Is my lighting way to strong?

[55semireef]

I have a 55 gallon long tank with a Tek T5 lighting system with 4x54 watts with individual reflectors. My mushrooms always look shriveled and bleached. They are never fully extended and look crumpled. I am assuming this is because of lighting right?

I will get some pictures up and running soon.


Thanks

 

[55semireef]

Here are some picturs.

 

[FLricordia]

No expert but that doesn't sound like too much lighting. I have a 250wt MH and 2x24wt actinic PC over a 20 cube and my shrooms love it. I only run the MH 5 hours though. Might look at water quality like ph , ammonia, iodine levels, salinity, etc.

 

[jjmg]

I also don't think the light is to high since mine have done fine under 1250 w in a 110. How much flow do you have running across them? I've found that they tend to keep their skirts down close to the rock in high flow. They seem to be spreading fine though.

 

[sarduci]

Did you just put this lighting on the tank? If so, you may be shocking them with a huge increas in lights.

My rics made the transition from 22" directly under a 250w mh's to 9" under T5's just fine.

 

[55semireef]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8371874#post8371874 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by sarduci
Did you just put this lighting on the tank? If so, you may be shocking them with a huge increas in lights.

My rics made the transition from 22" directly under a 250w mh's to 9" under T5's just fine.

No I have not made any recent transition. It seems like the mushrooms that are being most shaded in my tank look the best but the ones that receive the most direct light shrivels up and looks bleached. hmmmmm

Might look at water quality like ph , ammonia, iodine levels, salinity, etc.

Well I have sps, lps, softies, and two anemones (one being a Blue Haddoni and the other a Heteractis Malu). The latter of the anemones is really sensitive to water quality and its doing great so water quality is not an issue.

Ammonia- 0
Nitrites- 0
Nitrate-Undetectable
pH- 8.1
Salinity-1.027
I will check for iodine in a little bit.

 

[jbittner]

some of my less "exotic" mushrooms did not tolerate my lighting change to t5. T5 are intense lighting. I switched from MH to t5 and still had problems. I have the same light setup you have (4X54wt on a 55) and I noticed my shrooms doing the same until I shaded them and pointed the reflectors away from them. Even my green yumas still don't like the change.

 

[R.yumaDaddy?]

All my shrooms (rics, rhodactis, discos) are donig great on the sandbed of my 75 with 4 Overdriven T5's. I dont know if it makes a difference but I have alot of flow for the shroom because my focus is on providing for the sps.

 

[FLricordia]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8367363#post8367363 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by 55semireef
Here are some picturs.

Didn't mention it last itme, but they don't really look bad, but you would know since you see other than oics. They are crowded with no gaps in the pic. As was suggested, might be due to strong flow.

 

[55semireef]

Alright guys. Can yous send some pictures of your shrooms? Thanks.

i guess it could be flow but why is it causing them to change color like that?

 

[jbittner]

here are some of mine

 

[55semireef]

Nice pictures. Yours actually look nice. Mine don't.

BTW, in that second picture, is that a neon green leather coral? I am fragging one tomorrow.


Anyone else have any pictures of their shrooms. I would appreciate to see them.

 

[FLricordia]

are the shrooms losing or just changing color? I have had shrooms change from purple to blue than back to purple after being under differetn lightings and diststance from, but they were always healthy. Zoanthids are sure to change almost with each differetn tank they go into but doesn't mean they are not doing well. I have bought brown looking Zoos that have eventually changed to bright red and bright yellow zoos that have turned green. I have one mushroom I bought green and it has turned intense blue and stayed that way. If you are having concers, move them and see if this helps.
I have seen hairy mushrooms eject their zooxanthellae under MH, but when moved to darker area of tank regained thei color, though those that bleached totally usually stayed brown looking.

 

[Chaotic Reefer4u]

nice shrooms...

 

[FLricordia]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8378428#post8378428 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by jbittner
here are some of mine

What are the green shrooms I have some and have been trying to get an ID and location.

 

[reelfreak]

55Semireef......did you recently switch to the Tek lighting? When I changed lights from PC to T5HO, my shrooms went from looking like your latter pictures to the first picture. In fact they never expand anymore like they did under PC.

My ricordias on the other hand seem to really like the T5 lights, whereas the green ones (like yours, but green) shriveled up and dropped off of their rock and spread out lower in the tank. If you started to see the problem after switching lights, then YES.....too much light. I have first hand experience with this one.

If you didn't recently switch lights, then like others said...check parameters.

Your tank sounds a little like my set up, so I think you're right about the light......

 

[55semireef]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8387336#post8387336 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by reelfreak
55Semireef......did you recently switch to the Tek lighting? When I changed lights from PC to T5HO, my shrooms went from looking like your latter pictures to the first picture. In fact they never expand anymore like they did under PC.

My ricordias on the other hand seem to really like the T5 lights, whereas the green ones (like yours, but green) shriveled up and dropped off of their rock and spread out lower in the tank. If you started to see the problem after switching lights, then YES.....too much light. I have first hand experience with this one.

If you didn't recently switch lights, then like others said...check parameters.

Your tank sounds a little like my set up, so I think you're right about the light......

Did you just put this lighting on the tank? If so, you may be shocking them with a huge increas in lights.

No I have not made any recent transition. It seems like the mushrooms that are being most shaded in my tank look the best but the ones that receive the most direct light shrivels up and looks bleached. hmmmmm

Hope than answered your first question.

The latter pictures actually aren't mine. They are jbittner's. My pictures were just the first ones I posted. But I do agree with you. I think its just the lighting. The mushrooms that are in caves and not getting as much light seem to be opened up but the ones under direct lighting are all scrunched up.

 

[reelfreak]

Doohh..... speed reading got me again!

I agree, the ones getting the most light are going to scrunch up IME.

 

[55semireef]

Haha...its ok.

Most people don't realize that T5 lighting with individual reflectors can be just as strong or stronger than some MH units.