I need more light - but what kind?

Hi All,

I have a 200 Gal tank 34inches deep which previously contained only rock and fish. The tank is lit by 2 x 40W 10,000K Attenic Daylight White, 1 x40W attenic Blue, 1 x 40w Attenic Pink.

I added 3 Kenya Trees and a Toadstool mushroom.

The Kenya Trees are doing well and after 3 days they look like great candidates for fragging. However, the toadstool mushroom opens and rises towards the light but doesnt extend any feeding filaments (it kinda looks like bare concrete).

I dont have much space in my canopy and would like to add some more soft corals.

I just bought 2 x 48" Current USA TrueLumen Pro Marine Fusion 12K/453nm Blue LED StripLights.

Any ideas, or suggestions? Would these LEDs give me the light I need?

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So your currently using t5's? And if you are 4 is not enough for corals. Also those true lumen strips are good for moonlighting, not growth. Your tank being 34inches deep means your gonna need a powerful light to reach the bottom. Maybe metal halide would be better or some higher powered Cree LEDs. A DIY fixture or you could look at orphek ai and boostled for more Premade fixtures.

 

+1 on that tip. Worse comes to worse maybe some MHs.

 

The wattages are 4 foot T12 wattages.

What type of bulb do you have? T12, T8, T5, or T5HO? How long it each bulb? What are the dimensions of your tank?

 

You NEED WAY MORE light. If money is the issue you can go with T5. I agree 4 bulbs is no where near good for corals especially the tank being 34" deep.