What my LFS said
- Thread starter sunnyaz
- Start date
after you tank has been up and running and matured then no you realy dont need a mech filtration its more of a natural process depending on the amount of LS and LR that you have in the tank and the amount of bioload you plan on adding to it it is possible to run a tank with out any means of mech filtration I have an Aqua clear 70 on my tank that I run just for circulation it has nothing in it any where except for a small sponge just collect the bigger particals and some LR rubble no carbon nothing and I use a protein skimmer to collect the unwanted disolved organics in the water but no carbon chemipur anything like that. but once again I DONT recommend you try that with a new tank. and if you do try it later one make sure you dont over stock your tank with live stock or your bio filter wont be able to handle the load you put on it (my above mentioned tank has been running for about 9 months like that the tank itself has been up for 1 1/2 and you can check the picsout in the 20 and under section its a thriving tank) anyway hope this helps im sure others will chime in.
Aaron
Aaron
islandcreation
New Member
Sunnyaz,
I second what amf82380 stated but I'd say convert that AC70 into a refugium and use chemipure in the first chamber. I used that method and it worked great at least for my 6 gallon nano, would hurt a 20 gallon I suppose. I definatly recommend a skimmer a cheap one that works pretty good was a berlin airlift 60. But hold on... What are your plans for the tank? What kind of corals are you aiming for? What kind of lighting do you have currently etc..... So it really pends on what corals you plan on getting cause tehnically you don't need a skimmer... justa lot of water changes. Keep us updated on your plans
I second what amf82380 stated but I'd say convert that AC70 into a refugium and use chemipure in the first chamber. I used that method and it worked great at least for my 6 gallon nano, would hurt a 20 gallon I suppose. I definatly recommend a skimmer a cheap one that works pretty good was a berlin airlift 60. But hold on... What are your plans for the tank? What kind of corals are you aiming for? What kind of lighting do you have currently etc..... So it really pends on what corals you plan on getting cause tehnically you don't need a skimmer... justa lot of water changes. Keep us updated on your plans
yeah your pretty much making a sump that way alot of people use them just for that purpose alone not to mention it benifits you more because it increases the water vol of your system which makes your system alot more stable (less evaporation,salinty stays more stable temp is easier to contral lost of things) although I dont recommend pumping water into the sump you usally have that under the display tank and gravity pulls the water to it with use of a over flow then you pump the water back up to the display tank although reguardless you are still going to need some type of mech filtration until your system become established enough to rely on just the natural filter
Aaron
Aaron
yeah you could mix the soft corals with the SPS(stoney) corals but I dont recommend trying to start out with them because water conditions for them haveto be perfect and the lighting needs to be intense (VHO,MH) and I would pick easy mantiance corals like mushrooms, zoos, ricordias things like that that really dont need alot of light or water flow. what are you plans for live stock and a clean up crew? and what equipment do you have now?
Aaron
Aaron
islandcreation
New Member
Yeah, SPS generally need an established tank with great water quality along with lighting too. So I'd stay away from them for now..... I'd just take baby steps since you still have to wait for your water to cycle (I'd wait atleast a month), in the spare time you can read on this forum and many others till your eye dry out. Then you won't need a tank since you won't be able to see. Solved your problem :mrgreen: ha,ha,ha PLEASE remember too, this all adds up $$$$$$ So if you plan on getting SPS I'd invest into a good lighitng system and protein skimmer. Go used too and look for deals since your waiting for your tank to cycle. You can always do manuel water changes.... So far everything you listed as for corals seem good to me, except I'm not familiar with the requirments for a brain or leather fingers????
I think they pretty much covered everything... if you have no other filtration (ie chemical media like carbon or a protein skimmer) you would just rely more on frequent water changes... about 25% to 40% AT LEAST EVERY WEEK.
As far as T5 lighting, dont hesitate. Just remember that the smallest size that T5HO lighting is available in is 24" and also that they are as intense as MH lighting (especially if they have high-quality individual reflectors) so you will have to acclimate most every coral introduced to your tank. Given the list of corals that you are interested, NONE of them would require anything more than 2x24 watt T5HO lighting with individual reflectors. you could support clams and SPS corals with a 4x24 watt T5HO system with individual reflectors.
That being said, I LOVE my T5HO lighting and the colors are amazing. Go with high quality lamps like ATI and UVL brands and note that although the up-front costs of the T5 lighting a rather high, you only need to replace the lamps every 18 months for the actinics and about every 24 months for daylights ***if they are properly cooled with fans***.
HTH,
Jesse
As far as T5 lighting, dont hesitate. Just remember that the smallest size that T5HO lighting is available in is 24" and also that they are as intense as MH lighting (especially if they have high-quality individual reflectors) so you will have to acclimate most every coral introduced to your tank. Given the list of corals that you are interested, NONE of them would require anything more than 2x24 watt T5HO lighting with individual reflectors. you could support clams and SPS corals with a 4x24 watt T5HO system with individual reflectors.
