Are these lights sufficient for coral growth

ileas12:

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I bought these lights from ebay. They said they can grow coral but I'm just a beginner so I don't really know. They have a white mode and a blue mode.
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Heliarc19

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I know you are asking about the lights but I couldn’t help noticing the water level. Is that where you keep it? Above all else the salinity and temp are very important in keeping anything, make sure and add RODI water daily to keep the level exactly the same. The are plenty of types of auto top offs available, do some research on these and see what would work best for your set up. And ask as many questions on here as possible there are tons of people here who would love to help.
 

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FOWLR stands for Fish Only With Live Rock. It's unlikely to be sufficient however someone with more lighting experience may be able to give more info.
 
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ileas12:

ileas12:

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FOWLR stands for Fish Only With Live Rock. It's unlikely to be sufficient however someone with more lighting experience may be able to give more info.
Ok thanks I’ll wait for more responses.
 
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ileas12:

ileas12:

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I know you are asking about the lights but I couldn’t help noticing the water level. Is that where you keep it? Above all else the salinity and temp are very important in keeping anything, make sure and add RODI water daily to keep the level exactly the same. The are plenty of types of auto top offs available, do some research on these and see what would work best for your set up. And ask as many questions on here as possible there are tons of people here who would love to help.
That’s roughly where I keep it. This is week 5 of the tank being up everything was ready so I did a water change this morning and went out and got some hermit crabs and snails.
 

saltyfilmfolks

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You could give it a shot , but I wouldn’t spend much in the Zoas.

IMO ime , some softies , some..... can live in a Par of Almost zero, zoas and palys , IMO , you’re looking at 80 to 100 min.
That might do it? But it’s a might.
 

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Yep totally agree ^^^ they might be ok but why chance it, I would def upgrade to a better light if you want to keep corals.
 
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ileas12:

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Well I’m trying to stay on a Budget. So what can I “risk” keeping? Keep in mind they need to be beginner corals
 

Benga

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Well I’m trying to stay on a Budget. So what can I “risk” keeping? Keep in mind they need to be beginner corals

There are always Chinese Black Boxes relatively cheap and surprisingly good.
The problem is you'll buy a coral here and there lets say 25$ each and by the time you get two that's already 50$. Well what if you end up losingthose two corals coz you took that risk, that's 50$ down the drain when a black box would have been a little over 50$ and last you a long time and give you greater flexibility.

There are even great T5HO options that are cheap iirc.

These might be a little overpowered for your tank but here are two:
Cheaper sometimes you see them for 60-70$
https://www.ebay.com/itm/165W-55-LE...935484&hash=item1ecbab4329:g:ERAAAOSwD8BZbrOo

A little more reputable
https://www.ebay.com/itm/MarsAqua-D...181094&hash=item3a8e50f63d:g:Py4AAOSwtQNaUDHq

Buy quality, buy once
Cut a corner, you end up with two corners.

I know the feeling tho, I'm cheap af and budget everything. I'm still using an old 48" T5 on my 36" tank, imagine how ugly that looks lol. But it works and I still haven't fully stocked my tank so it'll be good for a long while.
 
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ileas12:

ileas12:

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There are always Chinese Black Boxes relatively cheap and surprisingly good.
The problem is you'll buy a coral here and there lets say 25$ each and by the time you get two that's already 50$. Well what if you end up losingthose two corals coz you took that risk, that's 50$ down the drain when a black box would have been a little over 50$ and last you a long time and give you greater flexibility.

There are even great T5HO options that are cheap iirc.

These might be a little overpowered for your tank but here are two:
Cheaper sometimes you see them for 60-70$
https://www.ebay.com/itm/165W-55-LE...935484&hash=item1ecbab4329:g:ERAAAOSwD8BZbrOo

A little more reputable
https://www.ebay.com/itm/MarsAqua-D...181094&hash=item3a8e50f63d:g:Py4AAOSwtQNaUDHq

Buy quality, buy once
Cut a corner, you end up with two corners.

I know the feeling tho, I'm cheap af and budget everything. I'm still using an old 48" T5 on my 36" tank, imagine how ugly that looks lol. But it works and I still haven't fully stocked my tank so it'll be good for a long while.
Thank you. You are very relatable lol. What are these cheap black boxes you speak of? Can you link those?
 

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What area are you located? You can check out the CoralReefMKT app to see what's out there. There's also craigslist, Facebook, and Reef2Reef. I'd personally recommend something like a Kenya Tree. You could also hunt for a $10 frag of zoanthids and give those a try. Keep in mind that you've got minimal blue with that bulb so the neon green you saw in the store isn't going to be the same under your (mostly) 10000K lights.

How big is your tank? It looks like a 20 long based on your pics. I'd suggest adding a couple of these to go with your current light: https://www.ebay.com/itm/KINGBO-18W...654894?hash=item1ed99848ee:g:sfUAAOSwBThafiIV

You could also get one of these: https://sbreeflights.com/sbox-reef-lights/1-sbox-basic.html

The SBReef lights are black boxes that have been upgraded to have better colors to grow coral.
 
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ileas12:

ileas12:

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What area are you located? You can check out the CoralReefMKT app to see what's out there. There's also craigslist, Facebook, and Reef2Reef. I'd personally recommend something like a Kenya Tree. You could also hunt for a $10 frag of zoanthids and give those a try. Keep in mind that you've got minimal blue with that bulb so the neon green you saw in the store isn't going to be the same under your (mostly) 10000K lights.

How big is your tank? It looks like a 20 long based on your pics. I'd suggest adding a couple of these to go with your current light: https://www.ebay.com/itm/KINGBO-18W...654894?hash=item1ed99848ee:g:sfUAAOSwBThafiIV

You could also get one of these: https://sbreeflights.com/sbox-reef-lights/1-sbox-basic.html

The SBReef lights are black boxes that have been upgraded to have better colors to grow coral.
It’s a 30 gallon and I live in new hampshire
 

saltyfilmfolks

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For a 30g, probaly 24 -30 in, wouaybwant to look at a 30 in (300w ) version of those. You really only need about 1% on each channel. At a hanging heith of 12in.
They are quite powerful.
Any lower and you’ll want to pull lenses to reduce power.
 
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ileas12:

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