Help t5 lighting question for a 10g reef

[coralreefnewb]

hi i have a 10g reef and my friend gave me a t5 fixture that holds 1x 24 watt 1200k bulb and one 1x acitinic bulb can i use this for my corals? thanx guys

 

[luvmyreef]

what kind of corals do you have?

 

[coralreefnewb]

soft corals polyps n wana do trumpets n brains

 

[luvmyreef]

You can do softies, zoas, palys, shrooms, and some monti's. I would not try acros.

 

[coralreefnewb]

ok so braains n trumpets r ok?

 

[luvmyreef]

trumpet would be ok. brain coral like moderate to high lighting, so imo it would not be enough. You can try to change the bulbs to the ati brand to get better par.

 

[nissan577]

it would be good. you can try by placing them high

 

[coralreefnewb]

ok so one more question wats with the 12000k bulb how is it diferent from the 10000k bulbs? i never heard of 12000k

 

[luvmyreef]

i dunno. the higher the k rating the cooler or whiter the light looks. the ati 12000k put out a really nice par level.

 

[coralreefnewb]

ok thanks hmmm is it true that the corals only photosynthesize off the white light n they dnt need the acitincs?

 

[luvmyreef]

Although some may disagree, imo actinics are needed, they provide the light necessary for proper photosynthetic coral growth. Most reef aquariums thrive under a half-and-half blue/white light combination in which the white lights give light in the range of 8000 to 12000 K. This lighting combination gives corals and invertebrates the spectrum necessary for growth.