BTA Lighting Question

[$eaba$$]

Hey guys,

I have a quick question here after I will have explained my set-up. I have a 20 gallon tall (16" tall), and 2x65 watt retrofit power compact lighting. Each bulb has its own parabolic reflector, reflecting a great amount of light into the tank. Right now, I have two 50/50 bulbs, but I am looking to change out one of the bulbs now because it is getting closer to a year old, about 10 months. I know that BTAs can thrive under power compacts, so please don't suggest a new or different type of lighting fixture... My question here is would it be fine for me to get another 50/50 bulb so that I would still have 2x50/50s for good color, or would you suggest me getting a 10,000k for more PAR, so that I would have 1x10K and 1x50/50? If I did change one bulb out to 10,000K, would I lose a lot of color?

Thanks!

[ocellaris123]

Get another 10K. Your animals can care less about the blue lighting and it will be better for your anemone in the long run. In my 29 gallon i have 258 watts of pc over a bubble anemone. 1 10k, 3 50/50, 2 actinics. Next time i have to change the bulbs im going to switch the 50/50's over for 10k's.

[Ninong]

I agree that you should get a new 10,000K instead of a 50/50. In general, a 10,000K fluorescent tube has about 2-1/2 times as much PAR as an actinic fluorescent tube. So this will give you a little more PAR than if you were still running two 50/50's.

If you feed your BTA two or three times a week, that will help make up for any shortcomings in your lighting.

Good luck!

:D

P.S. -- Suggested reading (http://www.reefland.com/rho/0505/main4.php).