How to acclimate the light ?

[RyanDragon]

my new t5 HO light fixture will be coming in next week,, and currently I have 3 normal output bulbs,,, total 45 watts,, and the new t5 light put out 96 watts,,,, my live stocks are 1 frag of green button polyps,,, a rock full of polyps and zoa,,, a green hairy mushroom, a red discosoma, clarkii clown, 5 damsels...could someone please tells me how to acclimate the light? thanks

 

[kraze3]

You could start it off higher than the light you have now. Then slowly movie it down an inch every 4-5 days.
Another way is use window screens on top of your tank. Use maybe 2 and every week remove one.

 

[Toddrtrex]

IMO, the window screening method works the best.

When I got a new anemone (( that was under poor lights, and my tank { 30 cube } has 250 watt MH )), I cut some egg create to fit the tank, and put 3 layers of window screening over it. Each week I removed a layer.

It took me a day to get the screening set up, for the day that it wasn't shaded, the LTA was moving around the tank, after the screening was put in place it stopped moving. (( can't say if it took it time to settle or it was the lights )).

 

[Sisterlimonpot]

I've had great success with the screen method. but to be honest I never tried anything else though. Why fix what's not broke?

 

[RyanDragon]

can i not acclimate the light ? or do I have to ?

 

[atwinparadox2]

you can not acclimate and hope for the best. But i would not recommend it because you can/will stress corals which can lead to death. Believe me, it sucks acclimating a new light because you won't get the true look of the light until a couple weeks, but it is well worth it in the long run.