just bit the bullet

Hello all, just a couple questions today haha. So yesterday I was at my lfs buying some more aquarium silicone( ran out while doing my sump) and while I was there I noticed this 90g just there and well after contemplating it for a half hour (the woman decided to stay in the car this time, which she quickly regretted) I decided that I could justify it because the extra 6 inches up and back would make a huge difference. Now that you have the backstory onto the questions, does the protein skimmer have to be twice rated for the tank ? Or will 150 do? Also will 6 t5 be adequate for lighting the tank? Plan on keeping mostly softies and maybe a couple sps? Thanks!
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Hi Lack-there-of

6 x T5 54 watt lamps will be more than adequate for your needs and if you combine that with good quality lamps and individual reflectors, you will be fine for majority of SPS corals
and if you are focused on mainly soft corals, you may find that more than you need

I believe the tanks dimensions are 48 x 18 x 25?



1.5 x tank volume in terms of skimmer capacity will also be fine IME

 

Thanks for getting back to me, and I believe it said on the box 48x18x24, its the marineland perfecto one much nice build then my previous 50 from Petsmart. And by having more light then I need will that harm the corals? Also another question I had a stand built for my 50 but there the 90 is 6 inches wider is it safe to expand the stand by building another stand and screwing and woodglueing them together, theyll be almost perfectly square as my father is a carpenter by trade just wondering thoughts and opinions thanks
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That would work for the stand. A 4 X 54W T5HO fixture will be more than adequate for your tank as long as it og high quality and you are using high quality bulbs as Steve stated. An ATI or Tek fixture fit this bill very well. An Aquaticlife fixture will too but you will want to change the bulbs to ATI, UVL, Geisemann or Aqua Science bulbs in a few months.

 

I think what Steve was getting at is that with a lot of softies under the right conditions, high lighting being a big factor, they'll grow like weeds. You may find it becoming a chore after while trimming back constantly. Though if you picked your corals right you could probably come away with good growth and maybe even start fragging out for some cash or other corals.

 

wish my wife would stay in the car...