Buying coral and lighting for there survival

[snapper1]

Im thinking about adding some soft coals and a Green Mushroom to a new 12 Gallon Nano Tank that I bought.It has a Moon light THE Bulbs are 18 Watts, guy that sold it to me at the LFS.Said that the lighting on there would be good for most Corals.Well forgive me :wink: if I dont always belive a sales pitch.I have never bought Corals before and I need to do a little HomeWork.Which means some good advice from the Fish Gods on this board. .With Corals do I have to leave the light on all the time,and what are the Hadest corals to kill will 18 Watt bulbs be enough for the corals to live?.

 

[mr_X]

i'm not one of the "fish gods"
but i think that that particular light might keep them alive...but you can purchase a light for very little money that will make them thrive.
and no, you don't leave the lights on all the time. you try to mimic life in the reef. this means day, with some lighting that copies sunlight, and night.
(i don't think i need to tell you how to mimic night). mushrooms are pretty easy and live well under flourescent lighting. i have some in my tank that have been doing fine under a compact flourescent light.
you said: "the bulbs are 18 watts" . how many bulbs are 18 watts?

 

[shavo]

hi, I thought X was a fish god, nah that's lawdog!

far be it from me to weigh in on this but 18 watts doesn't sound like much more than 3 candle power. Maybe mushrooms but i don't think that is enough to make a mushroom happy. is the tank near a window? does it get light? I was told at a minimum 3 to 4 watts per gallon as a little rule.
not that it is the rule but just a little guide. somebody else told me lumins per sq in or something like that. I am not positive, but i would get a little power in there.