Pls Help

[gasoldier]

Ok ive had a tank for about 8 months now i check the salt levels and PH, ALK and amonina about once every couple of weeks. they all seem good but for some reason my coral are doing bad some are doing great but the ones like my candy cane and frog spawn and duncan and galaxia arent doing to good. they were perfect when i bought them but after about 3 weeks they started to go bad my hard corals are doing good as well as my acan and fish so what am i doing wrong i have two lights one is a 24" 610mm 17 watt T8 and a 50/50 T8 25watt 36" light is that too little to much also i have a 64 gallon tank i also bought marine Assential reef supplement about two weeks ago but its still not much better any advise would help and pls consider me new to this with your responces i dont know much of the tecnical terms for stuff but thanks for any help ill also post some pics

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[rdnelson]

I am still pretty new to this but I believe you are severely lacking in lighting. The T8 lamps are not going to put out a lot. T5 lamps would be much better and you would need at least 6 or 8 to do the job correctly if you want to stay with fluorescent. Other options would be metal halide or LED. No matter what, the lights you have are not providing adequate PAR for the corals to thrive.

 

[gasoldier]

Are those available to buy at a fish store aNd are they really expensive cause ive seen led light strips on ebay for about 10 buck are those the.kinds of leds your talking about

 

[KrisDeitz]

Gasoldier;765582 wrote: Are those available to buy at a fish store aNd are they really expensive cause ive seen led light strips on ebay for about 10 buck are those the.kinds of leds your talking about

Lol No bud,

The LEDS im sure he is talking about are Member Modified.

about 200 Each unit.

 

[gasoldier]

Wow I might just have to go and buy more.floresents

 

[KrisDeitz]

You need T5s atleast. You need a 6 to 8 Light bulb fixture as stated

 

[raz0945]

I would suggest you go with a T-5, 6 bulb fixture for that size tank, the T-8 are not strong enough for most corals. You may want to have your nitrates & phosphates checked. Are you doing a weekly water change to give the corals the trace minerals they need? How strong is the flow in your tank? When I started keeping coral I lost the head off of one of my frogspawns and had to lower the flow, some of my lps & softies were much happier. Holley

 

[gasoldier]

My flow im not sure I have a couple of wave things in there and yea I do a water change every couple of weeks and If I add more lights will I also have to.get a water.cooler thing man I woudnt have bought this if I new it was.this much work

 

[KrisDeitz]

Gasoldier;765592 wrote: My flow im not sure I have a couple of wave things in there and yea I do a water change every couple of weeks and If I add more lights will I also have to.get a water.cooler thing man I woudnt have bought this if I new it was.this much work

That is why Research is the Key bro!

These aren't cheap to setup and Run.

 

[frantz]

Here are some cheap options (from another GA soldier (well for now anyhow)). Buy used. With so many people getting LEDs you can get t5 fixtures pretty cheap. Bulbs really aren't that much (even if you are on e2 pay). You don't have to get a chiller you have 3 good options. Best option, just run a fan over the tank and make sure you keep up with the increased evaporation. If thats not enough, add ice, but put it in a waterproof bag. This will keep the ice from melting into the water and changing salinity. the last and perhaps least energy efficient is to make a chiller out of an old dorm refrigerator. Plenty of plans online. Here is some good news... 99% of your problems are probably lighting, so once you get that fixed you'll probably be in good shape. Do some research (I can recommend several good books if you are interested in the old fashioned way) and you can enjoy the hobby on the "cheap"*.


*cheap is relative, just like an inlaw

 

[gasoldier]

I guess ill keep my eyes out for used fixtures and look on craigslist and E2 pay not since basic I actually got out of active a year ago E5 but now im a full time student so living off of gi bill and saving I just have always wanted saltwater fish the thing that gets me is with both the lights in my tank on it looks pretty bright I actually thought they were dying from too much light so I moved them to the bottom of the tank I guess ill move them up till I get the fixtures thanks for the tips

 

[rdnelson]

Frantz;765596 wrote: Here are some cheap options (from another GA soldier (well for now anyhow)). Buy used. With so many people getting LEDs you can get t5 fixtures pretty cheap. Bulbs really aren't that much (even if you are on e2 pay). You don't have to get a chiller you have 3 good options. Best option, just run a fan over the tank and make sure you keep up with the increased evaporation. If thats not enough, add ice, but put it in a waterproof bag. This will keep the ice from melting into the water and changing salinity. the last and perhaps least energy efficient is to make a chiller out of an old dorm refrigerator. Plenty of plans online. Here is some good news... 99% of your problems are probably lighting, so once you get that fixed you'll probably be in good shape. Do some research (I can recommend several good books if you are interested in the old fashioned way) and you can enjoy the hobby on the "cheap"*.
*cheap is relative, just like an inlaw

This is excellent advice. I can tell you from my limited experience that it can be very expense but it can also be done on an economy budget. I just went from a 35 gallon tank to a 125 gallon tank and people on this forum would be amazed at how little I paid. But the best advice I can give you at the moment is don't do a single thing to your tank. Take some time and read, read, read. This forum is a wealth of knowledge and so many people here will bend over backwards to help you on one condition. That condition is that you take your time, ask lots of questions and learn from the mistakes of others. If you do that, the real experts will hold your hand through the process. They have, and continue to do that for me. They will for you too if you show them you care and listen. Good luck. Hope to see you around a lot and look forward to seeing pictures of your thriving tank. :thumbs:

 

[frantz]

Check out the forums for sale section. Click on forums at top of screen and look at "drygoods & livestock".

 

[gasoldier]

I will for sure read and try to learn more.i feel bad killing my.coral.so.hope.fully here in a couple of months it will start improving

 

[KrisDeitz]

Once you get everything back on track let me know. I'll replace some of those

 

[frantz]

I'll replace some of those

Ditto! and don't be afraid to ask questions.

 

[gasoldier]

That sounds great thanks guys

 

[db366]

I just sold mine, but I know someone was selling a sweet Sunpod for like $80. It would grow anything. Reef lighting is at the cheapest it has ever been. You can get T5HO, MH, or LED for under $200.

 

[spankdog]

Good info from everyone so far. May also help to know which salt you are using. Also what is your temp, ph, salinity, alk, etc...

 

[gasoldier]

I not sure on the salt its just something I buy at petsmart the temp is 75 and the alk and ph says its at a good level when I check it. Also what kind of bulbs give the tank the.blue color were the corol glows or is that a led