Lighting Questions

[SuperXdude]

well we are probably going to go with the one on ebay for now and run it with just the VHO until we can get the halide bulbs at a nice price.

Thanks to all for the advice.


SuperX

[R.Allard]

hmmm im just going by what i read in THE NEW MARINE AQUARIUM by
Michael Paletta.
"Most of the inhabitants of a salt water aquarium will do well with consistent temperatures of between 72 and 78 degrees F.
Generally speaking, the lower avarage temperatures are better for most tanks.not only does cooler water hold more oxygen,but lower temperatures also result in slower metabolism..." yada yada yada
and it goes on about feeding less etc..
is that wrong??? what temp would be best for a reef aquarium???
im still just a newby myself so i just go by what i read..
i know when we kept fish in the store (10 yrs ago) we kept
the salinity at 22 and the temp arround 78..do i need to raise the temp
of the tank ? if i do ill get a heater but i dont want to turn off the
fans...

[captexas]

I would get a decent heater in your situation at least for the night time so temps don't drop/vary so much. A more constant temp is better for your livestock. You can acclimate livestock from one temp to another, but it is hard for them to handle wide fluctuations. You could also try turning the fans on timers to run while your lights are on and for a few hours after they turn off. You really don't need them at night as that is what is causing your temp to drop. The heater would mostly be there to keep the temp from dropping to low.

[Tim Marvin]

Talking about Michael Paletta I have a KILLER blue acropora from him. I did a trade with Scott Morel from GARF and he "Hooked Me Up" with this coral. The coral came from Michael on a different trade of Scotts, but that is another story. I pulled those temps off the top of my head at work, which I thought were correct. The correct temp in Belize (Caribbean) is 79.2-87.1 with an upper limit of 92 being most organisms are able to survive short exposures in. These temps are actually slightly cooler than Indo Pacific areas which have the highest coral diversity.

check out:

http://www.animalnetwork.com/fish2/a.../1/default.asp


This is 1997 research done by Ron Shimek Ph.D. he is known to be one of the leaders in marine biology. There is probably varied opinions, but you can't mess up temp reading very easy.....It is a good read though and will add to your opinions so you can formulate your own opinion. I like 79-82 degrees myself, 86 being my max stress limit before my eyes start bulging.

[Tim Marvin]

I hate when the wife turns the AC off. "well it doesn't need to be cool when we aren't home" I have other things to worry about than my own comfort...........LOL........................