The best light to use for a coral reef aquarium will be either a metal halide/fluorescent mix or one of the new high intensity LED setups. The general rule is to use 4 to 8 watts per gallon..
People also ask, what color light is best for coral?
The blue and violet light spectrum should deliver the best conditions so that your coral life can thrive.
Secondly, how much light do soft corals need? Most Soft corals prefer moderate light in aquariums. They can be placed at the bottom of your tank if you have powerful lights or if you have dimmer lights they can even be placed at the top of your tank. This Aquamedic soft coral dominant tank displays the different colors and textures that can be found.
Herein, what kind of lighting do corals need?
SPS corals require the most lighting while soft and LPS corals can do well even with lower intensity fluorescent lighting. Actinic or more blue lighting should be used even with metal halide lighting to achieve the best possible coral coloration.
Do corals need more blue or white light?
corals use more of the blue white and humans use more of the white. but take that with a grain of salt, corals can utilize a lot of the light spectrum, however blue light is more useful then white light.
Related Question Answers
Do corals need red light?
Thus, the coral seems to use red light to detect a high irradiance environment, reducing chlorophyll a, and thus photosynthetic efficiency, prevent light damage."Do corals need UV light?
Corals do not need ultraviolet light. As a matter of fact, unprotected SE metal halide bulbs can burn corals quicker than you'd think possible.Why do corals need light?
Corals depend on the zooxanthellae (algae) that grow inside of them for oxygen and other things, and since these algae needs sunlight to survive, corals also need sunlight to survive. Sediment and plankton can cloud water, which decreases the amount of sunlight that reaches the zooxanthellae.Is blue light good for fish at night?
Blue light allows the nocturnal fish to be seen doing what they do best when the lights go out. My tanks have a 2 hour blue light faze before the light goes out totaly. Hi there, If you wish to watch the fish during their "night time" get a red light on the tank.Do blue lights grow coral?
All blue leds at a high enough PAR will keep corals healthy and they will grow. But they may not be as colorful as they will be if they get other wavelengths of light. The zoanthellae (algae) that our corals grow inside the polyps use mostly blue light and a little red for photosynthesis.What PAR do corals need?
A coral can survive in a lot lower light than most "like" but the coloration of a coral might be related to too much light, so while an acro can thrive (live well and grow well) in say 500 par it might need 800 par to show good color. Another SPS might color well at and require 500 par and start to bleach at 800.Can Coral change color?
Corals are usually light or golden brown, but some may be bright blue, green or even red and they can fluoresce, mainly through specialized cells and pigments. They can change color, depending on the environmental conditions they encounter, and they can also become white or translucent when stressed.Can you grow coral with LED lighting?
Yes, LEDs do grow coral - just ask our experts at LiveAquaria.com! They have been using LED lighting for quite some time now over our coral tanks with amazing results. The specific spectrums provided by LED lighting can bring out colors in certain fish like you've never seen before.Do corals need light at night?
God shuts of the sun at night on the reef, so it is ok for you to turn off the tank lights. Corals actually need some down time, otherwise they hit a photosaturation point and can become stressed.How long can corals live without light?
There are thunderstorms that block out light for days on the reefs. The corals will be fine with 3 days at most.How long should my reef tank lights be on?
Most hobbyists run their tank lights for 10-12 hours total. Most of us have a dusk/dawn schedule where we run only the blue or actinic lights for a couple hours before and after our daylight bulbs are used.Are blue LED lights bad for fish?
Low heat output: LED lights do not generate the heat that fluorescent light bulbs do, and so they won't heat up your aquarium water. This is particularly good for nocturnal fish, as a dim blue light can be left on the tank to simulate moonlight and allow for feeding and viewing purposes.Why are LED grow lights purple?
Purple lights supply plants with red and blue lightwaves which are the ones plants are optimized to absorve. The advantages of LED growlights are low energy consumption, low temperature operation and ease of use. Disadvantages are mainly high cost, nonexistent repair capability and lower area coverage.Do LED lights promote algae growth?
Between fluorescent and LED light, LEDs cause less algae. They don't PREVENT algae, but the spectral response of an LED array is much better tailored to plants, as opposed to algae.How long do coral frags take to grow?
Considering parts of the reefs are 5000-10000 years old you can assume they take a while. There is no real way to answer this as every coral has different growth rates in different conditions. Suffice it to say that the tanks you see that have larger colonies are usually a minimum of around 3 years growth.Does blue light grow algae?
Blue lighting can cause excess algae in freshwater and low Kelvin lighting, peaking in the red, can encourage algae in marine aquaria. Bulbs and tubes degrade over time, lowering their Kelvin rating, possibly causing more algae and producing light less useable by plants or corals.What is the blue light for in aquariums?
GloFish Blue LED Aquarium Light is designed to create an environment to optimize The fluorescent fish - and breathe new life into your tank. This innovative and sleek light bar features blue LED lights that highlight the fluorescent colors of the fish.Can corals get too much light?
When you're a coral hanging out in the shallows, too much sunlight is a bad thing. Ultraviolet radiation can mess up the algae that live within coral bodies and provide them with much of their sustenance. In return, they photosynthesise more than 90 percent of the coral's nutrients.Do soft corals need dosing?
Dosing. You probably won't have to manage complex dosing of supplements if you want to keep soft corals. If you are having trouble keeping calcium and alkalinity high, your tank may benefit from the addition of a 2-part additive, but for the most part, I have soft corals for years without any additional dosing. 
Sarah Duran 
