I am currently converting my 20g long planted tank into a saltwater aquarium. I am running a 2 x 31 watt t5 bulbs. One is 10,000k and the other is a Actinic. Would this be sufficient lighting to maintain sps corals since a 20 long is more shallow than a 20 tall? or would I have to upgrade my lighting fixture?
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Depends on what you plan on keeping. Corals vary depending on type soft vs. hard. 62 watts/20 gal gives about 3 watts per gallon. The actinics really won’t provide the proper spectrum for proper growth, so you are probably running closer to 1-2 watts per gallon which is so so for species like polyps and mushrooms. They’ll do okay but not thrive. If you switch both bulbs to daylights or less than 20,000 kelvin, you’ll be in a good soft coral range. Hard corals need at least 5 watts per gallon, but most people like closer to 10 watts per gallon.
no you should have at least 60 watts on 1 bulb. for my 30 gallon saltwater reef tank, i have the lunar aqualight, which has two 65 watt lights. in my opinion this is the best lighting system. it doesn’t matter if you have a 10k bulb because it will only make a small difference from using the Standard bulb. i suggest not buying any coral or anemone unless you buy a sufficient lighting system. its really the system strength that matters
no that is definitely fine as long as they do work and make a big difference when on and of. if you have any coral or live plants or anemones you should pebbly have the light on 10-14 hours a day i would recommend 13 hours for fast grow of the plants then when they get fully grown maybe 11 or 12 hours a day hope this helps.