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

[Myka]

As sphelps said, find a used 4-bulb T5 fixture in the classifieds on CanReef. I think the one he linked to is too short for your tank as yours appears to be 36". AquaticLife make reasonably priced T5 fixtures and used ones are quite economical.

For LPS, if you use mainly blue bulbs you can push 12 months on them ime. I use T5s over my Zoa/LPS tank and really like the results. I use 3 blue plus bulbs and 1 Coral Light bulb and replace one bulb every 3 months which is only $30 every 3 months - easy to handle.

For nitrate issues, big waterchanges won't fix the problem entirely. You need to locate the source...tap water? Overfeeding? Poor skimmer? Poor water circulation allowing detritus to settle? Etc... Check out the links in my signature for advice on tank maintenance (Detritus Wars & Hair Algae).

[miuYH]

What about par30/38 light bulbs?

[MoreDakka]

Originally Posted by Myka

As sphelps said, find a used 4-bulb T5 fixture in the classifieds on CanReef. I think the one he linked to is too short for your tank as yours appears to be 36". AquaticLife make reasonably priced T5 fixtures and used ones are quite economical.

For LPS, if you use mainly blue bulbs you can push 12 months on them ime. I use T5s over my Zoa/LPS tank and really like the results. I use 3 blue plus bulbs and 1 Coral Light bulb and replace one bulb every 3 months which is only $30 every 3 months - easy to handle.

For nitrate issues, big waterchanges won't fix the problem entirely. You need to locate the source...tap water? Overfeeding? Poor skimmer? Poor water circulation allowing detritus to settle? Etc... Check out the links in my signature for advice on tank maintenance (Detritus Wars & Hair Algae).

I may have been incorrect in saying T5, it's a dual bulb, would it be t5-ho?



I tested the tap water. No extra nitrates coming from there, a bit of ammonium (about 0.25ppm). I was over feeding, now I've cut that back even more. I might have a couple of spots where the water sits but I'm seeing flow everywhere and my CUC is quite good at getting rid of stuff. Just added 4 nassarius snaills to the mix too. I've also gone ahead and scraped that back wall. That was gross, the water looked like a slew...nice now though,

Titus99 gave me a bunch of info as well, my HOB filter I was neglecting and probably farming nitrates out of that. That's now being cleaned daily/every other day. I was over feeding lots, that's been cut back. So my nitrate levels have dropped to 20ppm after 2 30-40% water changes (45g tank, 1" sand, 35 lb live rock...not sure how much water is actually in this tank).

Originally Posted by miuYH

What about par30/38 light bulbs?

I've brought THESE up before but the community hasn't responded to it yet. Not sure if they are a good buy or not. I'm assuming not?

Thanks again to everyone who is helping me with this problem. The tank looks brighter and cleaner than ever before.

[jorjef]

Sell the hammer and go with a fish only tank. Sorry for being so blunt but budget lighting and having corals never ends well.

[mrhasan]

Originally Posted by jorjef

Sell the hammer and go with a fish only tank. Sorry for being so blunt but budget lighting and having corals never ends well.

Sorry for being blunt too but it does end well as long as you get the "right" lighting

[Aquattro]

Just find another couple T5 lights and add them, you'll be fine. Bulbs will need replacing every 6 to 8 months, likely.

[jorjef]

The "right" equipment is rarely delivered on a budget, and just when you think it might have happened time tells you different.

[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?

[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.