Sufficient Lighting?

I'm still in the planning stages of a 90Gal reef tank...

I currently have a "Nova Extreme" T5HO lighting fixture (48", 4x54watt, 2-10k/2-460nm actinics, SLR, 216w). This fixture was a purchase I made for what was to be a 55G reef tank before I moved to a different house and figured I might as well go larger if I was going to take a shot at a reef tank (The 55 will become a refugium/sump. I was wondering will this lighting be sufficient to get started with beginner LPS/Soft corals? or should I just cut my losses and sell the fixture and get something better?


Thank you to all who reply.

 

I think it would work for the softer and lps for sure, might even be able to do a few diff kinds of sps, but I would check with someone with a little more knowledge on that

 

it should be enough to keep most lps's , they may need to be kept a bit higher in the tank .but you wil lbe able to keep softies and the easier beginner type corals.

 

i agree with the other posters that you can probably keep most lps and soft corals, but I doubt you will be able to keep sps, at least with any color with that fixture. IMO, you should try to sell it and get a better fixture, something with 6 bulbs or 8 bulbs and good reflectors. IME, once you start with corals, you don't want to be limited by your lighting fixture.

 

You could keep softies easily. I have a 90 tall with PC lighting, and they are growing wonderfully. I have a couple frags of zoanthids, Xenia, GPS, Clove Polyps, and a Frog Spawn. I have them all placed about half way up the tank.

That light will be fine, but in the future if you wanted to keep more light dependent coral you will have to upgrade. Think of it this way, the light would be the same as a 55g, if you put them at the same height as they would have been in the 55.

So keep them up high and you will be fine!