Does this light provide enough PAR for softies and LPS?

[jackhoekstra]

Hi everyone, this is my first post here. I have been lurking for a few months, soaking up as much knowledge as possible.

I always wanted to have my own garden / livestock in the country, but my wife wanted to live in the suburbs. So, I stumbled upon this hobby and figured it would satisfy my green thumb.

So far, I have a lot of satisfaction from this hobby, and I am in it for the long haul. I have already invested probably $1,000.

My 4 month old tank is going well so far! No dead fish, snails, and my soft coral frag is alive. Water parameters are stable and consistent.

My question:: The light in the picture came with a 55gal tank that I purchased a few months ago. I think it is designed for fresh water plants, not a reef tank.

So far, I only have one Waving Hand Anthelia, along with a pair of clownfish, 3 turbo snails, and a Neon Cleaner Goby. 25lbs of live rock.

The Waving Hand Softie seem to be doing okay with this light, and it appears to be growing, however, it's color is not as vibrant as it was when i first bought it. I have the light on the automatic setting.

There is one variable I should mention: the tank does receive some natural sunlight in the early morning hours.

Please let me know If the light in the pic will suffice for a softie/LPS tank in the long run.

I am willing to purchase a different one if need be.

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

IMO for a 55 gallon tank you want something 150-200 watts. This 40 watt light will not grow very much

 

[MikeyZo]

it’s hard to tell without knowing exactly what kind of par it’s throwing out, but it does have the adjustable colors which is an upside. I’ll venture to say it’s fine for soft corals and MAYBE some easy LPS that aren’t light hungry like a candy cane or maybe even some blastos. You probably won’t see fast growth, however.

But in this hobby, you’ll find fast that the many of the cheap ways out usually set you up for disappointment or disaster.

 

[MikeyZo]

IMO for a 55 gallon tank you want something 150-200 watts. This 40 watt light will not grow very much

This too

 

[ReneReef]

Those lights being “freshwater” is not the problem just way too little power. You could just add two or three more of those lights.

Unless you like a blue look all day. Because if you turn down the white/yellow channels in such lights, you’ll have very little wattage left.

 

[Freenow54]

IMO for a 55 gallon tank you want something 150-200 watts. This 40 watt light will not grow very much

My 2 65 watt AI Primes are barley enough but water depth comes into play . They are on my 100 and its 22 inches deep . The ones at the top are great but cant put anything deeper . I am in the process of adding another light when I have my brackets made. I have a very similar type light on my 45 water depth top to Corals 16 inches mine are mushrooms the light is a razor back when i bought it I had no idea about wattage par or anything