectrum.

[reeffish6]

It is difficult to run a reef on a budget but it is possible. But just like everyone else has been saying you must have decent lights to run a reef. soft corals would probably be best for you.

[Aquattro]

Originally Posted by Hydrologist

Not sure if the link is allowed (moderators feel free to remove)

That's fine

[sphelps]

Originally Posted by reeffish6

I would do 10-15% once a week

Well that's great for regular maintenance if the goal is to reduce nitrates you should be looking at doing much larger changes. The tank doesn't look that big so changes upwards of 50% should be feasible. If you do 50% changes you need four of them within a short time frame to get you to 5ppm. Do the math for 10% and you'll see why it does nothing.

[MoreDakka]

Originally Posted by sphelps

Well that's great for regular maintenance if the goal is to reduce nitrates you should be looking at doing much larger changes. The tank doesn't look that big so changes upwards of 50% should be feasible. If you do 50% changes you need four of them within a short time frame to get you to 5ppm. Do the math for 10% and you'll see why it does nothing.

Perfect, I'll do a bunch of really big water changes to try to correct this broken tank. When you say a short amount of time what would that be? all within a week?

Looks like we'll have to live with the lighting we have for now and we'll save for an average cost set. Was thinking http://www.rapidled.com/ for a diy approach? I've seen a couple of these setups in youtube and they look good plus they seem to be great for the money. Anyone tried these?

[mrhasan]

Originally Posted by MoreDakka

Perfect, I'll do a bunch of really big water changes to try to correct this broken tank. When you say a short amount of time what would that be? all within a week?

Looks like we'll have to live with the lighting we have for now and we'll save for an average cost set. Was thinking http://www.rapidled.com/ for a diy approach? I've seen a couple of these setups in youtube and they look good plus they seem to be great for the money. Anyone tried these?

Just a heads up about DIYs: they sometimes cost more than you would expect for smaller tanks. Bigger tanks benefits from DIY LEDs in terms of "savings" but smaller tanks usually don't unless you are a die-hard DIY fan; then its worth it

[Seth81]

+1 My DIY was much more expensive then an off the shelf solution

Originally Posted by mrhasan

Just a heads up about DIYs: they sometimes cost more than you would expect for smaller tanks. Bigger tanks benefits from DIY LEDs in terms of "savings" but smaller tanks usually don't unless you are a die-hard DIY fan; then its worth it

[sphelps]

Originally Posted by MoreDakka

Perfect, I'll do a bunch of really big water changes to try to correct this broken tank. When you say a short amount of time what would that be? all within a week?

Looks like we'll have to live with the lighting we have for now and we'll save for an average cost set. Was thinking http://www.rapidled.com/ for a diy approach? I've seen a couple of these setups in youtube and they look good plus they seem to be great for the money. Anyone tried these?

Yeah within a week type of deal the sooner the better otherwise levels may climb back up between changes.

I agree with others about the DIY approach, no way it's cheaper than the D120.