Light Question? Please Help

[ewelch]

I recently purchased a lighting fixture to update my lighting on a 30 [acronym:fefed84ff0="Gallon"]gal[/acronym:fefed84ff0] tank. I bought a power compact that will house two 65 watt bulbs. This is in addition to a natural daylight 20 watt [acronym:fefed84ff0="Normal Output Fluorescents"]NO[/acronym:fefed84ff0] fluorescent. My dilemna is this, what type of bulbs do I put in the new [acronym:fefed84ff0="Power compact fluorescent"]PC[/acronym:fefed84ff0]? I have my choice of 10K, Act03, 50/50, or 6700K. I really like the actinic bulbs for their color so I would like one to be this. However I want the very best combination of light so that I may have a greater variety of anenomes and corals to grow. I am not sure what corals or anenomes I would like but I know I want to open up my possibilities as much as possible. Any suggestions??

[electrikat]

I would say one actinic and one 10,000k. Should be good for most corals and inverts.

[ewelch]

THis would support the most corals and inverts. I really dont get the differences between lights. I have read up on different lights but don not understand it. The Act03, from what I understand is not the best light for growth and support but a personal veiwing preference. Is this true??

[electrikat]

The watts per gallon is what supports the life. Yours is 5wpg which is good for almost anything depending on how deep your tank is. The blues are indeed prettier but do not detract from your watts per gallon at all. You will only get 150 watts of light no matter what type of bulbs you use.

[ewelch]

Thank you for your response. I want to do this right. What is the difference between 10K and 6700K? I am not sure why I would choose one versus the other.

[electrikat]

The 6700k are good as they are the average temp for a day bulb. They are good for freshwater. However the 10,000k are more intense and [acronym:325c5743d1="in my opinion"]imo[/acronym:325c5743d1] are better for sw and are a minimum for corals, again [acronym:325c5743d1="in my opinion"]imo[/acronym:325c5743d1]. My tank has either 14,000k or 20,000k only. The higher the [acronym:325c5743d1="Kelvin or Potassium, depending on context"]k[/acronym:325c5743d1] number the more blue it has in it. Therefore if you have 14,000k or above you really don't even need the blues. The corals prefer the bluer light. I think it's because the blues are what reach the deeper parts of the ocean.

[ewelch]

Cool. So I should definately go with the 10K which I assume is 10,000K?

[hackteck]

correct

[ewelch]

Thank you for your help. I have found this an invaluable resource as I set up my new tank. This is my first saltwater tank and it has been a very exciting albeit expensive trip.