lighting problems

[orgas]

dear all,

i have a 4 1/2ft(L) x 2ft(h) x 10"(w) tank. and my lighting is another 1ft away from the tank.Have 1 4ft blue flo. and 1 4ft 6500K flo. light. NOW want to add 2 PL light.

What is the correct lighting i shd use?? thinking of using 2 40W 10000K PL? Do you think they will be too bright? Or shd i use 1 40W 10000K and 1 6500K??

pls advise.

thanks

Orgas

[bawater]

depends what for? - fish only/macroalgae/soft or hard corals.

It make a diff to your light planning when if u want to mix with corals.

as to the kelvin rating & wattage amt:- more on if you intend to add anykinds of corals to your livestock in the future.

If its just for viewing sake- 10k would be much better for marine cause its a brighter white(match wif actinic it gives a crisp white/blueish effect) instead of the 6500K FL or 7200k FL which has a slight yellowish tint & you use acitinic 03 to get the white effect.

[tigershark]

if you wanna save money, just get some phillips 856 T8 FL tubes, the colour rating is 6500K and it is good enough for most of the soft & hard coral since your tank is not too tall. try to get 3 to 4 of it to fullly cover your tank.... anyway, it's just a few dollars each...... i got a 2' 865 FL tube for only $3. Try to lower your light tubes to 6" if you find the light is not enought or bring the coral up to the higher location especially those hard corals that need more light. As for those soft coral like mushroom, you could keep it on the lower location....