20 gal saltwater into nano reef??
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Angelo Fatica
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If were talking for coral, that light will not work due to the low power. I agree kessils are nice led lights, I'm getting one for my 20 gallon, but if you're upgrading you're gonna need more for the bigger tank. Thats the good thing about kessils, you can always add one on to your setup and they are easy to adjust. You're going to spend maybe a couple hundred on one of the better lights for coral growth if you can, if you have a local fish store that specializes in saltwater, then ask them about what they have and they may have some on their tanks in the store and they can give you more useful info on them. When I say local fish store, I don't mean petco haha they by all means do not do well with their fish.
EW_Fish
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Before adding coral or buying a new light I would invest that money into rock and sand. Once you tank matures then I would add a light then go onto getting some coral. Losing money on coral isn't fun at all and can be frustrating. I've lost a good bit of money on corals dieing.. Corals can live without live rock and sand yes but having these makes it easier to keep thing more stable so your successful. Most of those lights are to low of power. The cheapest leds your going to find are on ebay. Most people call them black box leds...http://www.ebay.com/itm/MarsAqua-16...175047&hash=item5658ce27ed:g:BAMAAOSwyWZZROZm
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babyg2.0
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I don't know, my local petco is pretty reliable. I used to work there and they take extremely good care of their animals, not just fish. They only hire people with legit experience too (unless you're just cashiering). But I digress.
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babyg2.0
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What would be some good options for a T5 led hybrid? I'm kind of a control freak so knowing I'm able to control intensity and the spectrum is honestly one of my priorities
EW_Fish
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2 AI Primes on a 75 is not nearly enough for coral
You might be able to get away with four 54w T5s and two AI Primes but will still be pushing it. ATI Bue + is a great t5 bulb
If I were you, I would just wait a few months until you have the 75 setup. Mainly because pretty much any light you choose for the 20 isn't going to be sufficient enough for the 75.
In addition to lighting, filtration and water quality are also important. I wouldn't recommend keeping corals in a tank without any live rock or sand to provide biological filtration and habitat for microfauna/beneficial bacteria. I'm not saying you can't. Sure it can be done, but only with very hardy and less demanding species. I don't think Frogspawn is a good choice, and sun coral is a terrible choice. A mushroom coral would be the best choice. And honestly, mushrooms are boring compared to Frogspawn/Suns.
So, I say wait until you start the 75 and it'll be way more enjoyable. Why invest in your current setup if it's only gunna last a few months? Seems like a waste of money to me. Take those few months to research and decide on what fixture to use for your 75
Check out the ocean revive t247. It comes with mounting brackets and will fit perfectly over the 20 tall. It even has the perk of letting you grow anything including sps if you wanted to try your luck before moving on to the 75 setup. It's growing everything over my 10 gallon right now. Pretty sure it will fetch $125 used after you're done with it for a few months. Say you buy it off amazon for $200 right now...that'll come down to $12.50 per month if you run it for 6 months. Doesn't sound too expensive right?
How well would these work? I know they're not T5's but I've heard some success stories using full spectrum but I'm not 100% sure since I will be moving the corals in the future.
Those lights are decent TO START with. I have one I my 10 gal. frag tank (2 clowns with many many Zoas) Everything seem to be quite content. I really like the way the tank looks with the light it puts out. I'm sure you'll want to upgrade eventually, but that's a good NON-expensive way to go.
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babyg2.0
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That's kinda what I was looking for. The tank is only 20 gallons and I would mostly just be holding frags in it. Also, there's only two clowns, nothing else.
Devaji
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If I were you, I would just wait a few months until you have the 75 setup. Mainly because pretty much any light you choose for the 20 isn't going to be sufficient enough for the 75.
In addition to lighting, filtration and water quality are also important. I wouldn't recommend keeping corals in a tank without any live rock or sand to provide biological filtration and habitat for microfauna/beneficial bacteria. I'm not saying you can't. Sure it can be done, but only with very hardy and less demanding species. I don't think Frogspawn is a good choice, and sun coral is a terrible choice. A mushroom coral would be the best choice. And honestly, mushrooms are boring compared to Frogspawn/Suns.
So, I say wait until you start the 75 and it'll be way more enjoyable. Why invest in your current setup if it's only gunna last a few months? Seems like a waste of money to me. Take those few months to research and decide on what fixture to use for your 75
I agree with this^ I know you are eager to get ahead of the game but I dont see much advantage in it. you will need all the $$ for the 75 ,
its does ad up rock, skimmer pumps, lighting, sand, plumbing, salt, test kits, etc.
now if you want to get a head start my humble suggestion would be to start curing your rock. if you go with pukani it can take a good cpl months or more( depending on how you do it) why not start there?
unless you have the 75 now you might want to think about a 90 or 120 almost the same foot print but offers more fish and scaping options.
so you have a lot to think about. a new build is fun and exciting but defiantly need some thought put in to it so you do it "right" and get what you want the 1st time.
now if you dead set on buying lights for your 20gal look in the the aqua max neno lights i have one on my 20l and I really like it. also look in to used light something like eco tech or AI that way you have 1/2 your lighting for the bigger tank. turn it down ALOT. in the end there are very few options for lighting that you can turn around and use for the bigger tank. that why alot of use are saying just wait and get the bigger tank going.
for lighting on your 75/90/120 look into reefbreaders V2 I run one on my 90 there great lights with features and an some what affordable price point.
good luck!
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babyg2.0
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I can't have anything more than a 75g until we move. My house is quite old and would not be able to support more than a 75 gallon setup, and either way, I just don't want to risk my tank falling through the floor and ruining my dad's house lol. I wanted to get the frags started in the 20 but eventually have both as reef tanks. The nano would be in my bedroom, the 75 in the living room as the main DT (next to my 75g freshwater planted, of course).
Although I am trying to keep my budget low on the 20 gal, the 75 is another story. I have almost no budget for that tank since the whole family (about 10 people) is pitching in as long as they help build and I take care of it so it's nice and pretty.
