MH Bulb Temp for Corals

[brettd]

I currently have a 180 that has been a fish only tank. I'm starting to add some corals and I was wondering about my lighting choice. Currently, I have 3 20K MH and 4 48" T5s (2 10Ks and 2 actinic). Should I change the bulbs in the MH to a lower temp bulb for the corals or is it not necessary?
Thanks.

 

[nigerbang]

20k will work you will have very slow growth though if I remember right, the lower the K rating the better the growth.

 

[zeroc]

20k gives you color and sustains the corals, 14000k gives color and a bit of growth. 10000k give less color a lot more growth, 6500k gives you tons of growth. If you like the look of the 20k and you're not worried about growth you can stick with it.

 

[brettd]

Thanks for the replies!
So maybe I should move to 3 10K MH bulbs when the current ones start to get old and 4 actinics in the T5s for color. How does this sound?

 

[ghiggi]

If you are looking for good growth, go with the 10K MH and T5 Actinic, but the colors will probably not be as good as you have with the 20K. You could just stay with the 20K MH and change the T5 too all 10K. The 20K's have a high Actinic value, so supplemental Actinic lighting is not needed.
If you want a happy medium, go with 14K MH and T5 Actinic. It should give you decent growth and better color.