Troy,
Here is what i really want to post - it's sarcastic ... scroll down if you don't like it ...
No, you Need to double up on your lights, and then add some 400w MH ontop of your 400 some whats of T5 ... the bleaching is occuring due to the T5's not putting out enough light, and their lack of ability to penetrate to 24" deep water.
We all know that T5's cannot penetrate deeper then the top 3" of the water, and even that only with the help of MH.
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Real answer:
How long is your day light cycle?
Are you running on 2 ballasts, or 1?
I would try to cut down on the day light cycle a little, and see if that slows the bleaching down, if it doesn't, pull one of the 10,000K to something with a little less output ... but i don't think you need to go to the extreme of putting a actinic in its place.
Which 10,000K bulb are you running?
This is the UV Lighting AquaSun 10,000K
maybe try a UV Lighting AquaBlue 14,000K
here is a UV Lighting True Actinic:
Now to respond to some of the other posts on here:
Teresa,
I'll appologize to you if you read my previous comments as .. downgrading your tank to 'it's JUST a softy tank' - that was not my intention. I was merely making sure that everybody was remembering that we are talking about a softy tank, NOT a SPS dominant tank that would require alot of light output - coralfarmer, keinreis, concrete & i run SPS dominant tanks ... different light requirements. I hope i didn't upset you with the way i worded my previous posts, If so - I'm sorry. I was simply trying to help.
To the other naysayers & die hard fans of MH ...
I'm not quiet sure what your beef with MH is, I've always said, and will always say (as far as i can see now) ... I don't personally care for MH due to their power consumption, and heat they create. I have NEVER once said that MH are NOT a proper way of lighting a tank. I have NEVER once said that if you use MH your stuff will not work out. MH's are provent to be a great way to light a tank!
I happen to be using T5's, and that is more than some/alot of you can say on this subject. I have great success with the lighting setup I chose, and built ... If you believe everything you read here on RC ... then yes, T5's suck, MH are the only way to go, and you will never make TOTM on here.
There are others here that run T5's, and so far they have all come back & said they are glad they switched.
Please, if you DO NOT LIKE T5's, there is no need to bash them everytime. I don't go & bash MH everytime someone asks a question about them.
Be respectful of others opinions, and don't make your opinion a fact ... that attitude is what makes looking for valuable information on RC such a waste of time ... 1/2 of the crap posted on here are opinions turned to facts.
Here is a Fact for you:
I have great success with T5's, I have 2 clams that are healthy, and LOTS of SPS ... ALL show great growth, and I have YET to loose anything.
In a matter of fact, i have ALOT of corals that are starting to turn greenish colors, which as far as I have read, happens when they are exposed to alot of light?!
When reading Teresas original post, it sounded as if she (probably not with the intention to) blamed the people here that offered advice & told her about T5's.
I can honestly see how the T5's that she is using are part of her problem - BUT NOT for the reason that they are simply insufficient, or not worth a sh*t, rather that she *might* have too much light over her tank, and maybe the corals were not used to the intensity of the light. Beside the point that she admitted to having not kept up with her tank husbandry .... ontop of having a skimmer that might not be able to keep up with the tank.
another scenario:
She may have lost light with the MH depending on the reflectors she used with them ... the SLR on the T5's make sure MOST of the light is directed to the tank, not stray away like it is the case with the cheaper MH reflectors. Therefor her MH setup might have been producting alot of light, but at the same time lost a bit of it .. therefor the T5's are much more intense for the coral.
end of rant .. have to run.
EDIT: reworded, corrected typo, and added.
