Got my new lighting....

[jhemmer]

Ok Gang-

 

I've gone from 110w (total) of PC to 285W of VHO on my 30g reef. I have 2 -95w white actinic and 1 -95w super actinic on there.

 

At almost 10w/gallon, I am wondering what type of corals or clams would you say I should NOT try to keep at this time???

 

I'm guessing that I could keep almost anything...

 

Thanks for the input.

 

John

[michaelg]

I would get a couple of frags of high light adapted acropora and give them a go.  Not much lost if it is a frag...

[Marty]

Not meaning to be critical, but your logic sounds a lot like suggesting to cycle a tank with damsels.  I think I know what you mean, but the way you wrote it, sounds like a captive cultured frag is entirely expendible.  I know you better than that tho.  

 

I had a similar set-up with a 55g w/440w's of VHO.  I tried an acro and a monti and both did not fare well.  I had them about 12" below the bulbs.  That's as high as my rock went.  You may not want to go with a high light acro to start.  Try something a little hardier.

 

Just my 2 cents.

[pez]

There is a big difference between total wattage and total intensity.  I could put 440 watts of incandenscent over my tank but I dare not try even the hardiest mushrooms.

 

I suspect that 285watts of PC would be about as intense as a single 250 watt MH lamp?  That's a good deal of light on a 30 gallon tank, but not unheard of.

 

I'd start with some run of the mill montipora digitata.  If they work out, then try some hardy acro's.

 

-Tom

[Larry Grenier]

Hey John,

 

As you know, I'm no SPS expert but I have a frag of green slimer acro (Acropora yongei) and it's doing great under my 13-month old bulbs.  It's very hardy and colorful.  Put your shrooms and the like in shady spots.

[michaelg]

Yeah- my comment was meant to come across more as try a frag before a colony from the wild.  I have heard of a lot of people keeping sps with vho's.  Hard to know for sure on the given setup, and to some extent, the only way to find out is to try- given that the rest of the tank is in good condition, which I imagine it is, as John has had it running for quite some time (I believe as long as my 30- likely longer).  I really doubt montiporas will have a problem- acros, I just don't know.  Unfortunately, there is no way of identifying "low light" acroporas as we have no idea where they come from in the wild.  Most are quite adaptable and will brown up (increase zoox density) if needed, given they can handle the transition to tank life after the whole shipping trauma.  Personally I feel the key to determining this is to use a hardier than h*ll acro- some that have made it through h*ll and back- thus they won't RTN/die for reasons other than light.  While some in the club have just vho's on their tanks and keep SPS or have had trouble with it, there are only a couple of us with tanks this size- thus comparison on how much light gets distributed to what intensity is difficult.  Of course I have a 400W halide, which quite a few people thought was insane to put over a tank this size.

 

Now one word of caution that may be problematic, is a ton of softies with SPS, but that is another story.

[geofloors]

I agree with the above. Stay away from acros to start but get some montipora digitatas and/ or plating types. When you see these growing then go for an acro. The green slimer should do fine with your setup and I have quite a few sps under 440w VHO on a 55g. These grow as fast (if not faster) as under metal halides. Some actually look better under VHOs. It just takes a long time for the acro to make the lighting transition. Some never make it. Remember sps= calcium concumtion.

 

Clams: I wouldn't even try to keep maximas or croceas but derasea and squamosas should fair fine in there. I have 2 deresas and 2 squamosas in the 55g mentioned above. They are on the sand bed about 20" from the lights.

 

Even though you have almost 10w per gallon there is just not the intensity needed to keep many types of clams and acros. There are a few exceptions to the rule but not all will work.

 

HTH,

George