Just starting and have a question about lighting and..

[soh15]

I am thinking of getting a Nanocube 12Gal Deluxe. It has 48w total which would be 4wpg. Is 4WPG what I need for corals, etc. Guess my question is what WPG is low, med and high. I see there are moded Nanocube's that go up to 126w. Do you need 126w? 48w? I know the higher WPG = more options. Also RO water. I know I can not use tapwater. How ofter will I be doing PWC's. Do I need as RO unit, is it cheaper in the long run. Thanks

 

[shaggydoo541]

For a nano an RO unit is usually not worth it. I personally get my RO water from a LFS that gives it away for free but when I started I got it for 30 cents a gallon at the grocery store and since my tank is only 18G it really doesn't cost much for water changes.

As far as your lighting WPG is really not a good rule to use because there are so many other variables to lighting. For example what kind of light MH, PC, etc or how deep is the tank. With your stock lighting your could keep some low light corals like mushrooms but you should choose your lighting based on what kind of corals you want to keep.

 

[Kris]

looks like shaggy answered your questions.

I will add that an RO unit will pay for itself in several ways. You can make pure drinking water, and water for your tank. You have to weight the pros and cons. How much does it cost to buy water? How far do you have to go to get it? Is it worth it?