Kelvin light rating

[paindocc]

I am looking at some Halide lights For a reef setup with both hard and soft corals. What is the better light rating 10,000k or 15,000k?

 

[lilrobb]

Growth: 10k
Looks: 15k

 

[acroholic]

Most folks like a Kelvin temp of 14000-20000K for aesthetics. Like Rob said, usually you get higher PAR (intensity) at lower Kelvin ratings, but there are bulbs that will give you both. With Metal Halide lighting, Many folks like the Pheonix 14 K DE bulbs. I use Radium 20K single ended 400 watt bulbs on my 210 gallon reef tank. They have that rare combination of high PAR and nice blue presentation.

 

[myvwrock]

The lower the k rating the more growth you are going to get , but your going to sacrifice the color. The higher the k the less growth you will have but more color in your corals