new lights
 

I just upgraded my lighting from PC to M/H and am wondering how I should phase in the extra illumination so things don't overdose on the extra lighting.
Cut back hours? Cycle between the mh and actinics? :confused:
Any suggestions would be appreciated.

I used the "one hour on, one hour off" timing, then worked up in 15-min intervals over 10 days until full-on. This caused a fair bit of bulb aging that I didn't anticipate - all the extra on-off cycles.

Others have used layers of screening over the tank, removing them one by one until all gone. Can you adjust for height with the new fixture? That would be another option, or to use in combination.

i just let em have it. they adjusted themselves over a few days

I started with a 3 hour MH (still leaving my PC's on 8:30am to 10pm)
Then I added 1 hour every 2 days until I had my desired length of time for my MH's.

Everyone seems very happy :biggrin:

I am assuming that since each of you have a different opinion on this matter that there is no actual "text book" answer. I do however value and appreciate your input. An interesting side note is although I know the M/H are brighter it doesn't really seem like it to my eye. However since the change my RBTA is now bubbling again so there must be quite a difference. I guess I can now start adding in some acropora corals to the reef.
Thanks.

I think BCWolfen pegged the idea of the standard way to increase lighting. Any thing along that simular time frame works. Just keep increasing the time period they are on over a period of a week or so.
Dave

Ya. I think so too. Leave your actinics on as you normally would and that's good advice to increase the MHs by 1 hour every two days.

nope good Way to lead to bleaching if you are stepping your lights up enuf.

there are 2 ways to do it, recommended by most big names and this is using a screening in several layers (about 10) and removing a layer every couple days or there is the increasing interval, which is good for people who can use screens due to the layout of the tank / cabinet or what ever. so start 1 hour on then 1 hour off and do this for the normal photo period so 10 to 12 hours a day, after 3 or 4 days increase it to 1.24 hour on .75 hour off for another 3 or 4 days, then 1.5 hours on 0.5 hour off for 3 or 4 days then 1.75 hour on .24 off for 3 or 4 days then full on, the problem with this is you do need a digital timer to pull it off. if you are going from good PC's to say 175's or what ever for the most part you should be able to get away with the switch, but if you were going from PC's to 250HQI's or 400s and even some normal 250 watt setups then I suggest one of the methods.

as for bulb life not going to make a difference we will see as we throw out our bulbs be for there life is even close to being used up anyways.

Steve

Hmm. All sounds pretty complicated, plus you'd have to stay home all day long if you didn't use the digital timer, which would be a PITA to set anyway. Not to say these methods wouldn't work, but I think I'll stand by the "1 hour every two days" theory.
Actually, I just upgraded from PC to MH recently, too. (Before Snappy started this thread). To be honest, I didn't think to follow much of any regimen at all. :redface: (Kudos to Snappy for being conscientious). I pretty much ran the new MHs right from the get go, with a few "overcast" days per week where they were left off all day and just ran the actinics on those days. All my corals seem happy and have actually shown signs of improvement with the new lights. No bleaching has occured. My Trachyphyllia sp. didn't like it at first, but it was directly under one of the new MH bulbs so I just moved it down to the substrate and off to the side some and now it's doing very well. My Plerogyra sinuosa also appeared to be unhappy after awhile as it too was directly under one of the new MH bulbs. Again, moving the coral has resulted in improvement. And my Pachyclavularia sp. is starting to display a deeper and more vibrant green colour. All in all, all my corals are doing better since the MH upgrade. As for following a regimen, I've learned a lesson and won't be so non-chalant about it next time, when I replace the MH bulbs in two years. But I think that increasing the exposure by 1 hour every two days is sufficient and one does not have to be anymore complicated than that.

