What are suitable corals for this setup?

[Beverly]

I have two 5 gal tanks, 10" high. I have placed the tanks side by side and have a 3' NO fixture with two 30w 5500k tubes over them.

Currently have them filled with untreated tapwater, a small powerhead, heater and thermometer. Tomorrow, am going to test temp rise with the light fixture directly on top of the tanks' glass. Kinda think temps will rise quite rapidly with all that light on such small tanks. I can raise the fixture to keep tank temps more stable, if required.

If I can manage to keep tank temps stable, I plan to put at least 2" of aragonite sandbed, some LR, no fish, maybe no mobile inverts except snails (but we'll see), and want to have corals of some type. With that amount of light in such shallow tanks, can I have sps corals and/or clams, or am I restricted to lps and softies?

TIA for your thoughtful suggestions.

[Bob I]

Well I see no-one wants to answer this, so I will have a go. I will preface this by stating that I know very little about SPS, but you probably have enough light for them, and maybe clams too. As you are indubitably aware, most softies grow too large too quickly for that setup. So, I will unashamedly recommend that you get some SPS frags, and try it. In addition some GSP's, and some nice colorfull zoanthids although they won't be very colorfull under that spectrum.

[Beverly]

Hi Bob,

Was talking with someone recently about all that light. SPS frags would probably be my best bet, even if they grow slow, which is good considering the sizes of the two tanks. Clams would outgrow the tank, I'm told, so they wouldn't be a very good choice, especially since I have nowhere to put them when they grow

I have a 72g set up with pc lighting that is full of softies, which are doing well under 3 x 55w. So I kinda think sps would be the way to go in the two 5g's. Zoos would probably take over the tiny tanks in no time, so I think I'll stay away from them.

Thanks for your reply

[StirCrazy]

heres the problem, under NO lights some people have gotten SPS to live and some have gotten growth, but they were all pretty much brown. inorder to get the color you need lots of light which NO's just can't give.

Having said that because you will be about 6 to 8" from the coral to the bulb you might get away with it, but I personaly think some 23 watt PC's would go a long ways towards colloring up the sps in that situation.

Also if you are going to do "SPS" try stuff like digitata which comes in various colors and seams to grow almost in the dark

Steve

[Beverly]

Hi Steve,

I set these tanks up with stuff we had laying around. Geez, isn't there always stuff laying around!??!! Don't go spending money for me, though, okay

The tanks are 10" high and the NOs are directly on top of the glass. Temp rise is about 4 degrees F from morning to night. Got carried away with the sandbed, so it's almost 3" deep

The farthest away from the light any sps frags would be are 7", give or take a bit for the actual height the lights are off the glass - maybe an inch at the outside. Plus I put in a bit of LR for the frags to be attached to, so some of the frags could be as close to the lights as 4"-5".

DH went to the specialty light store the other day, where he can get tubes for 1/3 the price anywhere else, to order pc lights for our 72g. I asked him to order some 6500K tubes for the two 5g's.

Really, the tanks are ablaze with light even with the 2 x 30w NOs, though I think the 6500k's will show colour more vibrantly. Do you think so too?

[Bob I]

You know nothing hurts more than having to agree with Steve , but he is right, corals never seem to show their colors unless the lighting is intense and the right spectrum. I guess that is why I avoid SPS like the plague.

[StirCrazy]

Originally Posted by rcipema

You know nothing hurts more than having to agree with Steve

you must have taken a break after that one

Steve

[StirCrazy]

Originally Posted by Beverly

Hi Steve,

Don't go spending money for me, though, okay

but I am the king of spending money on my tanks.. you should see my bills for thelat two weeks.....and my tank was already togeather

Steve

[StirCrazy]

Originally Posted by Beverly

Hi Steve,

Really, the tanks are ablaze with light even with the 2 x 30w NOs, though I think the 6500k's will show colour more vibrantly. Do you think so too?

what color are the tubes you have in now? personaly I would have gotten something like the hagen power glows if you are insistant on going at it with NO's they are a high output and almost a 10000K color. I use two of them and two 6400k on my planted tank, and the power glos made all the colors pop out.

but still lights will only intensify color if you have some to start with, other wise brown will look brown. so try a couple chunks of something like a green digitata and see how it does.

Steve

[Bob I]

Originally Posted by StirCrazy

but I am the king of spending money on my tanks.. you should see my bills for thelat two weeks.....and my tank was already togeather

Steve

It takes an amazing amount of self control to not let this hobby become a bottomless moneypit.