Starting my 30 is my equipment good enough??

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
S

Salty Sailor

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Jan 9, 2012
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United States
Not a bad price on that light since it includes 2 bulbs for sure.

I like the T5's myself. I upgraded to them recently and they are really nice.
 
there should be actinics included in your lighting for keeping corals to supplement spectrum and overall appearance. 10k can usually be considered pretty 'yellow' light. Im not sure I would use a HOB filter on account of the constant cleaning it would require, but if thats not a problem for you, then go ahead. Make sure to get a protein skimmer and power heads for circulation. I think AquaC makes a nice hang on skimmer.
 
I doubt the light will be enough to sustain hard corals. They will need more intense lighting. With just the two bulbs I'd say you should be able to get away with most soft corals and probably some LPS. I have a 30 inch fixture from Aquaticlife T5HO. It's a 4x 24w bulb combo (2 10K, 2 actinic). The problem with the set up in the link is it has no actinic bulb. You will want one for aesthetic purposes (the blue color really makes colors in fish and corals pop) and to be able to grow coraline algae. If it were me, I'd look into a more powerful light fixture, especially if you are expecting to jump into SPS and other hard corals. That way you don't pay for one fixture and end up having to upgrade again later.

The filter will be fine, but I don't really like HOB filters because of the salt creep. The main part of your filtration should be live rock and power heads but you can run a HOB to eliminate floating debris to keep the tank nice and clear. Just my opinion.
 
Yah +1 on the skimmer. My suggestion would be to remove the filter media from your hob filter and put some chaeto in there with a clip on light.
 
My opinion is no. I would use that in conjunction with a skimmer and you should be good. That is actually a really nice Product because it provides a lot Of room for your algae to expand and really suck up some nutients.
 
Salty Sailor said:
Im really new to the saltwater game, not exactly sure what a skimmer does :s but would this work in place? http://minneapolis.craigslist.org/hnp/for/2752949157.html
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Pig8enis said:
My opinion is no. I would use that in conjunction with a skimmer and you should be good. That is actually a really nice Product because it provides a lot Of room for your algae to expand and really suck up some nutients.
Click to expand...

It's a nice product, but it's a bit expensive; you can easily make a sump version for less than half that price and have more room for algae and other stuff. As for a skimmer, look into the AquaC Remora skimmer; it works pretty well for what you pay plus you can get a version that has a built-in drain thereby negating the need to empty the collection cup.
 
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