Coral metabolism vs. light par

[danny zubot]

I've switched bulbs recently in an attempt to try and get some color back into some of my more delicate acros. I was running a 400 watt 14K Aqua Connect, and now I'm trying an XM 20K. My thoughts were that I may have burnt the color right out of some of my acros with the previous bulb, and lowering the PAR by going to a 20K might be the answer.

While I'm waiting for the results on that, I want to pose a question. I've recently had to ramp up my dosing to the point where I'm debating buying a calcium reactor for my 55 gallon tank. I dose 50-60 ml of calcium chloride, 30 ml of mg, and 7 tspn of 2 part Kh buffer every day! Does this seem high to anyone? Going back to my theory about reducing PAR to help my corals, I'm wondering if it will also reduce their appetite? So I guess my question is this; Is a coral's metabolic rate directly related to the light intensity that it is exposed too?

Danny