lighting help

[kribbz]

i was at my lfs and asked them what kind of lighting i should have to grow some coral. i have a 20 gallon tall tank and the bulb they suggested an 18" powerglo 15 watt bulb. is this right or do i need more light.

[n2trble]

a. that is most likely not enough light for coral but then it depends on the kind of coral you want you could go with vho or mh i had 300 watts over my twenty for a while never had corals in like i intended but it was nice i ended up upgradeing to a 55 then i went to my present 125

if i where you i would get a 175 w mh that would let you get most any coral and have the glitter lines from the mh

hope this helps

joe

[DgenR8]

The bulb you mention MIGHT be enough for certain mushrooms and pollyps, but you will find that it will limit you to the point of frustration while standing in front of the coral tanks at your LFS. You might try other corals in your frustration only to find out that they will wither and shrink untill they just give up and die. You don't have to dump a huge wad on lighting. Look into VHO or PC. Neither is as good as Metal Halide for keeping corals, but both are a hell of a lot better than a 15 watt NO fluorescent.

[mjsandbe]

There are lots of easy DIY options that will save you money and give you more light. There are the Lights of America Power Compact lights(65 watt for under $50) and many other options. A search of the forums should turn up info.