light advice please

ok im still new to this hobby and i have 2 light setups i would like to know which would be best for growing coral. I have a 55 gal that came with 2 setups here they are....

T5 48 inch hood w/1 t5 HO 54W 10k daylight bulb and 1 t5 HO 54W 460NM Actinic, also a LED moonlight strip 48 Inches

now here is the 2nd setup
48 inch 260W hood with 2 65W 12k daylight bulbs ,and 2 65W 460NM True Actinic and 4 moonlight LED

with that being said which setup should i use as to grow coral better?
btw tank dimensions are 48/12/21

 

Allthough most on here prefer t5's,what types of coral are you wanting to keep??Either would be great for softies and most lps,but if your wanting sps and clams,someone else better chime in,i don't think either would be adequate.

 

Also my initials are DW,and thats my nickname too,or some just call me d-dub ;D

 

You will need to double the T5HO to have SPS and clams. I would definitely use the T5 over the PC. The 2 T5 bulbs put out as much light as the PC fixture and for a lot less energy. You will still use less energy with a 4 bulb T5 fixture.

 

i am interested in getting some SPS eventually how much lighting do they need?

 

the T5 is much brighter than the 4 bulb hood but i just assumed the 2 65w 12k would be better vs the solo 54w t5

 

I successfully kept softies under 260w of PC lighting. Also had a Derasa clam which did fine. I had decent growth and was satisfied for a while. Upon wanting to do some easier SPS like Monti and nice Maxima clams, I upgraded to T5's. If you could get at least a 4-bulb T5 fixture that would be optimal. You could use the PC fixture for now and then get a nice TEK or Aquatic Life fixture down the line.

Here was a pic of my 55g with my PC's before I switched over. By no means was it a bad light:

 

I just went through this. I have 55 gal and I wanted SPS and Clams and some LPS. I went with 6-54w T5 (i did 3 of TEK ll2 bulb 54w retro kits, with some modding they will fit in my canopy). Four T5 probably wont cut it for SPS and maxima clams. Go with T5 or MH

 

I have a TEK Elite 4-bulb over my 55g and my Maxima's are doing great, Monti's also. The higher intensity SPS prob need more than 4 but I think you can make 4-bulbs work if it's the right fixture like a TEK or ATI with good reflectors.

 

i also have a 29 gal nano i could always grow some SPS in that tank it has a 14k daylight in it until i can get a better fixture for my main tank, think that would work?