how much light?

[Bean_Burrito]

Sorry for such a newbie question, but I'm setting up my first salt water tank. Its a 20gallon long that is about 12in deep. How much light should I shoot for to grow a few small mushrooms and other low light corals?

I currently have a 40w cfl with a single t8, what kind of bulb would give me the best results for this fixture? or is this a lost cause?

[JamesL]

40W seems a bit low for the size of tank you have, though mushrooms don't really require much light. Another thing is what is the color temperature of the bulb you are using/planning on using? If it is a stock non-aquatic bulb, then all you will probably grow is algae. If it is an "reef" or "aquarium" bulb (say in the 10K to 20K light spectrum range), then you probably could grow some basic corals.

[Timfish]

+1

If you do your research you should be able to find some mushrooms and soft corals that would live under the one bulb you have. I feel you'd be much better off using a fixture with at least two if not four bulbs my preference being for T5's. It will be a lot easier to find animals that will do well in your tank and they will grow faster. If you don't mind spending the money there's some nice LED fixtures.