lighting help

[jayfish]

the more i read about lights the more confused i get...im starting to dabble in some corals im learning as much asi can before i dive into it.and when i do research on certain corals many are stated as low, high or moderate lighting needs.I guess my question is simple, but still a little complex.What would be considerd low-2watts a gallon or less?and what would moderate be? cause that would be a great place to start it seems most of the coralsand beginner corals like the moderate to low lighting needs if anyone could help me with this id apreciate it...thanks

 

[mogurnda]

You will hear a lot of people say that watts per gallon is not a good measure, and I basically agree. A lot depends on the type of lighting and the depth of the tank.

So, let's talk about a 20 gallon tall tank lit by PC lights. I would say 3 wpg qualifies as low, 5 wpg is moderate, and 8 wpg is high.

So what size tank were you thinking about?

 

[jayfish]

thanks for the reply Dave, my tank is 55 gallons 20 inches high