Hello all,
I am looking at upgrading my lighting. I eventually would like to add some soft corals to my tank. I have a 10 gal, i was looking at leds. I came across a marineland single bright led lighting system. I was doing some research, and it seems most agree you should average about 2.5 watts per gallon. Did i look correct and this lighting system only has a total of 3.06 watts. Will this light system work, or do i need to keep looking. Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

sorry this is where i came up with only 3.06 watts

The single-bright unit won't be enough for growing corals. Watts per gallon doesn't really mean a whole lot in a coral setup; it's the PAR readings that you're looking for (Photosynthetically Active Radiation).

The Reef-Capable unit that they make would work great for that size tank, and have all the PAR and proper colors of light that you need. It's not a super powerful light, but if you're just looking to do softies (mushrooms, grass polpys, etc.) then it should be fine.

Of course, you could also always DIY a light and get far better/more light for your money...

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In my opinion, go with a 70watt metal halide or T5HO. Both can be purchased cheap and easy to install (when you go with a retrofit kit that is)
Here is a link for metal halide: Metal Halide Retrofit Systems - Hellolights.com
If you do some shopping around, you can get fixtures a lot cheaper than that (especially if you are patient).

The reason I advise against PC bulbs is because their price is similar to that of MH and T5, so why not go with the better fixture (and get more bang for your buck)

Nice information given
i like it
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