halide upgrade-need help!

[Reefer Rob]

8 hours of 400W is a lot of light (especially for a 33 gal). I think that should be your max! You might get away with more with a 14K or 20K bulb. I would start with 4 hours or less and work up slowly. Keep a close eye on your corals, and be ready to dial it back if you see any distress. Do you have a chiller?

[bv_reefer]

no i don't have a chiller but i'll keep the bulb at 12'' above the surface to reduce the heat, and i guess turn the heater down a bit if that helps

[Drock169]

400 seems overkill to me, I wouldnt have gone with more than a 250. But I agree with everyone else, increase height from surface, reduce photoperiod, and use a higher K bulb.

[bv_reefer]

i'm getting an XM-400 watt 14k bulb, 12'' off the surface minimum, start a photoperiod of 3-4 hours, gradually work it up to 6-8 hours-

heres all my corals and inverts, think any of them will take the lighting change really negatively?

-xenia colony, ricordea, 2xfinger leather colonys, monti cap,cup coral(lps one), kenya tree, long tentacle plate coral, condy anemone, green star polyps-

[michika]

400w is okay, I did it on a 46g and got great results. Just remember to watch your temperature and be ready to acclimate all your new purchases in the future.

[Reefer Rob]

Looks like you have under control. Just make sure you keep a close eye on your corals for signs of stress. You'll be riding the ragged edge with that setup; the outcome will either be glorious or disastrous

Oh, I see you're getting the XM 14K bulb (isn't that 15K?), a notoriously low par bulb. Should be your safest choice for that setup.

[Jason McK]

Originally Posted by Reefer Rob

Oh, I see you're getting the XM 14K bulb (isn't that 15K?), a notoriously low par bulb. Should be your safest choice for that setup.

Agree it will be great for acclimation but you might want to switch them with a higher par bulb later. What Ballast are you going to use?

J