What kind of light should I get?

amp295

New Member
I currently have a 55 gallon SW tank. I have 2 true percula clowns, 1 scarlet hermit, 2 blue legged hermits, and 1 sea star. I just recently purchased 55 lbs of live rock and its currently "recurring" in another tank. I have noticed it's beginnig to lose some of the purple color. I've been told I will need special lighting when I begin placing the rock into my exsisting tank. I'm not that interested in having big expensive corals, but would like to have the purple colors on the rock again. What kind of lighting should I use for this?
thanks
 

wangotango

Active Member
Welcome to the boards
.
Coraline doesn't really need intense lighting (I've got it growing like crazy in my fuge under standard fluorescents). Good flow, calcium, and alkinity levels are other big factors for coraline algae growth as well. Since you're curing your rock, it's possible that some of it has just died off.
-Justin
 

turbohaulic

Member
Your coraline algae will come back. You will only need strong light if you plan on having coral in your tank. Which I recomend, they help make a tank look awesome!
 

amp295

New Member
Thanks! This site is sooo helpful and the people seem to be really nice and helpful. Okay so when I start adding the rock to my tank, I can just turn off and on my lights as I normally do, and some if not all the color will come back to it? I've also read that I after the live rock is in my tank I need to start using calcium, iodine and strontium to encourage the growth of pink and purple coraline algae is this right?
 

wangotango

Active Member
Since you don't have any corals, you should be set as far as suppliments go just by doing water changes. The salt has just about everything you need.
-Justin
 
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