Why are CFLs (compact flouros) bad? (Do you think this will work)

[ReeferKimberly]

I am using these because the LED that came with the tank is not strong enough alone. I have two CFLS (26 watt cool) above my 10 gallon and also the LEDs in the back. The tank is REALLY bright. I am relatively new but I have a place with REALLY nice frags of all sorts for $5.....so...well....I jumped right into keeping corals even though I have forgotten a lot of what I know from when I kept reefs long ago. I have several softs like mushrooms, clove polyps, zoas and button polyps, LPS like a frogspawn, SPS like a birdsnest and several other acropora and montipora. (excuse any spelling mistakes). I do 10% water changes daily (or 20 percent every 2-3 days) because everything seem to really like that. I keep it at 1.025-26 specific gravity. I supplement with a small amount of Kent trace elements. The tank is like 6 months old.

I have grown many other things with CFLs and with my experience, when they are kept close to the plants I have grown with them, they do a great job. I know corals are not plants, but this is what I currently compare them to.

So I have these CFLs on top, the LED in the back, I feed phyto feast, oyster feast and roti feast for the corals. I mix it up with lots of different other foods too for the fish and anenomes and sometimes the corals who will eat solid too.

Everything is currently fine...I have a 250 MH but I think it would be way too much for a 10 gallon. Do you not see the CFLs working in the long run? Are there specially sized T5s to fit onto a 10 gallon standard tanK?

Here is the tank and full brightness far away and closer up. (closer picture is different time of day, lights are slightly less bright)

[Reefmedic79]

The biggest issue with CFl's is the color spectrum that they are available in tends to promote the growth nuscience algea, and don't do anything for the colors of our corals.

The plus is they also tend to increase the growth rate of the corals, but you tend to have mostly brown corals until you move them under bluer lighting.

Also, in a 10gal. tank you won't have much of an issue, but the basic CFL's lack the intensity to be a benefit for larger/deeper tanks.

[thegrun]

There is nothing inherently bad with CF lighting, but it is much less efficient than T-5 lighting or MH lighting so you use more power and get less light. In a small 10 gallon tank like yours you are okay except for the most light demanding corals.

[MarkGP]

I agree with everyone. You should be good with those lights on a 10 gal.