Do I Need Actinic Bulbs??

[hamdogg08]

I saw a sunpod light on foster n smith that was HQI and LED with no option for actinic lights. Aren't they needed or did I misunderstand?

[MNGold15]

They are not included in that fixture since they use a 14k bulb which has a blue tint to it. I have one, and you are welcome to see it run if you are ever down this way.

[David Grigor]

As long as the your bulbs are full spectrum you don't "NEED" actinics. However, when using 6500K bulbs it looks pretty ugly without them. Some will say the same with a number of 10K brands. But once you get above 10K, running actinics is mostly a personal preference.

[hamdogg08]

They are not included in that fixture since they use a 14k bulb which has a blue tint to it. I have one, and you are welcome to see it run if you are ever down this way.

Awesome. I like the idea of a MH on a nano tank. I'm not sure if I'll want it though since I don't really have the juevos to keep any stony corals yet...Speaking of, is the need for a lot of light what makes them more difficult to keep?

[wes]

nah, their need of light is only part of their needs. pristine water conditions and a lot of parameters(ca, mg, alk mainly) also need to be maintained.

[hamdogg08]

If that's the case, I think I'll pass on the sunpod and use T-5's. I can't justify paying for MH's if I'm not going to have the stony corals. I'll wait until I have a bit more experience/a bigger tank before I tackle the more complicated ones. A novice+small tank=huge potential for disaster!

[David Grigor]

CA / ALK / Mg, along with low nitrates and low phosphates. Which is why heavy duty skimmers are often recommended, as well growing/exporting as much macro algae as possible.