Lighting question

[RevRoy]

I have a 50 gal with 4 96 watt pc bulbs. 2 are 10,000K Daylight, 1 is a True Actinic 03, and1 is a 50/50 (10,000K/True Actinic 03).

I don't know if this is engoh light for corals. I have a signle rust red 'shroom, and a BTA which are doing well in this light. I would like to add some more color to my tank but I'm just unsure about the lighting.

I added it up and got 7.68watts per gallon, but was then told that the actinic don't count towards the watts per gallon factor.

can you guy set me straight?

 

[DMBillies]

I run 2 96w Oddysea 10,000Ks and 2 96w Actinics over my 60 gal. (it has the footprint of a 55 (4' x 1') but a bit taller). I wish I had more width and less height, but I keep the corals stratified according to how much light they need (roughly SPS at the top, LPS in the middle, and softies at the bottom) and all of them seem to be doing pretty well. I would mostly avoid any SPS because it doesn't seem to be quite enough light to keep them real happy (and growing) unless they are directly under the lights. My leather mushroom and xenia grow like mad even at the bottom of the tank. That said, I'd like to get halides so that I can keep more SPS or to get another tank and make my 60 a lower light tank.

As far as counting up the watts per gallon, I would take that as a very rough estimate that can be really misleading (and therefore it seems kind of irrelevant whether the actinics count). The dimensions of the tank, the type of light (how well it penetrates and wavelengths), and the types of bulbs (output per watt) are all left out of the watts/gallon equation. I think you'd be better off asking people keeping the kinds of coral you're interested in how they do under their lights as compared to others keeping them under different lights. That's just my $.02 from struggling with these same kinds of questions as a pretty new guy.

 

[Mobikob]

yeah, you will be good with most Softies and LPS.

Mobi

 

[RevRoy]

ok, Im going to show my ignorance now. I presume softies are mushrooms. But what are LPS and SPS?

 

[Angela Short]

-Don't feel bad, I still am lost with acronyms most of the time LPS =large polyp stony like a candy cane or bubble coral and SPS is a small polyp stony like an acropora or digitata, usually the branchy looking ones are SPS. Softies are all the slimey things like mushrooms, leathers and zooanthids. Hope this helps some and hope I am right

 

[RevRoy]

oh..ok that helps.