Coral help?

[SammyDee]

Any suggestion on how many hours for for my lights schedule. X daylight? X amount of actinic and x amount of moonlight?

[Nick]

I try to never go over 10 hours of white plus actinic, prefer to keep it to 8ish. Two or 3 hours on the ends of that I guess would be good for actinics+moonlights, then just moonlights the rest of the time.

[Mek0ng]

8 day light 10 actinic is a common starting point.

[SammyDee]

Thanks cuz I haven't even had it on that much and I'm already getting brown algae on my rock and sand.

[SammyDee]

Does actinic provide anything or is it just for looks. It's a t5 ho with two 420/460 bulbs. What's all that mean?

[Mek0ng]

Thanks cuz I haven't even had it on that much and I'm already getting brown algae on my rock and sand.

Thats part of a natural cycle, first you go through a diatom phase, the 'brown algae', and soon a cyano bacteria phase 'red slime'. Just make sure you are keeping nitrates and phosphates as low as possible and all will be well. You might also a number of blooms from asterina starfish to flatworms.

Does actinic provide anything or is it just for looks. It's a t5 ho with two 420/460 bulbs. What's all that mean?

Its beneficial, goggle for a better answer you will get a better answer than I can provide on that one, but people tend to over do actinic IMO for the looks. The 420nm/460nm, 10,000k, 12,000k, etc is all the color of the bulb, but in my experience, a 10,000k bulb from different manufactures can give off very different color and intensity visually.

[SammyDee]

You mean I can encourage flatworms(bad ones?) to bloom bc of too much light?
Aren't asterina starfish good thou ?

[SammyDee]

Hey Mekong I wanna go today and buy all my supplements.
I wanna get calc, alk, phosphate tests/ supplement right? Do I need magnesium n copper test. The LFS has a effin wall of stuff. Of course they want me to buy one of everything. Which ones are essentials in a beginner reef.

[Pufferpunk]

You'd be way better to order those tests online. Have you read those links to beginning reefkeeping?

[Mek0ng]

You mean I can encourage flatworms(bad ones?) to bloom bc of too much light?
Aren't asterina starfish good thou ?

No im just saying its normal to go through several blooms of all sorts before a tank matures. Asterina are good in small numbers, I have seen pics of some tanks covered in them where they get out of hand.

[Mek0ng]

Hey Mekong I wanna go today and buy all my supplements.
I wanna get calc, alk, phosphate tests/ supplement right? Do I need magnesium n copper test. The LFS has a effin wall of stuff. Of course they want me to buy one of everything. Which ones are essentials in a beginner reef.

Nitrate, calc, alk, phos, mag

Sailfert or ELos are good brands, I hate Aquarium Pharmaceuticals tests and dont care for Seachem

Online is usually a good deal cheaper.

[SammyDee]

Pp yes I read the links. It was a tad confusing but if I keep them within there acceptable ranges I should be fine right. I will go back and reread it.

Mekong thx. I went to get the reef master SW test kit but it was out. I already have mag. I had from extra stuff when buying stuff on CL. It may be expired? I ll just get all those new.

Oh yea remember I lost a purple mushroom? Well I found him today. Slowly made his way out like y'all said.... Really happy about that I thought it got buried in sand dieing.
Thank again everyone

[Pufferpunk]

I prefer Salifert but they had issues with their alk test kits a while back. Should be fixed by now. Just do a search & find out where you can get them the cheapest.