Newb looking for guidance!

If you have the most recent generation of LED you should be fine to grow what you want. You don't need a light period over 12 hours and no light period during the cycle is best. Many have gorgeous reefs with 8 to 10 hour light periods.

 

can you post the exact model LED system you purchased?? to my knowledge Marineland does not produce a true reef capable LED system. i know they produce a 54W 48" led but it is not capable of sustaining anything more demanding than Zoa's (to my knowledge). sounds like you are starting off right but as others have said, ditch that canister, it will require almost weekly maintenance to not spike nitrate.

GOOD LUCK BUDDY, and you certainly came to the right place

 

Hello and welcome to the SW addiction!!!

First off, dont believe everything you read concerning lighting.

Consider what you want to keep for critters first then consider the lighting that is required for the critters you have choosen.

Dollar for dollar- Nothing presently beats MH lighting, but the newest LED's that are hi power (3 to 5 watt each) come very close and use 1/4 the power. Only the most demanding systems would require something better then really good LED lighting. The Marine Land LED fixtures are on the bottom rung of the LED lighting world- there is far better LED lighting out there, but for a mid to low demand system I would'nt hesitate using the Marine Land LED reef lights. Mind you Marine Land makes 3 version of LED lighting- keep this in mind.

Canister filters can be great, some are very good at what they do, and yet, can be very bad- if not maintained correctly- your best bet for any thing over 40 gallons is a sump system. This has many virtues and very few draw backs- key here is maintence and cost. Don't get me wrong, a good canister set up will do a good job removing solids, but for marine aquaria solids are not always the main issue/concern. However, a sump system allows for all that a canister does yet oxengenates the water far better w/o micro bubles- this is a necessity when certain fishes/corals are considered. Keep this in mind.

But the most costly is lighting, and this is where most marine tanks suffer.

I love the idea of LED's and when they become affordable to the mainstream reef keeper, believe me- I will gladly jump on that band wagon, but as of this time nothing - dollar for dollar, beats MH lighting. If you want to keep corals or anemone's you must first consider this.

 

Sure hold on let me take a quick pic

 

This is a great forum i have to admit! I've been on a few for my motorcycle, sports, etc and this is the friendliest so far everyone seems genuine about the hobby.

The reason for the canister is that I already had it and like you said "welcome to the addiction" lol i decided to use the canister with LR and a skimmer before i ended up maxing out my credit card. Everytime im at the LFS, petco, or any petshop i'm looking to buy something lol almost like a chick at the mall with a credit card lol (no offense to any women on here)

 

About.com had this to say about the system. "The Marineland Reef Capable LED Lighting System features LED technology to end reliance on energy-hungry reef aquarium light fixtures that run hot. Ultra-thin LED lighting system employs high output (10000K) LED's to deliver light spectrum and intensity capable of supporting reef inhabitants. Cool-running and energy-efficient LED's reduce utility bills and eliminate costly replacement bulbs. Built-in polycarbonate lenses direct light into your aquarium where it is needed to minimize light waste.
Three-mode on/off switch lets you transition manually from daytime (all on), nighttime (lunar only) and all off positions for 24-hour aquarium lighting."

 

yea I know what ya mean. ;D

If you are gonna do a "fish" only tank then by all means use the LED light you have choosen.

However, for corals and anemones, the lighting requirements usually far exceed what is available from any Marine Land LED fixture.

The reason I mention this is simply ecconomic, why waste money?

BTW, look at the PAR value of any light you consider given the tank size you have and will keep your critters in.

 

waste money? you think MH run for free? you powering them off solar or something? and you might end up needing a chiller, those are cheap too.