Three Questions

[proud2bcanadian]

1) Anyone ever used HPS (high pressure sodium) as lighting for reef tanks?

2) Is it possible to mix different types of live rock? (Indonesian, Tonga Branch, and Tonga Kaelini)

3) Has anyone ever heard of Encrusted Gorgonian live rock? One of the private businesses nearby has it for $16.00 a pound (Canadian) and I was curious as to what it's like...


Thank you,

 

[mojoreef]

1 = the Kelvin or temp of the bulb doesnt go higher enough for corals to use.

2= Best way to go

3 = Yep its kind of tannish in color. To be honest it is a weed that grows way to fast and will eventually over grow everything. If you like it get a little bit and keep it isolated .


Mike

 

[proud2bcanadian]

1) Alright HPS is out of the question.

2) I guess if/when I start a new tank, I'll be going with mixed rock.

3) I think I'm not going to go with the Encrusted Gorgonian LR. $16/lb is too much for something that requires more work compared to $7/lb LR.

BTW, Thanks Mike!

 

[tdwyatt]

There are some uses for the ballasts that drive MV lamps, as they were the original ballasts to drive Iwasaki eye bulbs prior to the advent of Electronic ballasts, but those are not the bulbs in question.


There can be circumstances where you do not want several biotope-types of rock, but for the most part, it is best to have a good broad selection of rock from different areas to get the largest diversity of life, as this will affect everything from which spp. of corallines you end up with to the diversity of your DSB (if you keep one). For FOWLR, there is no rel reason to get anything but base rock, as the only real thing you want from this is the denitrificating bacteria nd the aerobic mineralizing bacteria.

I have seen systems where encrusting Gorgs have completely taken over, same for encrusting Montipora spp. or some of the encrusting spp. of firecorals (Hydrocorals like Millipora alcicornis from the Caribbean, etc). Personally, as everyone else has alluded to, these are to be avoided in high energy biotope systems.


hth


btw, just WHO IS that Mike guy???