reef lighting

[SqueakyClean]

How many watts per gal is good for a reef, with soft corals?

[bderen]

I've been succesfull with as few as 1.65 W per gallon (224W over 135G tank). It only provided coverage for 4-5 feet of the tanks lenght but there was also a benefit to it. THere was no algae growing on the side panels so I really only had to wipe the front glass. I had mushrooms growing on the sides of the tank and I think that tank was pretty sucessfull.

Anyhow, I had to move a while back so I upgraded my tank from 135 to 180 and my regular T5s to HO T5 giving me some 486 Watts over 180G tank or 2.7 Watts Per Gallon. I keep only softies and some LPS so I guess SPS corals might require a tad more light.