Best lighting option

[Zoe]

What's better, to have over 3 WPG of PC light (between 6.5k and 10k K rating), or 2 WPG of PC, with 50/50 actinic?
With just LR, soft corals, easy shrooms and polyps.

[Reefneck]

You will get more growth with the first option with a yellow tone.

Less growth with option #2 with a little blue color.

The Actinics are really for aesthetics. You don't have to have them. Personal Choice.

[Damon]

Originally Posted by Reefneck

The Actinics are really for aesthetics. You don't have to have them. Personal Choice.

Agreed. Even though some corals do prefer a little "blue" in their lives to feel more at home. None of our tanks are deep enough where the reds cant penetrate.

[Zoe]

LFS guy told me that actinic is needed for algae growth?

[harif87]

Originally Posted by Reefneck

The Actinics are really for aesthetics. You don't have to have them. Personal Choice.

This may be partially true, but there is evidence that the blue light it may play a role in the rate of photosynthesis in corals. Its true with terrestrial plants, but then again it may be different with coral and underwater plant species.

But like Reefneck and Damon said, youll get better growth with more "red" light.

BTW, i wouldnt go measuring your light in WPG. How deep is your tank? Thats the main question you should be asking.

[Damon]

Tank depth is not a factor 99% of the time. Even reds can penetrate to a depth of 4 feet. Its over that depth when we worry about intensity and spectrum penetration. It would tank a large aquarium to equate this into home aquaria lighting.

[harif87]

I beg to differ. IMO (and i know im not the only one with this take)tank depth should be considered 100% of the time. I mean after all you wouldnt set up a 10g nano with a 275 watt MH on there. On a few other boards that im a part of, the first thing they ask when there is a question on lighting is "how deep is your tank"

Also, how will the reds penetrate if the light itself isnt strong enough? Thats one of the reasons why the wpg rule went out the window.

[Bear]

Tank depth is a huge factor every time. If it wasn't then why would mushrooms bleach in my tank at the top of the rockwork but at the bottom color up perfectly? And why would sps fail to get enough light at the bottom?

In the ocean it may take quite a depth to make a difference, but aquarium light bulbs are no star.

Im with harif on this one, WPG doesn't hold so much water

[Zoe]

Sorry guys, I thought it was too shallow to bother mentionning. It's about 10" high. Pretty shallow.

[Fishnewb1]

i would think that the 50/50 would be fine for a tank that small if you like the partial blue color. Its all about preference and we cant tell you that.

[Bear]

What size tank is this if its only 10" tall? What are the tanks dimensions?

What is the light set up?

It's just hard to answer a question like this without knowing everything else.

[Damon]

Originally Posted by Bear

Tank depth is a huge factor every time. If it wasn't then why would mushrooms bleach in my tank at the top of the rockwork but at the bottom color up perfectly? And why would sps fail to get enough light at the bottom?

In the ocean it may take quite a depth to make a difference, but aquarium light bulbs are no star.

Im with harif on this one, WPG doesn't hold so much water

I agree to an extent. But we are not dealing with N.O. lighting either. (Thats the main reason wpg went out the window). Wit power compacts or higher (which the poster stated they have), Depth isn't the issue, coral placement is. Your mushrooms could bleach out but its impossible to have a tank where anything can be placed anywhere. Some corals like higher lighting, some dont. Even with MH you have to place some lower than you would with VHO and vice versa. With tanks 48 inches or less there is no problem with penetration of light with PC bulbs or better.

http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/20...ture/index.php (Not much blue in 6500K bulbs).

http://reefs.webxpress.com/?p=9

http://boren.nu/archives/2002/03/19/...reef-aquarium/

[Bear]

What I mean't by tank depth being important is the coral placement I guess. The depth of the tank has no actual importance, instead it is where the coral is placed. In my thinking I would always place some corals on the bottom.

If there was a 20' deep tank with Mhs above it you could keep corals, just not at the bottom. You would have to place them according to their demands.

I think the misunderstanding here was where Harif and I both see corals placed on the bottom of the tank, where the depth would matter because that is where corals would be placed.

oh and at a 10" depth I wouldn't worry about anything penetrating, just if the lights are powerful enough for the coral.

[Damon]

So we do see eye to eye.