That being said, I LOVE my T5HO lighting and the colors are amazing. Go with high quality lamps like ATI and UVL brands and note that although the up-front costs of the T5 lighting a rather high, you only need to replace the lamps every 18 months for the actinics and about every 24 months for daylights ***if they are properly cooled with fans***.
HTH,
Jesse
islandcreation
New Member
Sunnyaz,
Sorry to ask this question. Jesse, what is your opinion on Currents slimpaq T5's retrofits? And when you stated 4x24 watt T5HO how deep will that pentrate? And about 2x24? Last but not least what is the ratio of PC to T5 watts? Sorry again but knowledge is power? :mrgreen: Then again I may want to upgrade to a bigger tank so knowing lighting is a must.
Sorry to ask this question. Jesse, what is your opinion on Currents slimpaq T5's retrofits? And when you stated 4x24 watt T5HO how deep will that pentrate? And about 2x24? Last but not least what is the ratio of PC to T5 watts? Sorry again but knowledge is power? :mrgreen: Then again I may want to upgrade to a bigger tank so knowing lighting is a must.
yeah like islandcreation said keep in mind when selecting thigs make sure you go slow because as also mentioned thisis a very expensive hobby to get into to do it the right way i have a 10 gallon and thru out the time it has been set up i have well over 3000 invested ( I keep all the recipts 
im a pack rat I know) anyway so just keep that in mind if your tempted to add things to fast causing your tank to crash every time i add something and then end up back at the LFS i just think of the stack of recipets and think to myself all that money down the drain because i didnt want to wait the extra week or what ever before I added another thing but your off to the right start asking questions something i can say that probbaly alot of us didnt do when we start and it would of made things alot easier for us had some trouble when i first got mine up and running.
Aaron
im a pack rat I know) anyway so just keep that in mind if your tempted to add things to fast causing your tank to crash every time i add something and then end up back at the LFS i just think of the stack of recipets and think to myself all that money down the drain because i didnt want to wait the extra week or what ever before I added another thing but your off to the right start asking questions something i can say that probbaly alot of us didnt do when we start and it would of made things alot easier for us had some trouble when i first got mine up and running.Aaron
Island, are you talking about the high output Extreme retros? They apear to be okay but I have never seen the reflectors in person and that is one of THE main factors with T5s. Also the lamps are the best. That can make a difference. Lamps like ATI and UVL along with a couple others are going to give you better output. Also the price is not much less that a Tek retro... you can get a Tek retro for $99 and lamps are around $20 a piece. You will likely end up with better quality reflectors, lamps AND ballasts if you go with a Tek. The Sylvania Quicktronic T5 ballast is just about the best spec T5 ballast on the market.
As far as penetration, a 4x24 watt ballast will easily penetrate deeper that a 150 watt MH. In general, with quality lamps/reflectors, with comparable T5/MH systems, T5s will penetrate deeper.
Now, as far as comparison with T5's and PC's, I dont think it can be made. I can tell you that the lumens per watt is much much higher than PCs... something like 20 lumens per wat for PCs and 90 lumens per watt with T5HOs, MH is about 100 lumens per watt to give you a comparison. Also, PC's cant come anywhere near T5's in penetration or efficiency. something like 30% or more of the light from a PC never even see the tank. With T5's, only about 5% of the light doesnt make it into the tank.
Remember too that T5's run optimally at a temp of somwhere around 95*F. If they arent cooled properly with fans, or if they are cooled too much, then output is affected up to about 30% if I remember correctly.
There is an fantastic thread on reefcentral.com dedicated to T5HO lighting. It is at least 150 pages long, but you can get a great amount of knowledge by just reading through several pages... here is the link.
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showt ... did=988440
Here is a good thread for T5 lamp output...
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showt ... ght=t5+par
Those links should give you a good start. I hope that all helps and I am sorry to hijack your thread sunnyaz!
Jesse
As far as penetration, a 4x24 watt ballast will easily penetrate deeper that a 150 watt MH. In general, with quality lamps/reflectors, with comparable T5/MH systems, T5s will penetrate deeper.
Now, as far as comparison with T5's and PC's, I dont think it can be made. I can tell you that the lumens per watt is much much higher than PCs... something like 20 lumens per wat for PCs and 90 lumens per watt with T5HOs, MH is about 100 lumens per watt to give you a comparison. Also, PC's cant come anywhere near T5's in penetration or efficiency. something like 30% or more of the light from a PC never even see the tank. With T5's, only about 5% of the light doesnt make it into the tank.
Remember too that T5's run optimally at a temp of somwhere around 95*F. If they arent cooled properly with fans, or if they are cooled too much, then output is affected up to about 30% if I remember correctly.
There is an fantastic thread on reefcentral.com dedicated to T5HO lighting. It is at least 150 pages long, but you can get a great amount of knowledge by just reading through several pages... here is the link.
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showt ... did=988440
Here is a good thread for T5 lamp output...
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showt ... ght=t5+par
Those links should give you a good start. I hope that all helps and I am sorry to hijack your thread sunnyaz!
Jesse
islandcreation
New Member
Thanks Jesse. Thats why he's a MODERATOR folks! :mrgreen:
You sold me on going towards T5's now....
You sold me on going towards T5's now....