Corals and lighting

[ferretttt]

Everyone is saying to go with MH lighting. I have a PC light and I am getting about 3-4 WPG right now. I also have a wave action with different power heads(My Gorgonian loves it).

Is it really nessessary for all corals to have a MH lighting system?

[tecwzrd]

MH lighting just gives you more options. I also have 260w PC (4.7 wpg) and can keep just about any low-medium light coral. There are a couple of high light corals that wouldn’t make it though. (Acropora, Frogspawn & certain Leathers & anemones are some examples)

Your Gorgonian is thriving because most Gorgonians only need low-medium light with Medium to Strong water flow.

I think it comes down to budget for most people since MH is typically twice the cost of PC. There are plenty of beautiful corals that thrive in low-medium lighting and PC fits that bill nicely IMO.

[Brenden]

I love my MH lights. So does my power company.

[Fluff]

IMO MH lighting is only necessary if your planning to do sps corals and clams. Most, if not all, other corals do fine under PC lighting. Even some sps corals do well under PC lighting. You also have to take into consideration depth, not just wpg, when thinking about what lights to have. If it's a deep tank, MH's are gonna penetrate better but a shallow tank, PC work fine.