I would say this sort of endeavor has two big hurtles. The first one is that lighting is very largely variable. The true spectrum of the bulbs used has to be calculated. And then you need to factor in the lighting set up. Do you parabolic reflectors, individual reflectors, a reflective sheet, white paint, etc. How the bulbs are driven is also quite variable- just look at Sanjay's lighting analysis.
The second big hurtle is the corals themselves. The line between too little and too much light can vary depending on acclimation and individual specimens. It also is a function of how well they thrive.
For example in the 125 I worked on I got a nice green hammer coral (originally kept on 400w metal halides). It survived with the 96w PC originally on the tank, but it really started growing when I switched over to 150w Metal Halide. In fact is actually looks better than the mother colony since it has grown about 18" from a 150w vs. a 400w.
Someone would need to have a whole lot of time to use a light meter and spectrometer on all the different bulb, ballast, and reflector combinations and then calculate the peak intensity & light color for all the corals in the trade. I know I would do that; however, I doubt I would get paid.
Generally hobbyists are better asking around than looking at manufacturer recommendations!
