The bulbs that you purchase are very important. If wanting to keep mushrooms and other soft corals, or even a stony or two, 50/50 fluorescents are best. Matched with an Actinic blue tube, the set provides all the spectrum that these varieties of animals need for survival. The rest is up to you! I recommend 2 strips on a 40 to 55 gallon and 1 strip on smaller tanks. 6 bulbs on a 55 will give great results, but the gutter material is too wide to allow a third strip to be installed! So, 2 50/50 and 2 Actinics, one each to a strip.
This light package will be ample for hardy stony corals such as elegance and hammer species. Soft corals like star polyps will explode with this set-up. All fluorescent tubes loose their true spectral output about 6 to 8 months after initial powering up. Triton bulbs are the only tubes that I know of that will automatically SHUT OFF when their useful life is exhausted, and they have great color rendition as well! URI (Ultraviolet Resources International) make great bulbs too. There are many more, but I've only personal experience with these two companies.
-- Don Carner
