Lighting for mushrooms

[PMc]

Hello all,

I am going to post this same question over on the zoa board so if you provide input here ignore me there. I am planning a new 75 gallon mixed tank with predominantly soft corals such as mushrooms, sympodium or tubipora, and some zoas. I would like to go LED and I am looking at just how much light I need. I would like to hang the chosen fixture about 15" over water line and that puts it 36" over the sand bed. The SPS guys are turning these things down because they are too much for a stony coral at 6" over water line so this seems reasonable to a blissfully ignorant individual such as myself. Anybody with more experience care to set me straight? Would a pair of AI SOL or Vegas be enough? How about the maxspect razor? Other suggestions?

And while I am at, 10K or 16K? What most closely approximates an lagoon at 10' of depth? Thanks.

Mc

 

[squishifishi]

zoanthids and mushrooms need very little lighting. some of the shrooms at my lfs are kept shaded by huge masses of cheato and are growing nicely. however, they are also tolerant of VERY intense lighting. I think with softies, it's more a matter of personal preferance because the coral won't care too much. I'd go with lighting on the medim/high end so that when you later get sucked into harder types of coral you won't have to upgrade.
just my 2¢...
have fun and good luck!!!

 

[Red_Blenny]

+1 Zoas and Softies don't need too much light. Just make sure your LEDs are dimmable and make sure you light accumulate them. I've seen people place their softies/zoas under LEDs and they tend to shrivel up due to blasting them with high lighting.

 

[philosophile]

Interestingly enough when shrooms don't get tons of light they stretch out and can grow taller and wider, although sometimes the colors are a little less intense. But I really like he look of them like this.