Introducing Metal Halide lighting

[kmw23842]

I just purchased a new lighting system for my 90 gallon reef and was looking for some advice introducing it.

My current lighting is:
48'' double lamp fixture
2-65 watt 10K Daylight
2-65 watt True Actinic Blue

New lighting is:
Two 150 watt 10,000K double-ended HQI metal halide lamps
Two 96 watt True Actinic 03 Blue square-pin compact fluorescent lamps
Three 1 watt Lunar Blue-Moon-Glow 470nm LED lamps

My tank has a number of different leathers, a hammer, and some brians as well and a number of zoo's and ricordia's.

Most of the corals are in the top half of the tank. Do I need to move any of the corals down with the MHO's.

Should I only use the MHO's for several hours at first and leave the actinics for the normal lighting cycle.

 

[Anemonebuff]

I would raise the lights and then lower them an inch at a time over a week or so. It will help acclimate them slowly.

 

[kmw23842]

Unfortunately the lighting system will be mounted on the top of the tank with 4 legs supplied as part of the kit, so raising/lowering it isn't easily possible.

 

[Anemonebuff]

Use som 2x4's. Ugly at first, but effective.

 

[kmw23842]

I'll give that a try.

Do leathers do OK near the top of a tank with MHO's?

 

[Anemonebuff]

First under 20K 175 watters close to the top.

Then under 10K's

 

[mystikdragon7]

Is it possible to move all of your corals to the bottom of the tank? If so do that, then over a few weeks slowly move the corals back up to where they used to be. Also, only have the lights on for a few hours at first, then leave them on longer.

 

[ackerman]

You could also put some layers of plastic window screen between the lights and the tank. Then you could remove one layer a week.