This set up seem ok?

I am going to be setting up an aquarium in the next few months, its a 30 gallon (36" long 13" tall 13" wide) with a 15 gallon fuge. My brother who adopted my old(first ) SW aquarium will be leaving for a while to work abroad so i agreed to take by my old tank before he does. its a 2 year old system, with 35-40 lbs of LR and 45lbs of livesand. all the ls from my old tank will be going into the fuge and i will get oolite sand for my main tank

The tank it currently running 2 T5-HO and i was thinking of putting 3 (39w) T5s on my main tank and putting one (24w) on my fuge (it will also have a T8 that i found lying around ) would this be enough to get good macroalgae growth in my sump and keep coral (zoas, palys, softies, maybe a frogspawn or some lps) happy in my main tank? what about a BTA or long tentacle anemone

On the main tank I was planning on using two 10k daylight bulbs and one reef actinic (i think its 420nm which it says will maximize photosynthesis but would it still bring out all the colors that a 460nm would? or do i have that backwards? )

it also has a fluval 405 canister filter, sea clone 100 skimmer, and a HOB. I plan on using the can for nothing but water movement until i can get a decent pump to go between the two tanks.

this all seem ok?

I grow chaeto in my sump with far less light. As a matter of fact at one time I was using a standard household 40w light bulb. The 3 T5s will be fine for the corals you outlines above. You are probably a little short on light for a BTA or the anenome.
Not a big fan of the seaclone. If you have it already...why not, if you still have to buy it I would suggest spending that seaclone money on salt and uping the water change frequency.

Yup I agree with Cookieman, I had a Seaclone and did squat...

ya the sea clone was my brother's purchase, i know its a piece of crap it dumps micro bubbles into the tank too.... but with my current budget its better then nothing

what about 420nm vs 460nm actinic lights?

Jack wrote:ya the sea clone was my brother's purchase, i know its a piece of crap it dumps micro bubbles into the tank too.... but with my current budget its better then nothing

what about 420nm vs 460nm actinic lights?

There is endless reading to be done on that very subject. Google 420 vs 460 and you'll see! You say "potato" I say "pototo" seems to be the pattern among reefers with a slight preference toward the 420nm peak bulbs. I myself stick with the 420 for no good reason. I haven't experimented at all.
I think for the purposes of those that just want to have a decent reef tank and are not trying to accomplish a very specific goal it doesn't much matter which wave length you go with.

alright after some research i found that 420nm is the one most people use to make their corals "glow", so ill be getting a 420nm

thanks for all the inputs

so here are my light selections


for the main tank

http://www.jlaquatics.com/product/lb-t536ap/36%22+Powerchrome+T5+Fluorescent+Bulb+-+Pure+Actinic.html

http://www.jlaquatics.com/product/lb-t5361/36%22+Powerchrome+T5+Fluorescent+Bulb+-+AquaBlue+%2B.html


http://www.jlaquatics.com/product/lb-t53602/36%22+Powerchrome+T5+Fluorescent+Bulb+-+Midday.html

should i go with two midday bulbs or would this be better?


and for my fuge

http://www.jlaquatics.com/product/lb-t52402/24%22+Powerchrome+T5+Fluorescent+Bulb+-+Midday.html

i've read that Giesemann makes good bulbs so i decided to go with them.

J&L also has URI bulbs.. are those any good

I would stay away from the mid-days for your display tank. I personally like lights in the 10-15k range supplimented with actinics. I find anything less than 10K makes the water a little yellow for my personal taste.
I really like the Giesemann bulbs.
Your fuge won't require any special lighting. I've actually run standard household compact florescents with success.

good to know i really hate the yellow tinge too, the fuge is going to be right beside my main tank so it to will be in plain site plus i will be keeping a mantis shrimp in there and i want him to look good

so that being the case ill go with URI 10k daylight