Cheers,

I have to also admit that I just switched my hex tank from having 3 65wPC & 2 T5s straight over to one 175w MH & the 2 T5 (actinic & 20000k). My corals seem to have adjusted themselves, although I went from a 12 hour photoperiod to an 8 hour one for the MH. My bulb is an older one so it's lost some of its intensity. Next month (hopefully), all my corals & clams will be under a full MH/actinic system when we move & I get to turn my 100g FOWLR into a 100g reef/seahorse ranch :biggrin:

Anthony

I used the screen metod with good results
Dan

I have a 130 gal tank and am now using 3 x 175's.
I was using both 72 and 48 inch pc's on the tank previously so I am hoping it won't be too big a change for them, but that said there seems to be a little bleaching on my orange and purple caps. Will they bounce back?
I guess I'll cut back the intensity for a bit and build it up this week.

where do you find PC's that are that long? longest I have seen is 36"??

Steve

ya it is but a 20 buck timer takes care of it all for ya. anyways I have done it this way and I have just ponded them on be for, what I have found my self is that the more water flow I have the less chance of bleaching there is, weather this is just something that seams to be working for me or there is actually something behind it I am not sure.

the reason 1 on 1 off is better than just increasing the on time by an hour every day is there is a point where a coral becomes light saturated when it is exposed to brighter lights, after this point if I recall correctly the bacteria in the coral are producing more sugar than the coral can use and the reaction of this and how the coral trys to get rid of the excess sugar cause the bleaching. apparently a coral can take extreme light for an hour be for this starts to occur and this is why the on off thing, it prevents over production of sugars by the bacteria for coral food and allows the coral to reduce the bacteria population to the proper levels.

If I can find the article about it I will post it for you, much more involved than what I wrote but for now the readers digest version will have to do.

Steve

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This brings to mind a question I've been pondering. I will hopefully be upgrading my light soon. Should I consider this method when upgrading from a single 250 watt 14K to a single 400 watt 10K Mh?

Danny,
Personally I like the colour of the 10 k as it looks more natural.

Sorry for the confusion, I had been using a 72 & 48 inch fixtures, each with 4 bulbs inside.
Question,
If bleaching does occur will the coral eventually go back to normal?

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I had a bit of bleeching with my caps when I setup the new tank, the color came back but it would depend on how much the coral was affected. Better not to chance it IMO.

so far the bleaching is very minimal. The lights are only 175's

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So when do we get to see pics?

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That will be a huge leap of intensity. Not only is the wattage increasing almost twofold, but 14k is significantly less intense than 10k at the same wattage.

So: Yes, I would do the acclimation procedure as suggested by Stircrazy.

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Thanks Tony. :biggrin:

Danny rather than go to a 400 I'd consider a 250W HQI, you'll get almost the same amount of light (depending on the bulb/tube you choose).

As for getting your tank used to the new light one thing I did that worked well for me was suspend the lights above the tank, say 2 feed higher than you plan on having them for a permanent placement. Lower the lights an inch or so every couple of days until you have them where they should be.

Doug

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I don't understand a whole lot about the type of balasts you can get. I know that I have a 250 watt 14k mogul setup, and my balast is just the basic magnetic start M-58 I think. What is HQI, and why is it better? I have the guts of the 400 over at quick grow right now for them to wire up. Should I be looking at trading in that one and maybe my 250 for this HQI?

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pic's will be done by you when I am selected as FTOTM :razz:

Danny if you look at the sticky about lighting basics etc I think it's in there. The HQI though will run brighter, DE tubes, quietly, mine had no heat (off the ballast but lots off the bulb/tube). A 250w HQI gives off almost as much light if not more than a 400 watt mogul of a similar spectrum etc. This is my understanding anyway.

Doug

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Thanks Doug, I have a 400 watt balast now, I only paid 30 bucks for it so I'll just hold on to it until I decide what I'm going to do. I suppose you need a specific HQI balast to run DE bulbs? In other words, can I use my existing magnetic balast for DE bulbs?
Greg wrote:
We've got to be able to see the finished product first man! :lol:

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Unfortunately, yes, unless you perhaps happen to have electronic ballasts because they usually can run both SE and DE. As for magnetic or traditional style ballasts though you need ANSI M80 and M81 ballasts for DE (M80=250, M81=150W).