Actinics and coral

[mgraf]

Just wondering, I have a 48" Current, 6 bulb, T-5 fixture, and was wondering if actinic bulbs do anything for coral growth or are just purely for asthetic purposes. Would you get more coral growth from running 6 10K bulbs or three actinic and 3 10K bulbs.
Thanks

[seapug]

Actinics are used primarily for color enhancement, but the symbiotic algae in photosynthetic organisms do derive some benefit from the spectrum they produce, which is similar to what you see around 50 ft deep.

[kduen]

You would get more growth with all 10K but you probably wouldn't like to look at your tank. Although I do not have T-5 I went with 14K bulbs so its not too blue and not too yellow.

[MatthewAD]

Actinics are used for asthetics because yes they produce significantly less PAR (photosynthetically active radiation).

A little goes a long way, I use 1 in a 4 bulb set.