Hello all! Just signed up and need some pointers

Srieger329 · May 14, 2016

Hey guys/gals. So my fish keeping is pretty extensive. I've kept salt water in the past. Starting from 10g and up to 125g hitting every denomination in-between lol. But I have sinned. I've been out of salt water for quite some time. While I still know the basics which will keep me from hopefully the "rookie mistakes", things have advanced and certainly changed over the years with advancements in lighting mainly. I'll be moving in the next month and my new living room screams " 40g salt water". I'm looking to keep a minimal livestock load, maybe 2-3 small fish, definitely a Mandarin when the time is right. Planning on 65-70lbs of rock, nothing too massive and "filling", refugium, skimmer, all that jazz. So now lighting has me thrown a bit. I'd like to keep mainly zoa's and lps corals. What new age lighting will be sufficient? All this led talk has me scratching my head. I'm used to ati t5 fixtures which I see are still around. But I guess I'm looking for a consensus on best bang for the buck. Something that will yield the appropriate amount of light for keeping the items I'd like to keep without costing me $600+. Unless that's my only option.

Srieger329 · May 14, 2016

I would like to add, anything that doesn't require hanging is a plus. My living room has cathedral ceilings so if it can sit on the tank, big plus.

Salty1962 · May 14, 2016

Welcome to R2R! T5s should support your tank well. I'd go with a quad with ATI bulbs in. I run 3x Blue+ and 1x Purple+ in mine and love it. Checkout ATIs web site to pic with the different color spectrums. Aquaticlife has a quad that has the timers built into it and only one cord to mess with.

Srieger329 · May 14, 2016

Awesome! Thank you very much for the speedy response as I sit here wrapping my head around LEDs lol I'm more familiar with t5 lighting and the effects particular bulbs give off so they are a bit more in my comfort zone. Excited to get this off the ground. I can feel the dreaded impatient bug started to bite.

Tahoe61 · May 14, 2016

Welcome.

You do could the Hydra 26, or a Razor, or Kessil.

Diesel · May 14, 2016

Srieger329 · May 14, 2016

Here's some prudent information. Upon measuring my tank, turns out it's a 30 gallon! 30x18x12. While minor adjustments will be made to compensate, I'm sure lighting doesn't change too much. I will definitely be researching all options, so if any other members care to chime in, feel free! Lol

cowboy · May 14, 2016

Welcome to R2R if your looking at going LED and dont want to spend a fortune look at @SB Reef Lights great color and spectrum. Should work great with the coral that you are wanting to run. Also welcome back to SW tanks its a calling that never leaves the blood.

Scottsquatch · May 14, 2016

Welcome to R2R! Your gonna love it here. Tons of friendly people always willing to help. For the corals your planning on, T5's would certainly be a great choice and more than sufficient. However, if you wanted to get your feet wet with LED's, you should check out SBreeflights. They are affordable LED's that can compete with the 1,200 dollar lights for a third of the cost. They are highly adjustable, so you can keep the lowest demanding mushrooms and zoas all the way to the highest light demanding SPS. Also they use less electricity than T5's and you don't have the added expense of bulb replacement every 6-9 months. Just somthing to think about since so much has changed since your last salt run. Good luck with your tank!