Feedback request on light settings/coral placement and powerhead

[Hugo van Damm]

Dear all,
I only started few months back and only a month ago have I managed to gather enough courage to start with some corals. this is 30 gallon cube.
What I quickly figured out is experience (or lack there of) means a lot, hence some questions:

-I currently have Horizon aqua UFO 8300, If I take the pre-sets I find that the light stays on too long and too intense. Does anyone use this lamp and has an easy recipe that I can use?
-Have I placed my corals ok aesthetically I feel I can't do any better but I am concerned about the coral on the top, is it placed too close to the top?
-The gorgonians looks funny, is it too close to powerhead? Where will you recommend I place it.
-If this is your tank where will you place the corals and how will you aquascape it further/what will you get?
-I used to have a horizon aqua powerhead on the back aimed slightly upwards and inwards. I found it to be noisy. I bought a Vortech mp10, if I place it on the back for some reason it shakes and makes noise (glass same thickness). I moved it to the side. If I take the formulas that you find around, the fish look miserable and all gather in one corner. Currently have the mp10 at Gyre 30% 5sec and the fish seem to be happy and there is a "reasonable" movement. However I notice that the previous powerhead makes a good job of ensuring nothing settles on the sand bed and at this stage I am thinking it causes me much more cleaning to use the mp10 which. Would you suggest I go back to the horizon (what setting would you recommend) or reposition the mp10 and change the settings (which setting and position would you recommend?_

Thank you for any inputs.

 

[Impala67]

Dear all,
I only started few months back and only a month ago have I managed to gather enough courage to start with some corals. this is 30 gallon cube.
What I quickly figured out is experience (or lack there of) means a lot, hence some questions:

-I currently have Horizon aqua UFO 8300, If I take the pre-sets I find that the light stays on too long and too intense. Does anyone use this lamp and has an easy recipe that I can use?
-Have I placed my corals ok aesthetically I feel I can't do any better but I am concerned about the coral on the top, is it placed too close to the top?
-The gorgonians looks funny, is it too close to powerhead? Where will you recommend I place it.
-If this is your tank where will you place the corals and how will you aquascape it further/what will you get?
-I used to have a horizon aqua powerhead on the back aimed slightly upwards and inwards. I found it to be noisy. I bought a Vortech mp10, if I place it on the back for some reason it shakes and makes noise (glass same thickness). I moved it to the side. If I take the formulas that you find around, the fish look miserable and all gather in one corner. Currently have the mp10 at Gyre 30% 5sec and the fish seem to be happy and there is a "reasonable" movement. However I notice that the previous powerhead makes a good job of ensuring nothing settles on the sand bed and at this stage I am thinking it causes me much more cleaning to use the mp10 which. Would you suggest I go back to the horizon (what setting would you recommend) or reposition the mp10 and change the settings (which setting and position would you recommend?_

Thank you for any inputs.

Hey welcome to the reef!! Your corals seem very happy and unbothered by the light/powerhead. If your having trouble with the flow just remember you don’t want to have direct flow on any coral. What I do is I’ll have two of the same powerheads on each side of the tank pointing directly at each other so that way there is a random current and not just blasting water!! You want your corals to sway side to side. With the light I myself haven’t owned one but your corals are all open and not closed there not turning white and they have great coloration I wouldn’t mess with the light to much because they do not like that!! Besides higher lighting is always better in my opinion!! Good job with the aquascaping but just a warning those zoanthids will take over you probably should have given them there own little island!!!!