Are there any Low Light SPS?

[Chiefmcfuz]

I know it's been a while since I posted but life has been very busy.

I have a thread going on another board and wanted to ask here. Does anyone know if there are any SPS out there that will be ok with PC lighting? I know MH and T5 are preferred but what if it isn't in the budget?

Don't want to alarm the SPS police but the only stupid question is the one that you don't ask.

[Charlie97L]

i know there are a few types that you can do under PCs, but they aren't super colorful... you'll be looking more at the browns/dark greens, nothing too vibrant.

what are your tank specs?

[Chiefmcfuz]

55 mixed reef 4x65w pc light

[Charlie97L]

ok! you'll want to make sure that the sps are closer to the top of the tank. as for what are good medium light (which is what i'd think you have) SPS... someone else will have to chime in.

i think you'd be ok with a brown stag, and maybe some dark green/brown encrusting monti... but like i said, i'm not up on SPS. just make sure they have good flow and are at near the top of the tank. i do know most of the really colorful sps, you definitely don't have the light to keep.

also, is this your first SW? how long has the tank been up? One thing to think about with SPS, is they are super sensitive to param changes. if you're a new SW guy, it make take a few weeks to a few months to get the hang of keeping your water params stable, which is key for SPS.

[mps9506]

You can keep some sps corals under that lighting. More importantly your water chemistry needs to be in order however. you Ca/alk levels must be in balance, and of course no nitrates.
I would suggest starting out with frags of montipora digitata. Monti caps might do ok, however don't expect any stunning colors to develop.
Hydnophora is another that will do well (some consider this an LPS). Some Pavona species might do well under that light, but probably won't grow much if at all. There really aren't any acro's that I would suggest for that light setup. I would suspect frags would stay alive, but I wouldn't expect much growth at all.

[Charlie97L]

also something to consider is what other corals are you keeping currently? if you have any established leathers, sometimes they will not take kindly to sensing SPS in their territory, and engage in chemical warfare to kill it. it really dependson the leather species though, and where in the tank you place the sps in relation to the current.

[Chiefmcfuz]

Charlie I'm not new to reefs I'm just new to SPS that's why I posted in the beginners forum. I recently upgraded from my 29 mixed reef to a 55 mixed reef consisting of Mushrooms, Zoos, acans, Candy Canes Xenia, Anthelia Frogspawn, Colt, Kenya tree, GSP and some misc Paly's. The tank is completely cycled I used al of the water from the 29 and seeded it with the top layer of sand. I was given a small frag of a monte digi and placed it as high as I can in my tank which is about 6 inches from the surface of my tank. All my levels are good and parameters are great too. I was just wondering about low light SPS because I figured there were people like me out there who can't afford or cant suspend lights above their tank and might want to put some sps in their tanks safely ( I mean that for the animal not for the human). I live in a condo and suspending a light from the ceiling is a HUGE PITA. I need permission and such from the board, inspections need to be done by a licensed electrician that they have on staff and they charge a lot. If I do it and get caught I get fined up the @$$!!!!

[Chiefmcfuz]

Just a few old shots from a few weeks ago.

[Charlie97L]

yeah, well you could do a custom hood, or get a fixture, or even use a pendant mounted on a hangar that rests on the floor.

let me look into it further... i know it will definitely be the duller colored ones, but we should be able to find you some good ones.

[Chiefmcfuz]

Cool dude Thanks

[Chiefmcfuz]

Actually this is a good thread for people with strong lighting. It might help them ID any SPS that don't need intense lighting so they don't get fried.

[fidojoe]

I have had pretty good success with birdsnest with the same lighting, both on my old 50g and on my new 90g. I'm waiting for my bonus so I can get my T5's, but everything seems to be doing great. I have a hydnopora, birdsnest (brown, but gonna get a pink one today hopefully), and purple digi. The birdsnest is the one that I've noticed the best growth on though.

[Vanquish]

I know of a stunning electric green birdnest that keeps it colours pretty well even under low lights... and the colouration is stunning!!

Most montis do well under low lights condition too...

[mps9506]

Originally Posted by Chiefmcfuz

I was just wondering about low light SPS because I figured there were people like me out there who can't afford or cant suspend lights above their tank and might want to put some sps in their tanks safely

I've seen some cool looking 150 and 250 watt hqi pendants that clamp onto the tanks. If you can afford them you might want to look into those if you want to get into acros or more light demanding sps.

[fidojoe]

The new JBJ clamp ons look promising... They're very low profile as well!