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10gal Saltwater tank lighting?

Discussion in 'Saltwater Fish Forum' started by NoctuVide, Dec 21, 2010.

  1. NoctuVide

    NoctuVide Thread Starter Member

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    Ok, so I'm looking to set up a ten gallon saltwater tank once again after the holidays. The one problem I'm running into is what type of lighting to use for this tank. I really only want to do a few zoas and possibly some other low light type coral. When I had the old 10 gallon saltwater setup, I was using a 24" shop light with two T8's .This was enough to grow coraline algae, but I'm not sure if it's enough to grow the coral in question (zoas etc.) and I could never find an actinic light for it. Any suggestion for a lighting system that wont break the bank for this kind of tank would be much appreciated!
     
    NoctuVide, Dec 21, 2010
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  2. MOD_Dawn

    MOD_Dawn Active Member

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    From the little I know about them I'd go with either a Metal Halide or T5's using actinic for the bulbs...the trouble with the fixtures for the 10gallons (as I'm sure your finding out) is getting enough wattage in regards to light output (hence the metal halide recommendation).

    :cool: If you don't mind hangover I'd consider going with maybe a 24"fixture so you can get more wattage and better coverage.

    :cool: 10g should measure 20x10x12

    [icon_e_geek.gif] I don't know your budget, but this was the best I could find..sorry, I know it's VERY pricey:
    1) this was the highest T5 I could find in a 20"
    AquaticLife T5 HO Light Link Fixture 4x18 Watt
    http://www.petstore.com/AquaticLife...quariums-AquaticLife-AK01035-AQLIFUFL-vi.html
    2) http://www.petstore.com/Hamilton_Me...or_Aquariums-Hamilton-HT1311-AQLIFUMH-vi.html
    3) not a fan of anything jbj, but figured I'd toss it in http://www.petstore.com/JBJ_K_2_Vip...quariums-JBJ_Lighting-JB9111-AQLIFUMH-vi.html
    4) this was affordable...Current USA 18" 2x20w Nova Extreme
    http://www.aquadirect.com/store/product.php?productid=31350&cat=0&page=87
    ------
    -> If your fortunate enough to be handy I'd look into a diy lighting route to try to save money.
    http://www.ahsupply.com/
    http://hellolights.com/
    P1010227.JPG
     
    MOD_Dawn, Dec 21, 2010
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  3. NoctuVide

    NoctuVide Thread Starter Member

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    funny, #4 is the same fixture (only on a much larger scale lol) I went with for the 90gal I was working on which is still in use for the 90gal cichlid. It's the one I've pretty much been leaning towards with the 10 gal, though I'll probably go with a 24" for the higher wattage. I would love love love to do Halide but it's just so darn expensive....
     
    NoctuVide, Dec 22, 2010
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  4. MOD_Dawn

    MOD_Dawn Active Member

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    I hear ya on the metal halides, talk about outrageous (not sure if the diy method is much cheaper).
    #4 is basically what I have over my 20L...but the freshwater version and I went longer to get more coverage too.
    The only gripe I have is that the ballasts or whatever the bulbs thread into is spread just a tad too far so the bulb keeps slipping out- my quick fix was a piece ductape behind it forcing it a bit closer.

    Originally I thought I just got a defective light, but after returning one and receiving a replacement I found the same exact issue.
     
    MOD_Dawn, Dec 23, 2010
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  5. gangstafish

    gangstafish Member

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    HQI's are replacing Halides and are cheaper,and they last longer.
     
    gangstafish, Feb 14, 2011
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  6. FishVixen

    FishVixen Active Member

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    do you have any info on the HQI's?
     
    FishVixen, Feb 14, 2011
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  7. NoctuVide

    NoctuVide Thread Starter Member

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    Huh... Old thread of mine, and I never did set one back up, but now I'm considering it once again. I'm still running into the same problem, I want to run either T5 or LED and would be keeping mainly zoas, but I really don't want to spend a crazy amount of money as it's kind of just a test to see if I can keep zoas..... hmmmmm :confused:
     
    NoctuVide, Mar 13, 2013
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  8. HBIC

    HBIC Need help??? That's what we're here for :)

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    That is the hard part about "testing" the dark side, they aren't usually cheap tests lol
     
    HBIC, Mar 14, 2013
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  9. NoctuVide

    NoctuVide Thread Starter Member

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    So very true lol I've found some decent enough deals on ebay, but they are pretty much unknown brands, so who knows how long they would work. Once I figure out the light situation, all I'll need is a few pieces of live rock as I still have some of the old dead live rock from the 90 gallon nightmare that I can use as base rock. Right now it's just being used as decoration in the 90 gallon. As for sand, I still have some from my African cichlid tank (same sand used for saltwater). Then it's just a matter of getting a small water circulation pump (probably look into a small hydor koralia), and probably go with an Aquaclear 20 for filtration (slowly replacing all my filters with Aquaclears anyways lol)
     
    NoctuVide, Mar 14, 2013
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  10. HBIC

    HBIC Need help??? That's what we're here for :)

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    The smallest Koralia you may find will be too strong for a 10 gallon, they are some pretty powerful little boogers.
     
    HBIC, Mar 14, 2013
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  11. NoctuVide

    NoctuVide Thread Starter Member

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    hmmm, I may not go with a pump. I was reading on a site and it was saying that the HOB filter should create enough water movement for zoas in that small of a tank
     
    NoctuVide, Mar 14, 2013
    #11
  12. HBIC

    HBIC Need help??? That's what we're here for :)

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    I would think that an AC 20 placed on the middle of the back of the tank would but then again I am not a saltie by any means
     
    HBIC, Mar 14, 2013
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