***New: Lighting help!!!!!***

[pearson1223]

I just purchased a 10 gallon and I want to do a nano reef. I have been talking to my LFS but he says that there is about four watts per gallon. However, the more I read the higher the number is I want to be able to keep some high light corals. What should I be looking for that is most cost effective like a power compact? What wattage?

[Whiskey]

If you want to keep a tank full of high light corals (like SPS and anonomies) I would honistally go with a 150W DE MH.

Whiskey

[DrHank]

It depends entirely on what types of corals you want to have. If you like mushrooms, ricordias, zoanthids, and soft corals, PC lighting should be fine. Ten gallons isn't very much water. This means that environmental changes (shifts in temp, salinity, ph, etc) can happen very rapidly. My suggestion would be to keep to the simple and hardy corals, a few inverts, and maybe one fish suitable for a nano tank. livequaria.com can probably offer some tips here. Good luck and go slow.

[2455coop]

Welcome to Reef Sanctuary...

I have a 75 gal DAS with 2 250w MH 10000K and 2 110w VHO actnics. That means I have 6.66 w/gal of daylight supplemented with 2.93 w/gal of actnics. Depending on what you kind of corals (sps,lps,softies...ect) depends on what lighting options you have. Champion Lighting has a retro with 2 VHO's with 80 wats of lights for 210.00. you could get one daylight and 1 dual daylight/actnic....which would give you aprox 6 w/gal of day light and about 2 w/gal of actnic.....Just a thought

Bill

[BigAl07]

Hello and welcome pearson1223

You're going to LOVE this hobby!

I too have a 10g AGA tank that's now a full blown reef tank. It's not easy and it takes a LOT of time. Go slow, read and reasearch as MUCH as you can.

About lighting... take some time to come up with a long term plan for your tank. Once you know where you want you tank to be long term then you can determine what lighting is needed. Here is what I did..

#1 Went to LFS and bought a tank set up which included a simple Pwrfecto Flourscent hood. This was fine for Fish Only! I then decide I wanted some of the easier corals (zoas, shrooms, GSP) so I went BACK to the LFS and paid an addition $80 (way over priced) for a 28x 50/50 coralife fixture. Then recently I eealize I need (read WANT) more light on my tank. I just ordered a coralife fixture that's going to give me a total of 130w of light. I should have taken my time from the beginning and waited to decide how I was going. I don't want to go MH due to cost and heat isues.

If you have any questions please don't hesitate to ask here or send a PM! I would be glad to help you to not make the same mistakes I have!!!

Allen