Basic 10000k question

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What is the difference between a plain, simple 20w white flourescent and a 10000k flourescent?

I have a 54 gallon reef tank with only hardy, soft corals (mushrooms, polyps, leathers), and I am wondering whether I should replace the basic white flourescent with a 10000k. I realize there are many upgrades beyond that and tons of advice about lighting, but I haven't seen anything just addressing what a 10000k flourescent (not a compact, no special ballast, etc.) would do, if anything.

Thanks!
 
10k is just going to be the color spectrum.. If its a single bulb I would suggest a 50/50 bulb... 4k-5k is like house lighting.. 6500k is yellowish 10k is supposed to be a true white.. and 20k is supposed to simulate deepwater blueish... A 50/50 bulb is supposed to be halk 10k and half actinic 03.. BTW I would suggest getting different lighting as you have no where near enough lighting for the corals you have in your tank.. The leathers are high light filter feeders.. polyps as well are high light.. I would suggest 4-5watts per gallon for what you keep in there..

HTH,
James
 
And to expand on that Actinic bulbs do noto have a Kelvin rating. The combination of 10K bulbs and Actinic bulbs is the most common lighting setup for reef tanks.

A agree for the corals you describe I would suggest at a minimum a pair of 96W PC bulbs or maybe 4 55W PC bulbs.
 
I do have two lights, the other being a blue actinic. I just wanted to know whether to replace the regular white with a 10000k, or perhaps a 20000k.
 
I do have two lights, the other being a blue actinic. I just wanted to know whether to replace the regular white with a 10000k, or perhaps a 20000k.

It's really a personal preference here. I will tell you that if you replace your "regular white" bulb with a 20K, it will be real blue. Especially since you already have an actinic. Most people don't like it that blue since it tends to "wash out" all the colors.

To give you piece of mind, you could go with a 10K and leave your actinic. That way you would have the best of both worlds. This is the exact setup most people use over reef tanks anyway.
 
A mix of 10k plus Actinic is a good option and will provide better lighting for marine growth. However, I don't like 50/50s because the Actinic bulb has a much shorter lifespan than the 10k.
 
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