I need help ASAP!!!

[TOURKID]

I changed from 130 watts pc's to 250 watt mh today.

I posted this already, pics included
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=842115

EVERYTHING is reacting VERY baddly. I had the mh on for about 2 hours. WITH acclimation screens

I cant get anyone to give me any step by step instructions (I understand) but can anyone point me to a thread or a website? thanks

 

[littlemannin]

I don't have any axperiance with MH but have you tried raising them more to aclimate?

 

[PL-Reef]

i'd raise the fixture up higher. maybe 12'' to 14'' to start.

 

[TOURKID]

yeah. def. doing that for tomorrow. I had to turn it off. gonna try for 3 hours tomorrow i guess

 

[nutshells]

MH lights generate a lot of heat. You definely need a fan for it

 

[Blown 346]

The halide should be atleast 8 to 12 inches off the waters surface at all times. The heat generated by them can bake your tank, kill your corals.

What I did for my halide acclimation was this.

The first day I had them on for 2 hours, then turned them off.
Everyday after that the halides were left on for a extra 30 minutes, until I reached my 10 hour lighting times.
My corals were able to adjust and were always open.

 

[bertoni]

Well, I have a 20g tank with a 150 W MH pendant about 4" off the water, with no heat problems, and no fan.

I suspect the issue is the sudden increase in intensity, so I agree that raising the lamp for a while is likely a good idea. More shielding might help as well. What are you using?

 

[TOURKID]

5 screens on top of an egg crate. i had the light 4 inches dfrom the water tho. so i raised it to 14 inches, and i put my pcs back on so i can run the pcs the original 12 hours but start on the mh maybe 2 hours, then 2 hours 15 minutes the next day and so on

I think the mh will actually decrease my heat. its at 82 with the pcs cause it was a cloed top, and both internal fans broke as well. (odysea=garbage)

 

[spoiledcats]

You have to acclimate to MH pretty slowly. You may need more than 5 screens, but 4" from top was definitely too close. Raising it will help. Another thing to watch for when switching to MH from PC's is an algae bloom. I had a pretty big bloom when switching to MH. Snails and crabs take care of it, but it takes a while.

 

[TOURKID]

well. at noon, i took off the pcs and turned on the mh. been 2 hours. everything is fine. so i def had light to close to start

gonna go another half hour and put back on the pcs.

I need to get it so i can quit with the pcs though. cant ALWAYS be home exactly at 12 and 2 or 3... everythings on timers but i hafta physically remove the lights. Ill take it real slow.

Im hoping that within two weeks i can get the mh on for ten hours leaving the height and screens. and then start removing the screens and stuff. Ill be going away for the weekend in 14 days and dont trust the sitter to be so precise on timing and not dropping canopys in the water n such *sigh*

 

[TOURKID]

spoiled.. what kind of algea? have any pics? what caused it? water chemistry change, or....

 

[spoiledcats]

It was just the green stuff that grows all over the rocks and glass, not hair algae. But when I bought the MH fixture, the LFS owner told me to expect an algae bloom. He said this happens when you upgrade to more intense light. Your snails and hermit crabs will take care of it, but it took about a month for mine to subside. Don't have pics, sorry. But anyway, just expect it and know it will eventually go away so no need to panic when it happens. Water params were all good, it was just a lighting issue.