Coralife Light question

[onefish2fish]

i currently have the Coralife deluxe series double linear strip ( 48inch )
http://www.ihome.com/product/lighting/90034/48-4-x-65-watt-48-x-7-x-2.6-.html

its a 48inch light and my tanks only only a 46 gal ( its like 30 some inches long )
reason the light is too long for the tank is because i plan on upgrading to a bigger tank ( 75 or 90 gal ) within a few months or so and dont want to have to buy another light. it currently has all of the white bulbs in it ( none of the blue ones )

anyways after all of this my questions are:
1. is it ok that i dont have the blue bulbs in the light fixture?
2. is my light good enough to start getting corals?

thank you in advance.

 

[Hawkeye]

Generally speaking - there is no need for the blue bulbs - but a lot of people prefer to have them so that the tank has more of a "pop". That stated - I don't believe PCs are known to have good quality "blue" actinics.

One thing to realize though is that power compacts are an older technology. Icecap explained to me that because the bulbs are "bent" they tend to heat itself faster and thereby you will quickly see that a PC bulb at 6 mos looks totally different from one that is brand new. Keep this mind when the group buys come around as it'll be helpful to replace the bulbs.

Regardless of the number of PCs you have, I may be hesitant to place any high-requirement light coral on the sandbed - especially if you end up with a 90 which will be 25" deep (unless you have a really deep sand bed, which will reduce the height). In the end - it depends on what kinds of corals you want.

Someone who has experience with PCs should chime in.

 

[DaveK]

The other consideration of PC bulbs, when compared to other fluorescent bulbs, especially T5's is that you can mount a very evvective reflector behind a T5 or other liner bulb. With a PC bulb, it's going to be a lot less effective.

I also generally agree with phil519's post, especially the part about trying to use the light for a 90 gal tank. It's simply not going to be enough for SPS or clams. I think you could use it for low light requirement livestock, like zoos and mushrooms, but more would be better, especially in a large tank.