sera guide - Marine aquariums

22 The sera marin Biotop Cube 130 is com- pletely equipped as a 130 liter (34 US gal.) marine aquarium, optionally with a matching cabinet. The following advice is for setting up larger marine aquariums: Fluorescent tubes, metal halide lamps (HQI) or their successors HCI or CDM, or a com- bination of both, are being used for lighting marine aquariums. Water depth should not exceed 50 cm (20 in.) when using fluorescent tubes. Using the sera Combi-Reflectors increases light intensity by up to 100%. In case you use light tubes, you should com- bine different light spectrums as to provide optimal light conditions. We recommend the sera deep sea as a foreground lamp. It pro- vides actinic blue marine light and, with its specific light spectrum from 380 – 450 nm, ensures light conditions as in a tropic reef. Growth and coloration of invertebrates are strongly enhanced by the blue light spec- trum. We recommend the sera blue sky for supplying the marine tank with tropical day- light. The sera aquarium lamps are available as T8 and T5 tubes. The more intense T5 PL lamps are already included in the sera marin Biotop Cube. 3.2 The optimal light The sera marin Biotop Cube 130 includes differently colored T5 PL lamps (2.1) that are optimal for a mixed stock of soft corals and fish. The bioactive filter system immediately be- gins breaking down pollutants. This will save you a several week “activation phase”. Fish and other organisms can be added after a short time.