Advice On Lighting Please

[Ryandsimmons]

Okay, for ages I have been dreaming of starting my marine tank. Finally I am hoping to get the ball rolling.

With luck I'll be picking up a tank in the next few days. An Aquience 550. Tank is 55 x 55 x 55 cm. 165 litres. It has a sump that I think is around 60 litres.

Now I am new to marine, sumps etc, and have only been running tropicals, so I am doing as much research as I can and doing it step by step to avoid costly mistakes.

I am not going to drill the tank, rather I will be using an overflow box. I think I have the sump side sorted.

So onto the lighting... The tank has no hood or lights, so I need to know what to do. I need a starting point, tank is going to be coral / reef / fish. To start with just fish and live rock, but the lighting needs to be ready for soft corals at a later point. (Not hard, too expensive and complicated I think.)

So can anyone suggest how to create a lighting system? I really have no idea where to start.

Thanks in advance

ryan

 

[seffieuk]

Ryan

You might regret not drilling the tank if you decide not to drill ensure you buy the best overflow box you can afford with an anti syphon - such as the tunze

Re: lights, you will want lps at some point, believe me, so get the best lights you can afford now. Give us a lighting budget and we will help

Seffie x

 

[Ryandsimmons]

Ryan

You might regret not drilling the tank if you decide not to drill ensure you buy the best overflow box you can afford with an anti syphon - such as the tunze

Re: lights, you will want lps at some point, believe me, so get the best lights you can afford now. Give us a lighting budget and we will help

Seffie x

Drilling scares me. I just know I'd end up messing it up. Overflow I was looking at was Cleartides which was on the tank previously apparently.

Budget for lighting is... What is needed. The lower the better but #I know I will have to pay what is needed. If it is more than I can afford it just means I wait a little longer to get the extra cash together.

My main question was really how do you put the lights on? Can you justget bulbs / refelctor unites that clip on the sides of the tank rather than needing a hood?

Edit: From what I read this is actually a good solution as it helps airflow across the surface and keeps the tank coller in summer. Problem is I have no idea where to look to start.

 

[seffieuk]

My main question was really how do you put the lights on? Can you justget bulbs / refelctor unites that clip on the sides of the tank rather than needing a hood?

Ah right, well, you can get:

http/cgi.ebay.co.uk/Arcadia-0T5-Marine-Overtank-Luminaire-800mm-AM224M-/290434737171?pt=UK_Pet_Supplies_Fish&hash=item439f426413

dont go for t8, you will regret it!

Aquarays - but would need to be attached to something

http/cgi.ebay.co.uk/Arcadia-0T5-Marine-Overtank-Luminaire-800mm-AM224M-/290434737171?pt=UK_Pet_Supplies_Fish&hash=item439f426413

or

Metal halides

http/cgi.ebay.co.uk/AQUA-MEDIC-Twin-150w-Metal-Halide-Ocean-Light-/190524767981?pt=UK_Pet_Supplies_Fish&hash=item2c5c293eed

I'm not advocating any of these products or sellers although the Petermoss one is reputable just giving you the basic options

 

[Ryandsimmons]

My main question was really how do you put the lights on? Can you justget bulbs / refelctor unites that clip on the sides of the tank rather than needing a hood?

Ah right, well, you can get:

http/cgi.ebay.co.uk/Arcadia-0T5-Marine-Overtank-Luminaire-800mm-AM224M-/290434737171?pt=UK_Pet_Supplies_Fish&hash=item439f426413

dont go for t8, you will regret it!

Aquarays - but would need to be attached to something

http/cgi.ebay.co.uk/Arcadia-0T5-Marine-Overtank-Luminaire-800mm-AM224M-/290434737171?pt=UK_Pet_Supplies_Fish&hash=item439f426413

or

Metal halides

http/cgi.ebay.co.uk/AQUA-MEDIC-Twin-150w-Metal-Halide-Ocean-Light-/190524767981?pt=UK_Pet_Supplies_Fish&hash=item2c5c293eed

I'm not advocating any of these products or sellers although the Petermoss one is reputable just giving you the basic options

Ah! Thank you very much, the first item on that list is the sort of thing I was imagining. Now to look at the different sizes etc.

