Getting my 65 gallon tank ready for its saltwater adventure

Lordadamxxii

Community Member
View Badges
Joined
Aug 2, 2020
Messages
38
Reaction score
11
Location
Ilion
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
What are some recommendations for lighting i will need its 4 ft long by 2 ft high by a foot depth
 
OP
OP
Lordadamxxii

Lordadamxxii

Community Member
View Badges
Joined
Aug 2, 2020
Messages
38
Reaction score
11
Location
Ilion
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Im not sure i like i like corals that flow and are soft rather than hard corals any suggestions
 

Billldg

My Gem Tang Is Watching You
View Badges
Joined
May 14, 2018
Messages
17,478
Reaction score
121,885
Location
Georgia
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
If you have no intentions of going SPS, then I would recommend a T5 strip with 2 bulbs. I am not sure on the par of Reef Brite LED strips, but that may be another option. The 12 in wide is why I would recommend a 2 bulb T5 fixture.

Question, is the tank 48x24x12 or 48x12x24. A ft wide seems like a odd tank dimension.
 
Last edited:

BeltedCoyote

Philosopher king of the Memes
View Badges
Joined
Aug 11, 2019
Messages
7,425
Reaction score
36,784
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
If you’re going for softies you don’t need anything to crazy light wise. Are you thinking LED, T5, or MH? Or maybe a hybrid set up?

generally with softies you can get away with something as simple as a fluval marine 3.0. Definitely no harm in going with something like an ecotech Radion but it’s a bit overkill.

I’m personally going with noopsyche’s LEDs which work with everything from softies to sps (which is great because I’m crazy and want softies, lps, and sps in my tank). That and they’re just about one 8th of the cost of a Radion g5.

I will admit I’m not super versed in every light out there, but softies give you a lot more, less expensive options than if you wanted something like an Acropora dominated tank

Edit: orphek’s bar Leds would be another great option
 

BeltedCoyote

Philosopher king of the Memes
View Badges
Joined
Aug 11, 2019
Messages
7,425
Reaction score
36,784
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
No harm at all in t5. They work. I went with LED because of energy consumption. But also I’m bad at remember to change bulbs. But t5s are a great option. I would recommend going to YouTube and watching some of BRStv’s videos about lighting.

they do a good job of presenting gear fairly objectively. I know how overwhelming all the options are in the hobby. Videos like theirs helped me make sense of it all.
 
OP
OP
Lordadamxxii

Lordadamxxii

Community Member
View Badges
Joined
Aug 2, 2020
Messages
38
Reaction score
11
Location
Ilion
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
So i have a question i need to understand so my led light strips in my ten gallon produce alot of light like its super bright and has the blues and stuff but in normal tanks the lighting isnt that bright so how does all that work
 

BeltedCoyote

Philosopher king of the Memes
View Badges
Joined
Aug 11, 2019
Messages
7,425
Reaction score
36,784
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
So i have a question i need to understand so my led light strips in my ten gallon produce alot of light like its super bright and has the blues and stuff but in normal tanks the lighting isnt that bright so how does all that work

Good question. For one thing, many of the LEDs you see on big reef tanks are adjustable so they may not be running at full power. Additionally, the depth of the tank will effect the light penetration (more water to pass through = less light making it to the bottom) also, a lot of people who know a thing or two about photography on here have all kinds of filters and what not which can also make it look like their lights aren’t as bright.
 
OP
OP
Lordadamxxii

Lordadamxxii

Community Member
View Badges
Joined
Aug 2, 2020
Messages
38
Reaction score
11
Location
Ilion
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
This is my 10 gallon and it has a big light bar and led light hood and its really bright but am i missing a part what matters the type of light like do these work and why or why not
image.jpg
 

BeltedCoyote

Philosopher king of the Memes
View Badges
Joined
Aug 11, 2019
Messages
7,425
Reaction score
36,784
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
It depends on the spectrum of light out out as well as the PAR.

I’m by no means an expert. Take a look at the following threads, they helped me:




Some of these are a bit dense, but there’s still good info in there
 

BeltedCoyote

Philosopher king of the Memes
View Badges
Joined
Aug 11, 2019
Messages
7,425
Reaction score
36,784
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
My pleasure. This hobby is amazing. But also overwhelming with all the possibilities. I’m glad those were able to help a bit!
 
OP
OP
Lordadamxxii

Lordadamxxii

Community Member
View Badges
Joined
Aug 2, 2020
Messages
38
Reaction score
11
Location
Ilion
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
When it comes time for fish which wont be for a bit how many will i be able to have in there considering id like a decent aqua scape
 

BeltedCoyote

Philosopher king of the Memes
View Badges
Joined
Aug 11, 2019
Messages
7,425
Reaction score
36,784
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Ten gallons is not a lot of space to work with. I’d say one or two depending on which fish you want. Maybe something like a clown goby and a watchman Toby pistol shrimp pair? You’ll need to have your water parameter management pretty locked down and have good filtration and nutrient export

edit: if it’s for your 65g then you’ve got more options. As far as options, it depends on the filtration and nutrient export. I personally wouldn’t go more than 8-10 small fish. Or maybe 3-4 medium
 

BeltedCoyote

Philosopher king of the Memes
View Badges
Joined
Aug 11, 2019
Messages
7,425
Reaction score
36,784
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Here’s a quick read which explains the difference fairly succinctly

 

Forfoj

New Member
View Badges
Joined
Jul 15, 2020
Messages
17
Reaction score
7
Location
New jersey
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Im not sure i like i like corals that flow and are soft rather than hard corals any suggestions
My favorite "hard coral" that's relatively easy to keep are bird's nests (seriatopora). They look somewhat like Acropora but, won't die instantly. They do best in high flow and high light.
 

Mastering the art of locking and unlocking water pathways: What type of valves do you have on your aquarium plumbing?

  • Ball valves.

    Votes: 66 51.6%
  • Gate valves.

    Votes: 67 52.3%
  • Check valves.

    Votes: 32 25.0%
  • None.

    Votes: 29 22.7%
  • Other.

    Votes: 9 7.0%
Back
Top