Start up cost

[Salty168]

Would they work well for me? Im looking at anything from mushrooms to clams.

[Salty168]

Would the intensity work for both of them?

[Salty168]

Found it!!!!!!!

[davehead86]

Originally Posted by Salty168

Would they work well for me? Im looking at anything from mushrooms to clams.

Originally Posted by Salty168

Would the intensity work for both of them?

Mushrooms absolutely. Not sure on the clams. I haven't done lots of research on them since Im not interested in them. However those seem to be a little more difficult of a creature to keep happy.

Biggest difference Ive seen with the lights and the prices of them besides features is PAR (light intensity) at the sandbed. The cheaper lights cant penetrate as far down so the sand bed has low light and cant grow as much stuff. You have to run them at a higher percentage which is a higher power usage and a higher heat output. This is the reason i dropped my cash on OLD, USED radions that I plan on upgrading. Less hassle. AI is co-oped with EcoTech now so buying an AI light is a good investment, and can be cheaper than a Radion. Take that information for whats it worth. If anyone else wants to step up and comment go for it.

[Salty168]

Thank you. Would the intensity work for both of them? I know that clams need a lot of light and mushrooms need low light. Could i keep them both?

[leviburns89]

Mushrooms are pretty hardy, I've seen them in just about every setup and thrive. It's all about acclimating them to the light.

It's also pretty easy to put them in a shaded area. I keep all mine under an overhang, or under the shadow of another coral

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[davehead86]

Originally Posted by Salty168

Thank you. Would the intensity work for both of them? I know that clams need a lot of light and mushrooms need low light. Could i keep them both?

Every tank has issues like this. You have to position corals according to their lighting and flow preferences. Most tanks you see with SPS at the top of the rock work where a powerhead can be pointed at them and intense lighting is available then things like sofites and mushrooms are on the bottom of peoples tanks.

Really you just have to figure out what your corals like by watching how they behave and acclimate before you glue them down anywhere.

[Salty168]

So its mostly about acclimation?

[pauls]

Ok, lets talk used and the prices i quote will be best scenario where you are located and easy access to used items.

1. Used 90 Gallon with Stand,lid, heater, filtration possibly power head. non drilled. You can get a complete setup with decent lighting for $500.00

2. rocks used and lots of hunting around on the net 50 pounds at $2.00 for a MINIMUM total of $100.00

3. Sand if you decide to use it $50.00

4. Used hang on back skimmer $100.00

5. Salt $50.00

6. $20.00 for a plastic meter to measure salt.


So you should easily have a minimal used setup for under $800.00 but that is mimimal and a matter of opinion of what is needed and what you want.

If you want to spend $2000.00 plus just for lighting it is up to you and thus EXPENSIVE !!!

[davehead86]

Originally Posted by Salty168

So its mostly about acclimation?

Yes and no. Obviously you need to acclimate the corals to the lighting in your tank vs what its been sitting in at the LFS, or in a bag for however long.

But the corals will also tell you where they belong. SPS must have intense light and high flow, thats how it works for that coral. SO if you have a weak light and weak powerhead they wont grow, and may even die.

[leviburns89]

I'm still working on the placement of my euphylia, I almost to the point of saying mine requires low light. It went for moderate/high, to moderate, now it's at moderate low.. every step makes it expand a bit more, but still not full.

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[davehead86]

Originally Posted by leviburns89

I'm still working on the placement of my euphylia, I almost to the point of saying mine requires low light. It went for moderate/high, to moderate, now it's at moderate low.. every step makes it expand a bit more, but still not full.

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It has to acclimate to youre light too. So dont be surprised if you leave it at the low level for a few weeks and then it gets small again and you move it up and it takes off.

[Salty168]

BLUE HIPPO TANG
Paracanthurus hepatus
Minimum Tank Size : 40 gallons

Found this on an online store.

[leviburns89]

The blue tang would be happier in 100+ gallons.

40 minimum is way to small. Most reefers say 60 minimum.

This all is of course contingent on size. A small juvenile tang would be just fine in a 60, but an adult will need the swimming room of a 100+. Without ample room, tangs can get very aggressive. Same thing goes for certain wrasse types

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[Jah2707]

Lets start by saying what some people would call cheap or cutting corners... other people who have a family of 4, car payment, and house payment. Along with medical conditions consider it the only way they could have a tank. Now that is out of the way.

Here is what i did. I looked on craigslist for a few months. Found someone who wanted out really really bad. Bought everything he had for $300 and then sold one of the items for $300 and still had 2 tanks left. Then I found someone else who wanted out really bad and bought his tank for $240 sold the live rock and skimmer for more then $240. Then I bought a few items from ebay and resold them to make a bit more money. So with all of that said I have the exact tank I wanted and all it cost was some time and effort which I enjoyed every minute of it. I also joined a local club and was about to buy quite a bit of supplies from someone who was getting out.


I ended up having an extra $63 for fish or corals plus I still have many items I will clean up and sale. Here is what the tank currently looks like. only set up for about a month. (no cycle because moved an established tank) 45 gallon cube

[Salty168]

Thanks. I thought that the hippo tang needed 220+.

[Salty168]

So this is a quastion that i have had for a while but could not find a good answer. Tanks and sunlight! I hear that it causes algae problems and that it does nothing. Could a tank have some defused/indirect sunlight? If so, this could open up another spot for a tank.

[leviburns89]

There is a thread floating around on here about that. Dude runs a full reef with only sunlight. And it's amazing.

So the real question is, how much algae will you experience.

I personally think it's dependant on the photoperiod. i.e. how many hours of light it gets.

Also, you would have to spend a lot of time cleaning the glass receiving the sunlight so algae doesn't block out the available light.

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[Salty168]

So sunlight is not that bad?