New here...from NC. 55 gallon reef (pics)

I am in Morrisville, NC...about 5 minutes away from RDU International Airport. I would definitely be interested in doing some trading sometime once I get up and running.

I went and picked up my light yesterday and there are some things I like about it and some I don't. Its a great size and its not noisy or anything. I don't like that the two different colors of light don't seems to mix in the tank as much as I would like. You can see a blue area and a white area. I'm hoping that maybe hanging the light higher away from the tank might make that go away. I also don't like the fact that there aren't seperate switches for the actinic and the 1000k. They are either both on or both off, so I can't simulate different times of the day.

I was told that this light would be all I would need for any kind of coral in this tank....do you guys think thats true??

EDIT: I just got off the phone with the guy that gave me this light and apparently there was a mix up. I took the wrong light! I'm going back Wednesday to pick up the Nova Extreme T5 X4 version I was supposed to take. The one I took is only a X2. I'll be able to get my moonlights on Wednesday also. So I guess these pictures are just a preview...my tank will apparently have twice this amount of lighting.

 

I had the same lights on my 75 and it was keeping everything happy. I did place the SPS closer to the top - but I also have a preference for the softies....

 

You had the lights I was given by mistake (pictured) or the lights I'm switching them out for on Wednesday?

 

translate this into how many gallons you're losing per day... I lose about one gallon per day on my 55. I live in gulf coast climate.

You can make 1/lb per gallon work, sure. I found things to be much easier the closer to 2lb/gallon I got. I used mostly dry base rock.


Caught up on thread. Good luck w/the lights. Looking like a good start!

 

I'm definitely not losing more than a gallon a day. I just wasn't sure if it was normal or not. Because of the way my sump is constructed if I lose more than a gallon to evaporation before a top-off I think my pump will be exposed to air. I guess I may have to look into getting an auto top off if I ever want to leave my house for more than a day again. ;D

I would love to have 2 lbs per gallon but unless I win the lottery or something it may be awhile before I can convince myself to buy that much liverock. Base rock may be a possibility. Are there any reasons using base rock in a tank already seeded with liverock is not as beneficial as using all liverock?? How long does it take for base rock to become liverock once its placed in a seeded tank??

Thanks!

 

np

 

Welcome my fellow reefer, looks like a great start. Keep the pics coming and keep us up-dated on your light issue.



Luna

 

Thanks!

I went back and picked up my light fixture today and so far I am very happy with it. It is SUPER BRIGHT. I like that the actinic and 10000k bulbs have seperate switches and cords so that I have the option of changing the light spectrum throughout the day. I just need to get a surge protector with built in timers. Any suggestions on the best lighting schedule I should use?

I also got two moonlights with it. One is white and one is blue, which I don't think I like. I would rather have two of the same color, preferably white as I think it looks more natural, but I'm going to give it a little time to see if it grows on me.

The guy that ordered this fixture for me told me its probably not a good idea to leave it on for more than 1-2 hours a day at first since I don't really have any corals in there yet....is this true? Why?

Is there anything else I need to do to help my tank make this transition?

 

Whatever floats your boat. I keep my actinics on for 12 hours and my day lights about 8 hours. As you add coral, you might adjust what you start with. I had to scale mine back originally.

What transition are you referring to? Being new or adding a light?

Are you still cycling? The lights are for corals... however algae appreciates it too. So if you aren't feeding corals light photons, no need to feed algae. Best not get started on the algae train, rather than fight it back down later (for as long as possible anyway )

Fish, crabs, snails... they could care less about the light.

 

Adding the light. I just want to make sure there aren't any extra steps or precautions I could be taking.

Technically I'm done cycling, but I am planning on adding more liverock in the near future, so that will cause another mini-cycle right? I think I will stick to only leaving the light on a couple hours a day max here at first to avoid algae like you said.

Is it safe to start adding fish and/or crustaceans that might help keep the tank clean? Any suggestions?