Wizard

ggmichael · 09-16-2006, 11:36 AM

Wow I read that other guy's post and there was something about a wizard so I went to find it and ran our 70 gal through it. We came up short on lighting and heater (and we were told at the aquarium store that they upgraded our light to fit a reef). Now I wonder....we have a PC Aqualight 36in 2x96Watt (there are 2 white lights in it and 2 blue lights), so we have 192 watts and the wizard says we should have 280 watts...same on the heater, it says 280 and we have 200W. So does this mean we have low level lighting so that certain coral won't grow well? hubby says that maybe since we have 4 bulbs and 2 are white and 2 are blue that we have 96 Watts per bulb (times 4) = 384 Watts, is that right? Then the heater we have a Visi-Therm 200W. What do ya'll think?

GG

jd@ga · 09-16-2006, 12:00 PM

As far as the heater if you went by manufactures specs you should be fine. Always keep a temp check everyday. I always watch my room temp. also it does give a heads up as to what is going on around your tank. Always check tank temp. everyday . My friend lost a whole tank full of f/w fish by trusting that his heater was working properly. As far as your lights , I would ask others I`m not sure of how calculations go? I hope this helps some.

jd@ga · 09-16-2006, 12:06 PM

As far as the wizard I think he is probably having a off day or something.

ggmichael · 09-16-2006, 12:10 PM

the heater has been fluctating sometimes up to almost 2 degrees...we put a digital thermometer in it. For example, this morning it was 76.1 and now it is 77. We keep the house pretty cool, but at night it is even cooler (like 68) whereas during the day it is 76-78. Is that what is making the difference?

jd@ga · 09-16-2006, 11:56 PM

Every tank I have ever had has had some fluctuation .9 % isn`t to bad at all. I think it sounds like its working fine to me. just watch it everyday at least once a day and your tank should be fine. You are gonna have some fluctuation because of your lights running during the day. I hope this helps out cya!

ahill3780 · 09-17-2006, 02:34 AM

GG,

You mentioned that you have Power Compact (PC) lighting. PC lights are dual-bulb lamps. So 2 PCs would look like 4 bulbs. Each PC lamp is 96w in your case, so with 2 PCs at 96w you have 192w total.

192w divided by 70 gallons give you 2.8w per gallon. This is ok to keep some of the lower-light corals, but you will need more if you want some of the prettier, more colorful corals.

The basic guide that I advise for lighting in tanks is:

2-3 watts per gallon (wpg) for FO tanks.
3-5 wpg for tanks with low-light corals.
6-8 wpg for high-light corals and anemones.
8-12 or more wpg for tanks with clams.

A 200w heater is sufficient for your tank. The lighting will add its bit to the temperature in the tank during the day and the temp will drop a little at night - this is normal. You might consider an extra heater as just a backup (keep it set at a lower temp setting in case the temp in the tank drops or your main heater croaks out.) but it is not a necessity.

HTH,
Aaron

ggmichael · 09-17-2006, 05:46 AM

Thanks very much Aaron. Ok another silly question probably but how do we add more lights and make use of the fairly expensive one we got. It sits inside the top of the canopy top. Is the only way to get more light going to be either removing the canopy top and mounting something on the ceiling or swapping out the existing light for something bigger?

ahill3780 · 09-17-2006, 05:59 AM

Your options will differ depending on the current fixture's dimensions and what room is available to you under the canopy.

Unfortunately most of the time upgrading means having to change out the entire fixture, unless you went the DIY route and used retro-fit kits (which most people starting out do not do.)

If you can squeeze in another fixture then that is a viable option. Or, if you (or your hubby) feel up to the challenge, and space permits, you can get a retro-fit VHO fluorescent kit and install 2 more lamps under the hood. VHO's offer 110w per each 48" lamp and if you go with T-8 lamps you will save a little space over the T-12s.

IMO, the best choice is to see if you can 'trade-up' the current fixture for a more powerful one. Some places will do this for you.

The overall need for more lighting is ultimately going to depend on what you want to keep in the tank though.