Lighting good enough for SPS?

Hello im getting a 6x54w t5 setup, I was wondering if i could possible do some sps With my sand bed It will be a total of about 16" deep, Would i Just have to place them up really high? Thanks.

 

based on what little I have learned thus far about SPS your lighting will be OK
as you stated , top 3rd of tank for some species, but even with SPS there are some species that are not that light demanding and could be kept lower down

Im sure you know this already, but flow and water quality are other major considerations to keeping SPS and having them grow nicely for you

calc , mag and Alk need testing and maintaining

the intricate branch species of SPS , need serious amounts of flow to prevent anything settling on them, getting tangled up in the branches etc

PO4 and Nitrates - need to be kept on top of with SPS more so that with the softies

Temperature - saw some SPS become pure white skeletons in a week due to temps of 86 in the LFS tank they where kept in

other species - SPS are suseptable to the toxins released by some soft corals - and also at risk from some LPS - so if you have a mixed reef , running carbon 24/7 and making sure these SPS are not down flow of any leathers is advice I have seen on this site

I am still very much in the learning stages myself, and have just shared some of the things I have picked up thus far

Steve

 

You should be fine. As steve said, there are other very important factors such as flow and phosphate in the water. I have 6x54w T5s too and you should be able to keep just about anything.

 

You should be able to keep most SPS on the sand bed if you have, like stated, met the water flow and water quality requirements.
Get yourself some good lamps, and vigorous waterflow and you will be fine.

Make sure though, that you do not expose the SPS to too much light at first, yes SPS can handle a fair amount of light too much too quick will bleach them esp montiporas...

"Superman" montis can bleach in surprisingly low PAR levels.

Good beginner SPS would be monti capricornis, monti digitata, seriatoporas(birdsnest) and acropora yongei(green slimers).

Make sure when acquiring new frags you give them an iodine dip as pests are a real pain in the neck.

Good luck!

 

Really good info guys, some things I never thought of!