10 gallon reef, lighting Par 38 question...

[beechdaddy]

Hello, I am a college student trying to find the cheapest most effective LED for a reef tank that I can have at my college apartment, I have had a 75 gallon reef for around 2 years now and I want to have it up at school too. So basically i would like some opinions on what bulb I should get and how many watts it should have, I would like to have soft corals and LPS, no anenomes or SPS.
thanks

[MizTanks]

What size tank? Par38's are nice and dimmable :)

[beechdaddy]

standard ten gallon aquarium and if i can find a light with a dimmer it would be nice, or would a par 38 be too much for a 10 gallon tank?

[beechdaddy]

Or I am actually starting to think that a 29 gallon biocube would be a better fit, do they work well as a reef tank?

[MizTanks]

29BC are great lil tanks! Check out jimsflies 29HQI :)

[beechdaddy]

MizTanks do you know how capable the lighting is, or would I need to replace it to grow beautiful corals?

[jimsflies]

I've got an hqi biocube, but after a year or so I replaced the halide with a DIY LED fixture that I bought second hand. I've been very happy with the setup...its the easiest tank I have had to maintain. I don't keep SPS in my tank, but I'm sure with the right dedication it can be done.

Here is a link to my tank: http://www.captivereefs.com/forum/members-reefs/jimsflies-invert-ranch-7390/

I would also look hard at the 16 or 24 gallon Innovative Marine tanks especially if it was a tank that I was moving back and forth to college.

[MizTanks]

I've got an hqi biocube, but after a year or so I replaced the halide with a DIY LED fixture that I bought second hand. I've been very happy with the setup...its the easiest tank I have had to maintain. I don't keep SPS in my tank, but I'm sure with the right dedication it can be done.

Here is a link to my tank: http://www.captivereefs.com/forum/members-reefs/jimsflies-invert-ranch-7390/

I would also look hard at the 16 or 24 gallon Innovative Marine tanks especially if it was a tank that I was moving back and forth to college.

Dang I forgot about you switching out the MH....must be an age thing :)

[jimsflies]

The biggest advantage to LEDs on a small tank is temperature...here is what mine has looked like with no AC running in the house and no fan over the tank (note the scale on the graph...and if you notice the steps, my temp runs on a seasonal table, so the set temperature changes by 0.1 degrees every few days).

[beechdaddy]

Thanks for the input I'll be staying at my apartment for the next 3 years without much movement other than maybe a week at the most but i have family in the area to care for the tank in my absence, and nice tank by the way

[beechdaddy]

one more question about the biocube, would it be beneficial for me to get a wave maker to go with a pair of hydor koralia 240 pumps? for some wave like random flow?

[MizTanks]

No wave maker but you could add a Hydorflo to the return. I ran one on my 8g bio cube, worked very well.

[beechdaddy]

alright cool i think i will add one, i like the swaying effect that it gives to the corals.