Best color spectrum for softies?

I was wondering if there was a good sticky for color temps on sps, lps, and soft leather corals and softies in general? 6500? 10000k? 14000k, 20000k?

 

I believe that temp is just as important in bringing out the colors you want in your softies as it is in hard corals. I currently have (2) 12K and (2) actinic over my softie tank. I believe more 14K is needed though.

 

What is the different between like a 10000k and 480 nm like I know the colors is different but why are they said differently?

I really like the purples to make the colors pop out

 

Agreed. Because the color and growth of all photosynthetic corals is dependent on their zooxanthellae, they all should benefit from the same spectrum. How much difference you'll see in color or growth in each individual coral may vary, however, as that would be determined by how much zooxanthellae the coral is actually hosting in it's cells.

 

I'm a little baffled at how the numbers tend to get kicked around, but technically, "K" refers to color spectrum according to the Kelvin chart. A Kelvin-rated bulb should be white, but with the higher numbers, they should have more blue, and less red and yellow.

OTOH, 'nm" refers to the wavelength of true actinic, with 420 - 460 being the most effective.

 

The actinic bulbs omitt a different radiation then high Kelvin bulbs do. That is why they re called supplement bulbs, they supplement additional radiation then is available in normal bulbs. Some forms of their algae need different forms of radiation.

 

I currently have2x150 watt metal halides at 14k. Its still pretty blue. My carpet nem sits about 18 inches below this roughly. Do you think that this is enough lighting for him? Would i be able to add softies,lps, sps higher up on the rocks? Its a 75g tank.

 

18" should be fine for the nem 150w may be able to grow most anything if you keep sps directly under and no less than 15" or so from the surface. Softies about any where and depends on the lps as to placement on them.