Wow!
This is a loooong post...but please read it if you can ^^)b (sorry if this is in the wrong spot, wasn't sure where to put it)
I never once thought about setting up a SW aquarium, before I joined MFT that is. As with most people, I thought it was very expensive and extremely difficult to do. While it is more involved than a FW tank, it is certainly "doable" by anyone who really puts their mind to it.
I'll be transferring everything from an Eclipse 12g into a 20g, which will be a DP paradise
leaving me with an empty 12g tank. I've almost convinced myself to try a SW tank! I've spent the last 3 hours or so reading all the posts here about SW tanks and I think it is something I would enjoy. Even after reading all the posts I'm sure I'll have lots of questions to ask, but for now I have a major one, lighting.
I would probably start off with a FOWLR, but I would defiantly want to get into coral at some point. I've been scouring the internet looking for lighting mods for the Eclipse 12g, and have found a few that would work. Most of them required a lot of wiring and housing (which is no problem for me because I worked in a local hardware store for 5 years). I just wanted to find something a little cheaper and easier to do, and I think I found it.
Mini-Freshwater & Mini-Aqualights
They are 9x5x2 and are self contained units. There would be two ways of putting them in the Eclipse hood. The first might not work; I still need to measure a little more accurately.
1) Mount them across the front of the hood, much like its original bulb. The length isn't a problem, but the width might be. The hood tapers in various places, and the filtration system (along with the tapering) might get in the way.
There is a "flaw" with the design of this hood. The light is all the way at the front of the tank, and the filtration system takes up the entire back end. So the back of the tank doesn't get much light. That is where the second method comes in.
2) Remove the filtration system and mount them side by side! Either with the 5" side toward the front of the tank or the 9" side (both ways should work). I guess the best way to mount them in this case depends on the bulb placement. Keep them mixed or put one type of bulb in each unit (if it even matters). I would need to use 2 powerheads from what I've read for water flow I think.
So far, the 2nd option is probably the best and to the best of my knowledge (so far) will work almost perfectly.
Now for a major question! Is 36w enough in a 12g tank for at least the low light coral? (I know I would want mushrooms and I'm pretty sure they are low light)
Sorry for the long post, but I'm excited at the possibility of my very own SW aquarium *SUPERSMIL
This is a loooong post...but please read it if you can ^^)b (sorry if this is in the wrong spot, wasn't sure where to put it)
I never once thought about setting up a SW aquarium, before I joined MFT that is. As with most people, I thought it was very expensive and extremely difficult to do. While it is more involved than a FW tank, it is certainly "doable" by anyone who really puts their mind to it.
I'll be transferring everything from an Eclipse 12g into a 20g, which will be a DP paradise
leaving me with an empty 12g tank. I've almost convinced myself to try a SW tank! I've spent the last 3 hours or so reading all the posts here about SW tanks and I think it is something I would enjoy. Even after reading all the posts I'm sure I'll have lots of questions to ask, but for now I have a major one, lighting.I would probably start off with a FOWLR, but I would defiantly want to get into coral at some point. I've been scouring the internet looking for lighting mods for the Eclipse 12g, and have found a few that would work. Most of them required a lot of wiring and housing (which is no problem for me because I worked in a local hardware store for 5 years). I just wanted to find something a little cheaper and easier to do, and I think I found it.
Mini-Freshwater & Mini-Aqualights
They are 9x5x2 and are self contained units. There would be two ways of putting them in the Eclipse hood. The first might not work; I still need to measure a little more accurately.
1) Mount them across the front of the hood, much like its original bulb. The length isn't a problem, but the width might be. The hood tapers in various places, and the filtration system (along with the tapering) might get in the way.
There is a "flaw" with the design of this hood. The light is all the way at the front of the tank, and the filtration system takes up the entire back end. So the back of the tank doesn't get much light. That is where the second method comes in.
2) Remove the filtration system and mount them side by side! Either with the 5" side toward the front of the tank or the 9" side (both ways should work). I guess the best way to mount them in this case depends on the bulb placement. Keep them mixed or put one type of bulb in each unit (if it even matters). I would need to use 2 powerheads from what I've read for water flow I think.
So far, the 2nd option is probably the best and to the best of my knowledge (so far) will work almost perfectly.
Now for a major question! Is 36w enough in a 12g tank for at least the low light coral? (I know I would want mushrooms and I'm pretty sure they are low light)
Sorry for the long post, but I'm excited at the possibility of my very own SW aquarium *SUPERSMIL
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