Which T5 Bulbs do I need?

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edmond

Aquarium Advice Apprentice
Joined
Feb 7, 2008
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Los Angeles, CA
I have a 46 gallon tank with about 40 lbs of live rock. Ive been doing FOWLR for about two years now and I want to start trying out some beginner corals in there. I will probably start out with some mushroom coral and some star Polyps.

I currently have two 30" T5 bulbs in my lighting enclosure, blue and white, but I haven't changed them since I started my tank two years ago. I've heard mixed advice, but I should get new bulbs right?

If so, how do I know which type of bulbs I should get? What Kelvin ratings should I have for each one? Are there types of bulbs I should look for that are good for coral?

Thanks in advance!
 
I will let someone who knows more about lights answer most of those. But I know your t5 bulbs start to decline after about 6 months, and should be replaced.
 
It's definitely time to replace your bulbs. Fluval makes some pretty decent t5 bulbs. I think the marine glo are actinic and then they have life glo and power glo bulbs which have different daylight spectrums. You should anticipate any other corals you might want and plan your lighting according to their needs as well. I have 1 marine glo and 2 life glo bulbs running about 8 hours a day and then 8 lunar LEDs running at night and my mushrooms and zoos are thriving
 
So basically I should get one actinic bulb and one daylight bulb? How do I find out which bulb is good for different corals?
 
Read up on the lighting requirements for each coral that you want and then compare to the lighting available to you. T5s are pretty simple a lot of corals need much more powerful lighting. I personally would go for one life glo and one marine glo but everyone will have a different opinion.
 
If you are going to use t5 lights I would recommend a four bulb at the least, better would be a six bulb. Half actinic half 10000k daylight.
 
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