Lighting/Compatibility Questions

[sexymax]

I am setting up my first reef tank and have a few questions that I can't solve myself.

I have a 20l tank (30" long), running with a canister and a 18g refugium/sump. It has about 50 lbs of live rock, and 40 lbs of live sand total. The tank has been fully cycled for months and has 0 ammonia, 0 nitrites, and about 5 nitrates.

I currently have a Yellow Tang and a Green Brittle Star.

I need your opinion on these:

Will my Tang/Star eat my coral/inverts? (I have heard many different answers on this...)

What kind of lighting would you suggest? I would like to grow all types of coral. With Metal Halides, what would the setup be? 2x bulbs, or 1x bulb?

How high would you mount the fixture above the tank to prevent overheating?

Thank you for your time.

 

[mr_X]

well, first off, welcome to reefs. secondly, you should remove that tang, because they are not suited for such a small tank, but to answer your question, no, a tang will not intentionally eat corals or inverts, and i have never heard of a brittle star doing so either.


that tang can get to be 8" long or better, and needs alot of swimming space.
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[sexymax]

Thanks a bunch. Friends seem to think that Tangs will eat shrimp and smaller polyps, and the Star will eat leathers/whatever else he can slither on top of. Im eventually considering linking this setup to a 55 or so next to it, and in which case I'll move the tang in there. (Can't sell her, she has irrepairable fin damage)

On that note, any ideas on sexing tangs?

Any comments on lighting? I have a Flurescent 50/50 bulb/fixture at the moment, so whatever I get, I'll be building myself from scratch.

 

[Anonymous]

I agree on both accounts that the tang nor the star fish will harm any coral and that the tank is to small even for a small tang. As far as determining the sex of a tnag I do not think it is possible through any casual observation. AFAIK there is no distinguishing charteristice between the sexes.

For a 20l I would go with T-5's. I have not used them before so I can not reccomend a configureation. With a good ballast you will be able to grow most anything in that tank with T-5's.

 

[sexymax]

With T-5's, would you do a 4 or 6 bulb configuration? I would like to try some acropora and flower pots, and it seems that T-5's would be a little low for them.

 

[Kerchakone]

T5s are pretty bright.

 

[Ef3s]

Also, for a reef tank your nitrates will need to be at or near 0. Not 5!!

 

[Anonymous]

With T-5's, would you do a 4 or 6 bulb configuration? I would like to try some acropora and flower pots, and it seems that T-5's would be a little low for them.

Not sure I never tried them. I think on a small tank you would have less heat and such issues with T-5 or so I hear.

 

[mr_X]

i don't have any experience with t5's but i know someone who has t5's over his 100 gallon tank and he keeps all sorts of sps happily. i would look into it.

 

[sexymax]

Anyone for the configuration? 4 or 6 bulb setup?

 

[mr_X]

if you can fit 6, i would choose 6, but i believe this guy i'm speaking of has 4x 54 over his tank.

 

[FinalPhaze987]

we have a brittle star in our 150 gal and it tends to stick to the leftover food scraps the fish miss. Ive watched it attempt to grab a hermiit and a cleaner shrimp but it moves too slow for them to get caught..i hear it can snatch up a small goby at night but never experienced it myself.