Light blasting

[brad]

Here is an idea I wondered if anyone has tried. Blast your corals with extreme light for less than 1 hour per day, and keep normal lighting for the rest of a normal photoperiod.

I thought about this earlier, but "The Ultimate Reef Tank Lighting Series" shows Mike Paletta doing something similar. He is running LEDs as his main lighting with high PAR, warmer halides going on for an hour during the day.

On a real reef, sun gets brighter as the day goes on. If you factor in shading, clouds, etc, a short blast of intense light is not that unnatural.

 

[psykobowler]

This is what I am doing currently. I run AI hydra 52s for 9 hours and 400watt radiums for 4 hours. Looking good so far. It's not even metal halide vs led. I am using both to my advantage and still saving on electricity. Both are full spectrum and looks good.