BC 29 lighting help.

[jrsticks]

I picked up a used BC 29 that had a few mods done to it including this lighting mod. I am Looking for suggestions on the Lighting. I plan on fish and soft corals for now till I become more familiar with saltwater aquariums. Should I remove the extra 2 bulbs and maybe add one Ecoxotic strip of LED? Return it to stock? Remove one bulb or leave it as is? The way it is now it looks like bulb changes are going to be about $80 bucks. This is going to be a slow set up I am not in a rush But i don't think i am ready to drop $300 on new Rapid lighting? any and all suggestions are appreciated.

 

[ruha456]

You can start with that lighting you have now depending how old the bulbs are. As for coral I'd do some beginner stuff first why not. Then move to something more challenging once you upgrade your lights.

 

[jrsticks]

So you think I should leave all 4 bulbs hooked up or return to stock?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Joe

 

[ruha456]

If they are t5's yeah use those for now and in the meantime do your homework on lighting. Specially LED if that's a route u wanna go.

 

[TRIGGERMAN]

If they are t5's yeah use those for now and in the meantime do your homework on lighting. Specially LED if that's a route u wanna go.

They are not T5's they're power compacts and that is more than enough lighting to grow ANY coral. Even the stock 2 bulbs that come with it could support SPS growth if placed on top. I have done it as well as many others.

JR refer to above and I would say don't use all bulbs at first because you will get a lot of algae growth. I'm not sure how it's configured but use the least amount of light possible when you are first starting the tank in it's cycle because the tank will get nasty. If you are starting with live rock from an established system I would still let it sit without any life for a few weeks just to let the system stabilize. If it's dead rock than it's going to take longer. Be sure to check your parameters before you put any life into the tank and make sure there is no amonia because this will burn the gills of fish and harm other creatures. If you have questions there is plenty of knowledgeable people that can help but just make sure the information you get is correct because there is plenty of people who will give you bad info as well. Always double check before doing anything you are concerned about. Welcome to MR and good luck. You can also feel free to PM me.

 

[jrsticks]

I have decided to change the bulbs back to the original configuration until at least my next bulb change. I was also concerned about the algae potential and heat as well. I will be starting with live rock and sand and I do plan on waiting for a complete cycle before introducing any life into the tank. I am in no rush to stock it and I plan on making sure it is 100% stable before I do. I have been doing a lot of reading here in the last few months and I agree there is plenty of knowledgeable people on MR who are more then willing to help. Thanks for Your replies and suggestions.