Coral Reef Forum

Coral require high intensity lighting that is not used in freshwater,FO, or FOWLR setups. Coral/anemones have a benefical algae inside of them called zooxanthelle. This algae needs strong lighting to feed which produces glucose which is food for the corals.

Corals are broken down into, SPS(small polyp stoney), LPS(large polyp stoney), Soft corals, mushrooms, polyps, zoanthids. All of them have different needs for strong lighting and sometimes supplemental foods.

The basic lighting for corals are power compact lighting fixtures. Generally you want at least 4 watts per gallon, and a 10,000 K bulb as well as as a 420mm Blue actinic bulb. This is enough lighting for soft corals, some LPS, zoanthids, mushrooms, and polyps. not enough for anemones, SPS or clams.  Commonly found are power compact 50/50 bulbs which is a mixture of 10K and actinic. Again it will work for low light corals.

The next step up is VHO T5 lighting. Probably one of the better options T5 can keep soft and hard corals. Same applies for the 10K and actinics. This form of lighting doesnt produce alot of heat either.

One of the best is Metal Halide lighting. This is very high output incandscent lighting that allows you to keep basically everything. One draw back is the ammount of heat produced. You might need to install a chiller unit to prevent the water from getting too hot for corals.Generally speaking MH lighting will be fine alone, but best when pair with T5 or PC actinic lighting.

K is kelvin which is the temperature or degree that the lighting produces. 6500K, 10000K, 14000K, 20000K. The high the kelvin the more intensity the blue coloration will be. But it doesnt mean 20000K is the best for corals. You have to do more research than i can provide.