photo periods

[fishytime]

Originally Posted by Myka

Why don't you start a new thread about this issue? Or maybe PM him? Just because someone doesn't do something the way you suggest, doesn't mean it gives you the right to harass that person. Not all newbies are willing to take advice...they're already experts, dontcha know?

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I am not at all harassing Laurier (we know each other outside the forum). Is this not the reason why we post here? To gain insight and benefit from others experience(s)? I am just saying that he is making changes to the way he is running his system based on the fact that he feels the light is too intense for his sps.( 6x39w HOT5s???). I am just trying to make the point that his system is very young and this fact is more likely the cause of some of his sps loosing color.

Reducing the lighting cycle will darken the colors of sps. The coral reacts to the lack of light by darkening itself in an attempt to absorb as much of the available light as it can. Much like the difference between wearing a black shirt or a white shirt in the summertime(mmmmm summer).

[marie]

I have 3 250w MHs on for 10 hrs a day, no other supplemental lighting.

I like seeing my fish so I don't see me cutting back on the photoperiod anytime soon

[GreenSpottedPuffer]

Originally Posted by fishytime

I am not at all harassing Laurier (we know each other outside the forum). Is this not the reason why we post here? To gain insight and benefit from others experience(s)? I am just saying that he is making changes to the way he is running his system based on the fact that he feels the light is too intense for his sps.( 6x39w HOT5s???). I am just trying to make the point that his system is very young and this fact is more likely the cause of some of his sps loosing color.

Reducing the lighting cycle will darken the colors of sps. The coral reacts to the lack of light by darkening itself in an attempt to absorb as much of the available light as it can. Much like the difference between wearing a black shirt or a white shirt in the summertime(mmmmm summer).

You need to do some reading my friend...

People are finding corals coloring up, not darkening at all. They have been actually looking for the ideal photo period based on photoinhibition. This will allow the corals to have to work a lot LESS and have more time to grow/color up. Much like when you go to the gym, you are not building muscle while lifting but afterwards while your muscles are being repaired. You can really overdo it by staying in the gym too long. Corals can also get very tired under long periods of light. They actually then can darken. Since corals store energy during the day and grow at night plus can only utilize a certain amount of light to begin with, long photoperiods, especially in our tank (which are stuck at high noon) are unnecessary and sometimes harmful. Not harmful in the sense that you are going to kill corals but harmful in the sense that you can slow down growth and coloration. Although to some thats not a bad thing...

Certainly some coral may darken under lesser photoperiods but to claim they WILL darken as you have is kind of a broad statement. Perhaps look at the results on RC for a short photoperiod. You may want to start with the TOTM from a few months back.

http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2009-01/totm/index.php


Looks incredible to me...Not too dark at all.

[lorenz0]

Originally Posted by fishytime

I am not at all harassing Laurier (we know each other outside the forum). Is this not the reason why we post here? To gain insight and benefit from others experience(s)? I am just saying that he is making changes to the way he is running his system based on the fact that he feels the light is too intense for his sps.( 6x39w HOT5s???). I am just trying to make the point that his system is very young and this fact is more likely the cause of some of his sps loosing color.

Reducing the lighting cycle will darken the colors of sps. The coral reacts to the lack of light by darkening itself in an attempt to absorb as much of the available light as it can. Much like the difference between wearing a black shirt or a white shirt in the summertime(mmmmm summer).

ya i know its young, and your more than welcome to come over and take a peak. after only a day and a bit I have noticed a big change in polyp extension in my tank. I purchased this branching sps last week and it has made the biggest change out of all the other ones in my tank. when it was at red coral polyps were fully out all the time. when i brought it home polyps haven't had the greatest extension like how it was at the store till now.

I will have to bump this thread in a month with updates. So far its working great

[marie]

Originally Posted by lorenz0

.... after only a day and a bit I have noticed a big change in polyp extension in my tank...

To play devils advocate, better polyp extension is not always necessarily a good thing. It could be a sign that the corals are starving

[Reefer Rob]

Don't you find that when you have more polyp extention it happens at a time when your corals are growing well and have their best color? When the polyps are retracted on a coral in my tank it's always when it's not happy.

[marie]

Originally Posted by Reefer Rob

Don't you find that when you have more polyp extention it happens at a time when your corals are growing well and have their best color? When the polyps are retracted on a coral in my tank it's always when it's not happy.

Polyps on an sps coral are there to catch food, usually there is more food in the water at night which is why you get better night time extension. If a coral is hungry and/or if there is food in the water it extends polyps to maximize food catching potential.
A coral that wants to eat is healthy, a coral that needs to eat because it's not getting enough food from photosynthesizing is not

[Reefer Rob]

I was trying to simplify things.

Forget all the theories about what a coral needs or wants. Nobody really seems to know anyway... at least it's been debated to death.

I'm talking about when you're sitting in front of your tank, and you say to yourself "man, everything is looking sooo good now!" Your corals are growing like weeds, and the color hurts your eyes.

fuzzy sticks are healthy sticks... No?

[marie]

Well I did say I was playing devils advocate and showing better polyp extension just because you have drastically cut back your photo period is not necessarily a sign of health