sps and lights

[Zack]

My lighting for a tank will be 2 150 watt mh HQI double ended 20k radiums. Do you think sps\clams will be ok in that tank?

[Pineapple House]

Most people use 400wt Bulbs for SPS, but your lighting will be good for keeping most SPS corals, and clams. I would try, if posible, to get a good calcium reactor going for the SPS corals. This will balance out a good calcium reading of 450ppm, and ensure that you see growth in the frags.

Make sure that you also have outstanding water quality for these corals. My biggest advice, is not to buy SPS corals cought in the wild!! They usually are much less hardy, will need more intense lighting, and usually don't grow as fast. Try as hard as you can to only get captive raised corals. I know some stores online sell nothing but captive raised corals :)

PH =)

[Zack]

yeah there is a local guy who sells them forn free! :mrgreen:

[golfish]

:) pretty good advice Graham. Wild sps colonies are much more prone to disease, besides, we should always try to get tank raised frags.

I'd say your light will be fine for the 50 gal if the tanks not too tall. Some people report that clams don't do very well under just 20K's. I've never kept clams under just 20K's and the guys I know who have done it don't have the best of luck with clams in general..

It might be a good idea to add a 175 watt 10K just to brighten things up a bit.

[BigFish]

I would only go 10000k if you can afford the actinic lighting to add. But the 175 sounds better. What are the dimensions on the tank?

[Pineapple House]

Hey BigFish,

Zack recently upgraded his lighting to a single 400wt 20,000k Radium Pendant. I just wanted to inform you on this one :)

Graham

[Zack]

yep it works great, it is a 15k bulb. Like the tint of blue better. :mrgreen:

[BigFish]

my bad sorry.

[Zack]

my bad sorry.

NP thanks for the help!