PC lighting question

hi all i have 2 65 watt 20000k and 2 65 actinic and a 40 watt strip light over my 55 gallon they are as close to the water as possible. my question is what kind of corals can i keep?
and question number 2 is what are the the best 65 watt straight pin bulbs i can buy?
thanks

 

Okay, first of all...the 20k's are almost actinics IMO, the tank is pretty blue right?

My suggestion is to you to replace the 20k's with either 10k's or 12k's....10k's are the better choice IMO.

If you do that..i would say most softies(zoas,palys,xenia,GSP etc..) should be fine...and possibly some lower light LPS in the middle of the tank.

Just for your information, PC's are being made no longer from what i have heared...so in the next year or so they are going to be hard to find...I would recommend investing in T5HO or MH.

 

I agree with the above post about what corals you can keep. I think even with the 20k bulbs you can still keep most softies and it should have a blue look. I personally like a more blue look.

that being said I do think you should have some 10k bulbs in there to round out the spectrum. I do agree also that you should invest in a T5 fixture. I bought one cheap on ebay, no it wasnt the best quality but it got me through.

 

Yeah..they have nice ones on ebay also sometimes...but IME, a nice T5HO(aquatic life etc..) will let you expand your range of corals..most cheap T5's dont have individaul reflectors..and decrease light output.

 

I agree totally with you, I was just giving an option cause we don't know what there money situation looks like. No the light I had was not the best (1 reflector contoured enough) but even using the stock lights I did well with my corals. So if money is not a problem, look around here and you will find some excellent fixture reviews. The way LED is coming along that may be a way to go also.

 

Okay, cool..And yes i agree with that...LED's are awsome!!

 

Softies and LPS toward the top, low light SPS on the very top.

UVL brand bulbs are probably the best. Make sure you get the ones will internal reflectors. I would suggest getting their 12000K and 454 bulbs.

Zooanthid's and Pecco's post are dead on in respect to the T5HO and LED systems.

 

I agree with 2in10. I kept Many species of LPS, softies, and clams in my 50 Cube under just 2 65-watt pc bulbs. One was 10k the other actinic. As for SPS, I had to keep them on the top of my rockwork.