Do you need daylight bulbs?

[subman]

Originally Posted by CandyCane

I've got a 20gallon reef tank with mixed corals. The fixture I have is running T5 bulbs and it is able to have 4 bulbs total but they've been burning out.

Since the actinic and sun wave bulbs have burnt out, the bulbs left are a coral wave and an aquablue special.

I thought this would have a negative effect on the corals but since the loss of the daylight and actinic my corals have increased in color in a very noticable way along with size and growth rate.

Any idea's why this would be the case and should I try adding more bulbs again or just leave it all as is?

Do you know what the long term affects of having just the blue and wave bulbs would be?

The biggest issue I see is that you said the bulbs are burning out. Florescent bulbs need to be replaced every 6-9 months. Their coral growing wavelengths degrade over time and will not produce proper light for growth after that. It should never get to the point if actually burning out.

I would replace all the bulbs as soon as possible if you want to see the corals flourish.

[marie]

Also depending on what corals you have, just because the corals are puffed up and huge doesn't necessarily mean they are growing. It could just mean they are trying to maximize their surface area because they are light starved

[troni]

also corals look best with less white color in the tank really makes them pop.