10g nano reef

[ordi260]

hello!!!

I am starting a nano reef tank

10 gallon cube!  I am looking for the lights and found the coralife aqualight mini.  It has 2X PC 9W .  (1 actinic and 1 daylight) for a total of 18 watts.

In my 10g cube would it be enough to grow a little mushrrom and a couple of softies?

[Vincenzo.]

yup, it's fine for that. for a little more 'play' try and get 2 x 18w PC's

[ordi260]

I guess that i will be able to put in a little bunck of pulsing xenias too eh?  Those guys are pretty hardy...are they?

[Vincenzo.]

hardy yes, but not a good starter soft coral. they are known to absorb unwanted nutrients and spread like crazy. and if they die can release they garbage they absorb. also for some reason they need almost flawless water conditions.

[ordi260]

Alrighty!  I note that!!!

Ill go with 2 X 18W PC...it will give me more flexibility!
Ill keep the post going later with a list of expected material and livestock...

[Vincenzo.]

if you want any coral. go with a 4bulb T5 combo.
with that u can have sps, lps, all softies, zoas, and even clams.

[ordi260]

Hehe the only thing is that the tank is about 10 inches long X 10 wide and 15 tall...its a cube!

[Rybren]

If you don't mind spending money, you could pick up a couple of PAR38 LED bulbs from nano tuners.  They're pricey ($120 USD ea or 5@$99USD ea), but they pack 5x3W Cree LEDs in a screw in bulb.  They come in 12000 or 20000K and will last a loooong time.  Perfect for your tank.

[Vincenzo.]

^u can get those same bulbs for WAYYYY cheaper online. and do a DIY fixture.

[Rybren]

Hmmm,

I've been looking for them for a while and haven't found anything comparable to those Evil66 bulbs at nano tuners.  There are tons of Par38 bulbs, but these are the only ones that I've been able to find that are:
a.  High Powered (5-7 x 3W LEDs) AND
b.  In the right temperature range (12000K+) I'd even consider 6500K, but I haven't found those either.

I've been debating building an LED fixture for my new 75G, but my electronics and soldering skills aren't up to par 
so I thought of using Evil's bulbs, but unless I went with a spotlight theme, I'd need too many bulbs to be worthwhile.

In the end, I decided to stick with T-5.

If I could find similar bulbs at a much lower price, I'd try out a DIY build.