Can i grow any corals with these lights?

I don't think much would survive

It is not good light but you can probably grow green striped mushrooms, xenia, and even a sun coral under that lighting.. there are even a few corals that don't require light at all.

yep. you can keep non-photosynthetic corals, or corals that dont need light. If you are willing to put an extra effort into target feeding corals a couple times a week, then you can keep them. Some include the sun corals, and the gorgonians. with sun corals, you just need to feed it some shrimp at least two times a week. but make sure you get food to every polyp. for gorgonians, i heard of some that need light so make sure you do your research on them. gorgonians require some microscopic foods such as phytoplankton, which is expensive and can be a hassle to feed, but it is worth it because they repay you with their gorgeous tree like structure. make sure you get plenty of current for gorgonians, and make sure there arent any algea growth on it, b cuz that would lead to tissue recession and even fungus.

Sun corals (Tubastrea) don't require any light to begin with, so that would work just fine. Be sure to feed heavily, though, while keeping a careful eye on water quality.

-Nemo- said:

yes, but would that light be sufficient if i were to grow corals?

also, can i have success growing corals using dechlorinated tap water? i'm not buying and traveling for RO water. one day i'll get my own unit, can i have success with corals until then?

Click to expand...

I would follow Ace's advice regarding photosynthetic corals. I wouldn't venture too far beyond that. As far as tap water goes, I'd recommend against it. There are too many variables (i.e. contaminants) in tap water to keep track of. Also, the phosphate and/or nitrate levels can cause both inhibition of calcification and plagues of algae. RO/DI water goes a long way in helping to eliminate the variables and unknowns. It is probably the best investment you can make for your tank. It is more worthwhile for you to be patient, save up for an RO/DI unit (in which case a nice one can be had at ~$150-$200) than to use tapwater. There is also the issue with phosphate being bound in the various calcareous substrates contained in the tank, which will be subsequently re-released when you begin using RO/DI water (some people actually think the water does this and they end up selling their units before they realize what is happening). The sudden influx of pure water causes a net diffusion of phosphate (and nitrate, especially deep within sand beds) to move down it's chemical gradient and try to restore the previous concentration in the water, which means lots of phosphate in your water (even with RO/DI) for a good while--all because of tap water.

I wouldnt recommend a sun coral just yet as your first coral. I would go for mushrooms and florida near shore zoanthids. The sun coral needs to be spot fed to all the mouths. Its alot of work for a first coral is what Im getting at