Too much light?

Searching for lighting for my 10g (soon to be) reef, and wondering if my fish will have any issues with say 72W (4x 18W) T5's. I assume most fish will be ok with it given a gradual adjustment period, but assuming has cost me in the past with livestock and cash.

 

Your fish will do fine with 1 bulb. You would be fine with 2 bulbs for coral.

 

Does that mean I would be better off with a 40ish watt set up, I probally should have been more descriptive in my question. Just looking to put simple stuff like mushrooms, zoas, xenia ect.

 

you will not need more than 2x18w T5 for your 10 gallon. Especially if you are just keeping soft corals. Any more lighting and you risk burning soft corals in such a shallow tank, not to mention the heat and evaporation issues.

 

Wonderful! Thanks for the info, something just seemed scary having a7w per gallon that close to everything.

 

Most people will say not to follow the watts per gallon rule anymore but a tank of this size you still could so yea 36 watts (2 bulbs) would be perfect for softies and some lps but if you ever get into sps in that tank you might want 3 bulbs. Good Luck!