What light is best for zoas?

[Max H.]

I just got 2 small zoanthids. What light is best for them to grow and stay alive?

 

[nereefpat]

Really, any reef-capable light can grow zoas: LEDs, halides, T5s. Do you not have lights already?

We would need more info about the tank's size/dimensions and other stuff that you want to keep to be more help.

 

[Max H.]

I have a 32g biocube. It has built in lights and I have it on the blue lighting. Is that a good color to have on?

 

[Uncle99]

You need full spectrum light.

 

[Max H.]

What is that, im new to this hobby.

 

[monkeyCmonkeyDo]

The sun

 

[Max H.]

By the sun do you mean opening a window and giving them sunlight?

 

[monkeyCmonkeyDo]

No i mean full spectrum.
Kelvin temps.
Reds and yellows are gonna be more plant and algaes.
Blues are good.

The other person means get a led light with more than just 1 or 2 colors.
D

 

[2Sunny]

Biocube lists the light output, which is called PAR, at "50" for the 32 gallon cube at 12 inches. That is just barely enough light for the lowest light loving corals. If you want to grow coral, you'd be much better off selling the Biocube and starting over.

 

[nereefpat]

Biocube lists the light output, which is called PAR, at "50" for the 32 gallon cube at 12 inches. That is just barely enough light for the lowest light loving corals. If you want to grow coral, you'd be much better off selling the Biocube and starting over.

That's a little drastic. You could just put a different light over it.

 

[monkeyCmonkeyDo]

What lights are in ur biocube? Pc tube bulbs or leds?
D

 

[2Sunny]

Here's my one year old nano that is 18 x 18 x 17

 

[Max H.]

What lights are in ur biocube? Pc tube bulbs or leds?
D

I have leds

 

[2Sunny]

That's a little drastic. You could just put a different light over it.

The problem is the Biocube has an integrated hood making it awkward to adapt. It's really not ideal. Better to start with something meant to have corals.

 

[Max H.]

Here's my one year old nano that is 18 x 18 x 17

thats a nice tank. I wish mine to have as many corals as you some day.

 

[monkeyCmonkeyDo]

You should be good most soft coral and lps coral mid to high range on your rockwork.
They make retrofit led kits for those biocube tanks. Or they did.
D

 

[monkeyCmonkeyDo]

Look at all the biocubes you can of other people. Ive seen some where they removed the lid completly. Lol
D

 

[MaxTremors]

Biocube lists the light output, which is called PAR, at "50" for the 32 gallon cube at 12 inches. That is just barely enough light for the lowest light loving corals. If you want to grow coral, you'd be much better off selling the Biocube and starting over.

This isn’t true. Independent PAR tests of the 32g biocube put it much higher than that. Its not going to get you amazing SPS growth, but it’s absolutely powerful enough to grow soft corals and LPS, and tons of people on this forum do. I don’t think suggesting to someone to just start over is really helpful (especially when what they’re using is a common tank that a lot of people have success with).

OP- You should set a total photo period of 12 hours with a maybe 8 hour period of highest intensity in the middle. So as an example for your tank:
8am - 8pm blue lights
10am - 6pm white/daylights
And then if you wanted to turn on the moon lights for a couple hours after the other lights go off you can. You don’t necessarily need a 12 hour photoperiod, but since the biocube lights are on the lower end in terms of PAR, I would go with the full 12 hours.

 

[old salt reefer]

You need full spectrum light.

That means you need to turn on the white lights too. I don't own a Bio cube, but a quick google search told me that with all channels(colors) on the light at 100% output the BioCube 32 light puts out 81 PAR 12 inches from the light. That tells me I could "grow" beginner SPS(birdsnest,purple stylo,montipora) within the top 4 inches of the tank. Acans on the bottom of the tank and Zoas all over the tank "IF" I have the light on it's MAX output.
I've seen a lot of users add a light strip into the hood for more light, just get rid of the stock light and replace it with light strips as well as remove the hood and get a better light(example AI Prime 16HD, AI hydra 32).

 

[2Sunny]

If you sell the Biocube you can likely find a used setup for $250 including a light or a totally new setup

You should be good most soft coral and lps coral mid to high range on your rockwork.
They make retrofit led kits for those biocube tanks. Or they did.
D

Didn't know they had retro kits. Definitely an option.