Halide how much is too much?

Hello all, this is the first time I have posted on this thread. Long story short, ive always wanted to make a marine aquarium and now i am going to. First of all, I would like to create a reef tank. I was on ebay and found a very nice metal halide combo. It has one halide lamp, 250 watts, and two 24w cf bulbs, and some blue moon as well. my tank is a bow tank and as such has a piece of plastic running down the middle top part of the tank (keeps the bow from cracking off i suppose). moving on, my tank is about 40-50 gallons. Is that too much light? if i can manage to block some of the light with the plastic strip would that still be too much? Im guessing that it would be too much but i could not resist this deal it was 160$ including shipping (with ballast) (brand new)- wow! any suggestions or thoughts would be appreciated. Also one last question, how long should the lights on a normal reef aquarium be left on for? Thanks and I look forward to having many good discussions.

 

Welcome to 3Reef!!!

I think you would be fine. Make sure that you monitor temperature on that plastic strip going over the middle of the tank. We don't want it to melt or catch fire. You'll need to have that MH raised over the tank quite a bit I would imagine.

With these new lights, make sure you phase in the photoperiod. Maybe 1.5 hours for a couple of days, 2 hours for a couple of days, 3 for a couple of days, etc.

 

Anyone think that it would be allright if i put my lights and the live rock on one side of my tank, leaving the other side essentially bare with live sand only. the tank is only about three feet long.

 

There's a tank in a local hospital that is set up basically the way you are describing. I see no problem with it.

 

Hello and welcome to 3reef first off!
Now as far as the lighting issue...you need to ask yourself what types of coral if any at all you plan on keeping in your tank. Based upon that, you or we can better help you with the watts per gallon and the par question. With the 250 watt metal halide and pc's you are looking at roughly 6 watts per gallon which is good. The only thing is that SOME of your more light loving corals such as certain Acropora and Montipora species may require more light than that for the awesome color display.
On the whole though, I wouldn't be too concerned as the amount of light you have now should be able to house many beautiful corals and Tridacna's!
One word of advice however, I would make it a point to do alot of research and read one or more of the many awesome saltwater hobby books on the market to familiarize yourself with all that the hobby entails. Plus, learning about corals, inverts and fish, water chemistry, equipment will go a long way in you having success with your tank!
Best of luck!!!
take things slow and remember to cycle your tank thoroughly before adding any livestock-other than what you go with to aid the cycle(ie. Damsels)!!!

 

Damsels?

Is there any reason why you would suggest damsels? That is, they seem pretty cheap but they also seem aggressive. Are there any other fish you would reccomend in aiding the cycle? Or would it be all right if i placed docile fish in with the damsels? Any other cycling tips? Thanks for the advice everyone. Im glad that I have found this place, Im finding very useful information everywhere

One more thing, I do have a book on saltwater fish, I was ripped off from my local pet store- they charged way too much for it. The book is entitled "the new marine aquarium" by Michael S Paletta. Would you reccomend any others? I really do want to learn a lot before I start building my aquarium.

 

one reason, have fun catching them when your tank is done cycling. And if they seam friendly now, good chance they won't be later on. i had a 3 stripe which was used for breaking in. year later he even attacked me. took three people with nets to catch him. almost 3 hours of moving rocks and chasing him.

 

Would you suggest that i just buy any cheap docile fish for cycling?

 

Not every fish is able to handle the stress and rigor that comes with a tank going through a cycle!!!!
When I mentioned Damsels, their are many species of Damsels(Clown fish included) some of which are very docile and able to live with many other reef livestock with no problems. Some of these are the Yellow Tail, Green and Blue Chromis'!
Many Triggerfish are able to survive a cycle as well as Grouper!!! You need to be certain as to what type of tank you plan on going with however(reef/ invert or fish only) before making your decision to go with a Trigger or grouper(also tank size should enter the equasion as well)!
The best tip I can give you regarding cycling of your tank is MAKE SURE THAT YOUR TANK IS CYCLED COMPLETELY-BEFORE ADDING FISH/INVERTS AND/OR CORALS!!!! Once your tank has cycled, add fish etc. slowly to allow the bacteria to adjust and grow to handle the increased bioload!
As for the books, IMO, The "Reef Aquarium"(3 volume set) by Delbeek and Sprung is awesome as well as "Aquarium Corals" by Eric Borneman. Invert book by Calfo and Fenner called "Reef Invertebrates" is ideal and the books by Scott W. Michael(Reef Aquarium Fishes etc.) are an excellent choice as well to enhance your saltwater aquarium book collection.
Check many of the online saltwater websites as many times you can find these books on sale or at way better prices than you will expect to pay at your local pet shops!!!!!!!
Good luck and if you have any other questions...feel free to ask!