 

[Ryandsimmons]

Hmmm... first snag. I notice that all these systems start at 60 cm. However the tank is a 55cm cube.

I can't hang from the ceiling so I think T5s are out of the equation.

Time to look at halides.

 

[Ryandsimmons]

http/cgi.ebay.co.uk/Metal-Halide-Aquarium-Fish-Tank-Lighting-60cm-150w-/180594529309?pt=UK_Pet_Supplies_Fish&hash=item2a0c45d41d

Sorry, one last question.

Would something like this be good? Problem is it would overhang the tank by 5cm. Would that be an issue?

 

[jameshughes1989]

Hi mate, I know the tank is 55cm but I have had 2 60cm units on the tank on 2 occasions. Most 60cm light units will have legs adjustable to fit slightly smaller or bigger tanks. Hope that helps.

Did you get my pm?

Cheers

 

[Ryandsimmons]

Hi mate, I know the tank is 55cm but I have had 2 60cm units on the tank on 2 occasions. Most 60cm light units will have legs adjustable to fit slightly smaller or bigger tanks. Hope that helps.

Did you get my pm?

Cheers

Hi, Got your PM, replied to it first thing this morning. Maybe some bug in the system? I've been having some issues the last few days.

I can pick up pretty much any day on the holidays, or any day after work. Just a drive for me so happy to do whenever suites y9ou.

 

[seffieuk]

You two been doing a bit of wheeling and dealing............go on, what did you buy/sell?

Seffie x

 

[Ryandsimmons]

You two been doing a bit of wheeling and dealing............go on, what did you buy/sell?

Seffie x

I'm buying the tank and sump off of the esteemed Mr jameshughes1989.

Really excited.

Having a look I thing I can get a twin t5 system for around £200, (£100 if I keep an eye out for a deal.) Think that may be the way for me to go then.

 

[seffieuk]

Really excited.

I can imagine

 

[jameshughes1989]

As above, selling my cube to him. Mate have a look on here:

http/www.allpondsolutions.co.uk/aquarium-1/aquarium-lighting/aquarium-t5-lighting/60cm-t5-aquarium-lighting-six-tubes-system.html

or 4 tube

http/www.allpondsolutions.co.uk/aquarium-1/aquarium-lighting/aquarium-t5-lighting/black-t5-fish-tank-lights-four-bulbs.html

or Iquatics

http/www.iquaticsonline.co.uk/index.php?page=shop.product_details&flypage=flypage.tpl&product_id=140&category_id=51&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=53&redirected=1&Itemid=53

or 4 tube

http/www.iquaticsonline.co.uk/index.php?page=shop.product_details&flypage=flypage.tpl&product_id=136&category_id=50&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=53&redirected=1&Itemid=53

Cheers

 

[Ryandsimmons]

Thanks for that. Spent the afternoon in a shop and I am leaning towards halide, but those 4 bulb ones look very tempting.

Other equipment:

For an overflow I think I will order one of these (assuming people here say it is right.)
http/www.cleartides.com/page26.htm

A Cleaertide 40. That will drop the water into the 50 odd litre sump from the 165 litre tank.

Then this pump to takeit back up:
http/www.swelluk.com/aquarium/pumps-and-powerheads-33/water-pumps-206/eheim-compact-pumps-24890.html?ref=shopping&utm_source=product-search&utm_medium=googlebase

Overflow is 2000 lph, return is 1000 - 2000 lph. I want a refugum / sand bed in the sump so I think if I adjust the flow to around 1500 litres per hour that should be right?

 

[seffieuk]

For an overflow I think I will order one of these (assuming people here say it is right.)
http/www.cleartides.com/page26.htm

Eeekkkk no anti syphon, can you imagine what your floor would like like if a syphon happened following a powercut, let alone what it would do to live stock