Lighting for Corals

[fankle]

Hello,
I'm new to the marine scene, but have been living with freshwater tanks for the past 15yrs or so. I have a 12G marine aquarium I was gievn from a friend. It has some awesome proto palythoa growing on some live rock. I had 2 Retina I LED fixtures beaming on the tank for about 3 weeks, then one of them died, and I have temporarily replaced it with a CFL 6.5k. The coral is not doing as well any more. I've tested the water every other day for the past week or so and the numbers are all sitting well within normal range. My thought it that it is the light change. I'm looking for some information on what type of light the coral will enjoy, as well as any recommendations of lighting systems for the tank if possible.

Thanks!

 

[mnat]

I cfl 6.5 bulb is not designed to grow coral. I am not surprised it is reacting negatively. You should look into getting the light fixed/replaced. In the mean time, you can move the coral up closer to the good remaining light or run a longer photo period with that light.

 

[ThatGuy]

If all your planning is to have paly's you could go with as little as a power compact. That would be your cheapest option. If you want to go a little crazier with the corals (once your hooked there is no escape) you should try and fix or replace the LED's.