Upgrading to MH lighting

[Anonymous]

I have two 175wt 10,000k pendants that are sitting in the closet from an old tank. I would like to remove the current lighting system from my 55gal (2 VHO 110 50/50 and 2 NO 40 03)and use them.

1) Is this too much light for a 55? (mostly soft corals, a couple of anemones, 1 gorgonian, 1 torch, 1 bubble, and some mushrooms)

2) What would be the break in period (ie. how long do I leave them on in the begining so I don't fry everything?)?

Thanks
Greg

 

[petpoor]

Greg,
It all depends but I do not think it will be too much light,I would also leave the VHO on the tank but with 03 bulbs instead of 50/50 or maybe 1 of each.

When I added my 400 watt halides I started with one and a half hrs per day for a week,after the first week started adding 15 minutes every other day till I got to where I wanted to be with the photoperiod.I have some fuzzy green mushrooms that are right at the top of the reef and could not be moved so I figured they were toast under the 400's, but they are almost growing out of control now and never bleached or showed any signs of stress.I may have gone a little too slow but you can always add more time but if you go to fast you can't undo the damage done kind of like when you go out in the sun at the beach too long, by the time you notice you're getting red usually that night you are really red.So if you have a lot of softies I personally would go slow with extending the burn time to give them plenty of time to acclimate to the new spectrum and intensity.
Tom

 

[Anonymous]

Tom,

Thanks for the info....

I would not be able to keep the VHOs and use the MH as the MH are pendants. The big reason for doing this is to use the current VHO setup for another 55 and try my hand at a freshwater planted tank.

Do you feel that you really should supplement the MH with 03 or would a change of bulbs to 20,000k make a difference?

What is the beak in period for a MH bulb? I've "heard" that it's a month.

Thanks
Greg

PS- I don't mind taking my time during the acclimation process for the lights. I've learned, the hard way, in this hobby nothing good comes from going fast.

 

[pez]

You do realize that anemonies generally need as much light as SPS corals, right? You didn't mention which kinds you have, thus the generalization.

IMHO, the lighting you have right now is a bit on the low side. Bumping up to the MH shouldn't cause a problem.

You have two methods of acclimating the corals to the new light.

1) Raise the height of the lamp and slowly lower it over time.
2) Start with a small photo period and slowly increase it over time.

-Tom

 

[Anonymous]

Tom/Pez,

Yes, I do realize that anemones need more lighting. The 3 I have are two H. malu and one saddleback carpet (can't remember the latin as I'm at work). Both malu I've had for six months. One looks good and has been growing. The other looks a little ragged and iffy. They both get fed three times a week with large shrimp chunks soaked in Selcon. The saddleback is about 2 weeks old and not looking very well, nor is it feeding (yes light is one issue causing this, the other reasons to follow), however, it's really sticky and I take that as a good sign.

Please keep in mind that these anemones are inherited not purchased. I've made friends with a woman who works in the local Petco fish department (a really depressing place at the best of times). When something is not sellable (ie. at deaths door) she calls me and gives me the animal. Approx 50% of the time I can save the invert, nurse it back to health and trade it to my marine LFS for store credit. The bulk of my 55gal reef has been populated with these refugees. The variety's not great, but the price is right!

This new saddleback is what's motivating me to do the MH upgrade now. Due to it's delecate health I think that perhaps the lowering the pendants vs restricted photoperiod is the best method.

Any opinions on the lighting acclimation method? All other ideas on how to increase the chances on saving the anemone are welcome.

Thanks
Greg

 

[Anonymous]

Oooops I forgot....

How high above the water should they be to start? Years ago when I used them I think I kept them 12 inches above the water. Does this sound right?

Greg

 

[pez]

My lights have been all over the board. Any where from 4" to 12". Seems like most people use 8".

-Tom

 

[srbayless]

Howdy Greg,

Don't use the 175w 20000K bulbs. I put them on my 80g when I first set it up. They were so dim, the bottom of the tank looked very dark.

Stick with the 10000K bulbs, and you shouldn't need any 03 supplementation. I use strictly 10000K bulbs on the 80g now, and the color is perfect in my opinion.

Anyway, you have the right idea that slower is better. I would start off at about 2 hours of light a day. Add 1 hour every week until you get to the desired photoperiod. You could also keep the pendants higher at first, and move them down over a period of time.

Whatever method of acclimation you use, just keep your eyes on the corals. They will tell you what is working or not working for them.

Good luck,

Scott.

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks for the info.....