15 v. 30 watt

[jeepjon]

I had a small question...on my 5.5 nano/mantis tank, I have one 15 watt NO fluorescent bulb. I was thinking about running a second 15 watt NO bulb for when I add some corals. Right now I have my mantis, LR, LS, and some macroalgae...ok, ok...so I have other algae too. Anyway...will I notice a big difference in the corals I would be able to keep with the 30 watts of NO verses the 15 watts of NO? I plan on adding some corals in the next month or so. I really have the tank for the mantis, but I want to make it nicely viewable too. What corals could I keep with 15 watts? Some mushrooms,Green Star Polyps and Xenia were what I was hoping for. Would 30 watts be better for those animals? I have a small powerhead for circulation, and water changes and trimming of the macroalgae for nutrient export. Would adding my Prizm Skimmer be overkill? Sorry for all of the questions...they have been building up with time, and now when I have a few free moments, they all come busting forth! Getting ready for medical school sure takes a lot of my time!

[sammy33]

Wouldn't suggest a skimmer. Just keep up with weekly water changes.

The extra 15 watt bulb will indeed help. Try to do one 10k and one 50/50 at least. That mix of bulbs will give you a balance between PAR and viewabel light.

Mushrooms, xenia and star polyps will probably do well once acclimated to the light.

[jeepjon]

Well, I just set up my 2*28watt powercompact setup...the lights are a 10k and an actinic 03 from hellolights.com. I figure I should be able to keep most soft corals with this setup. I ahve a CPR 12" refugium setup on it, and a rio 600 for water motion and running the fuge. Hopefully it should make for a nice little soft coral/polyp nano-reef.