[sin142]

I just bought a retrofit kit that has 2-5500k 175w MH and 2- Real Actinic Blue 55w CF. Im planning on starting a 90 gal Reef Tank and I would like to some LPS, SPS and some anemones maybe some small-polyped stony corals is this enough lighting and what would work best?

[pogodzib]

The MH bulbs will be VERY yellow and may not be the best spectrum for growing corals. Do you know what brand of bulbs they are and if they are made for aquariums. If the bulbs aren't made for aquariums, they might promote algae. You probably don't need to buy different MH bulbs for the time being, but if you start getting uncontrollable algae, your corals too bad, or your tank is too yellow for your eyes, replacing the bulbs may be a good first choice. The CF bulbs should be good.

I consider 175w MH bulbs good for a depth up to 15-18" for most SPS corals and deeper for all other corals. If you end up getting some SPS corals, try keeping them in the upper half of your tank.

Other than that, they should work good and fulfill your needs. Welcome to the new world of reef keeping.

[sin142]

I appreciate your feedback i bought the set from a buddy of mine for a really good deal but the bulbs are a little old and one of the MH seems to be turning more yellow then the other so im thinking it might be time to replace the bulbs if i went with a 10000K or even 20000K bulb would that help with the yellowish tint and be better for the corals?

[WinM70]

It seems most run 10k -15k lights with the 15k being most popular. 10k produces a whiter light while the 15k produces a more blue white light that most like. Also the ballast can seem to also have a effect on the color of a bulbs output as one might drive the bulb a little harder than another.