SPS questions

hottielover14 · 07-18-2004, 06:50 PM

Can you successfully grow SPS corals under PC lighting. I have 260 watt PC's. Could you tell me what would be the hardiest kind. This is my first experience w/ them.

Craig Manoukian · 07-19-2004, 04:04 AM

From everything Ive read and people I've spoken with, SPS & clams do best under Metal Halide lighting. I don't have any personal experiene as I have LPS ans Soft corals.

Jason McKenzie · 07-19-2004, 05:39 AM

I do know someone that is growing SPS under NO Lights but he has chosen the corals carefully and only picked things that he knows require less light. He has how ever sacrificed colouration. He has multiple systems and has been in the hobby for a very long time.
He accepts the challenges of his set up and has done enough research to understand the needs of each coral in his system.

I would not recommend it of anyone as it required perfect water and specific flow. Not for a beginner.

J

hottielover14 · 07-19-2004, 09:27 AM

i was thinking of just maybe trying one frag.

shawnz28 · 07-19-2004, 01:04 PM

for 260 watts, what bulbs do you have as in number of bulbs, color, and wattage? I thinking you might be able to get away with birdsnest(brown), pocillipora(brown), and monti digitana all if kept in say the top 1/3 of the tank. If you select colorful pieces the colors will probably darken and turn brownish over time still maybe

hottielover14 · 07-19-2004, 01:27 PM

i have 2 10000K 65 watt. bulbs and 2 actinic 65 watt bulbs.

shawnz28 · 07-19-2004, 01:38 PM

Keep them as high in the tank as possible and I would stick with the ones I mentioned and maybe monti capricornus. Like I said many may turn brown of darken up and growth wont be extremely quick but in good water conditions they should be ok

hottielover14 · 07-20-2004, 01:31 PM

so if i got some acro it would turn brown. I saw some pink and purple and green ones that look awsome.

shawnz28 · 07-20-2004, 01:35 PM

There is no way they would stay that color honestly. Before going with any kind of acro or colorful sps you will need to upgrade the lighting on the tank. I was able to keep less light demanding corals in my old 75 with 440 watts of VHO(4x110, 2 actinics and 2 aquasun), but when I added two more bulbs for 660 watts of vho(6x110, 3 actinics and 3 aquasuns) I was able to keep more colorful corals and better growth.

Here are some pics of my old tank. All of them were taken when I had 6 bulbs over the tank.

Old 75 gallon tank

hottielover14 · 07-20-2004, 01:37 PM

theres this hood that i like it's got 2x175 MH and 2x110 VHO would that be enought light for it.