Lighting for a 20 Long

[kbmdale]

We have a 20 long sw tank. My husband and I do not want to go with mh, even though everything I've read on this site says mh are the only way to go. We live in a very small house and do not have central air conditioning, only window units(we rent). The tank is in our bedroom and we don't have a unit in there. We got a great deal on a 4x55 watt Power Compact lighting system ($100 Brand New) We figure this will give us 11 watts per gallon. This will be sufficient to grow things will it not??

[Reptoreef]

Sounds terrific, IMO... remember water quality with emphasis on Ca, Alk, and as low as possible nutrients. Remember also the heat issue.

[kbmdale]

My husband built the hood so that the lights are 5 inches from the water, he works on computers so no problem getting pc fans and using them. Our temp in tank so far has stayed pretty steady day/night at about 79. My husband keeps up with all the chemicals, but I would like to know too. What should ca levels or dosing be at? and what do u mean by keeping nutrients low? I don't mean to sound stupid here :oops: , but sometimes it's hard to follow my husband computer brain. :lol: Sometimes when he's trying to explain stuff to me all I hear is ksjldfkjg sklfjgort slkjfgor;aodkoeir :razz: Also, what should alk levels be at? Thank you in advance

[Reptoreef]

Ca should be near 400 ppm with an Alk of about 9 dKH... I will personally NOT suggest any more chemical additions than this(B-ionic 2 part is an awesome product). IMO, to other additions of ANY other suppliments are required... truth is, most of those chemicals sold at the LFS are just a marketing ploy designed to get your money... I used to own my own LFS, trust me. Patience is by far the best and most needed suppliment you could ever add to a system. BTW, stability in a system as small as the one you plan will be extremely tricky.

[hummer]

wow theres so much to learn i hope idont mess mine up i have no water in my 55 gal yet any start -up advice would be great i got 1 month to learn what i need to know .....would coralife high intenstiy 20,oooo k lamps work in a stock hood for a single light and would it be enuogh light for a reaf set up on a penny budget

[RHAPALA]

WELL SEA SALT WOULD BE A GOOD START YA CAN BUY THAT AT YER LFS AND THE SAND A GOOD HEATER .....THE TEMP SHOULD BE ABOUT 76 TO 80 DEG. A OVER THE BACK FILTER CAN BE USED FOR NOW.... I BELIVE THIS WOULD BE GOOD SOFAR FOR A FISH ONLY TANK IN MY MIND THAT IS I MAY BE WRONG. SO ANYWAYS YA NEED TO LAY THE SAND IN THE TANK 2 TO 4 INCH BED LR OR LIVE ROCK IS ALSO GOOD TO HAVE MAYBE 30 LBS THATS REALLY NOT ALOT BUT ALSO A GOOD START . YOU MAY ALSO BUY 30 LBS OF A BASE ROCK CALLED LACE AND MIX IT WITH THE LR BECAUSE IT CAN THEN ALSO BECOME ALIVE.SO THAT BEING SAID SAND THEN THE ROCK IN THE TANK ... NEXT MIX THE SALT IN A 5 GAL BUCKET JUST FOLLOW THE DIR ON THE BOX OR BAG THAT YOU GET.ITS A SLOW GOING TO FILL IT THIS WAY BUT I'M TOLD ITS REALLY THE BEST WAY UNLESS YA GOT THE MONEY FOR A SALT MIXXING STATION. NOW YA GOT THE SAND ROCK HEATER FILTER AND THE WATER IN THE TANK PLACE YER POWER HEADS AND LEAVE THE TANK GO FOR A FEW DAYS TO CLEAR UP AND TO LET THE LR TO CURE.THERE ARE A FEW OTHER ITEMS YOU WILL NEED . A WATER TEST KIT AND AFEW OTHER THINGS BUT THIS WILL GET YA STARTED ALSO DONT BE IN A HURRY TO ADD FISH BUD TAKE IT SLOW

[jojo22]

I would suggest mixing 40 gal water in the tank BEFORE you add sand and rock. 55 gal filled with a 5 gal bucket at a time is going to leave your LR out of the water drying for about an hour. IMO that is long enough to loose some life. then add sand and LR and make up any additonal water you need. Also a 4 inch sand bed in my opinion is far too deep for a 55. You will end up with not enough sand bed exposed and have problems with build up under the sand.