Lighting Advice plz

[mjpelikan]

We have finally installed the AquaSpaceLight that I bought from ARSENAL11!

I am on a 13 hour cycle with my 260w PC fixture with an AquaControllerIII on a DC8.

Any suggestions on how to migrate to this beefy 650 watt monster?

the 650w is currently hanging 2.5 feet above the tank, and the 260w is sitting on the glass top.

I would like to eventually lower the 650w cause it is blinding to anyone looking at the tank... if lowering it to a point where people aren't getting blinded isn't an option, then I will have to fashion some sort of curtain around the perimeter of the fixture.

 

[Phyto]

That's a monster. You shouldn't have a problem keeping SPS and clams, that's for sure. I'd say just ease it down over a period of time, maybe a month. No need to rush that. I don't know how far down you can safely put it. Your tank temp and evaporation will obviously go up. I hope you have a chiller. With your tank on a stand, the light will still be high enough to blind kids. You may have to build some type of barrier. 650 watts of MH is hard on the eyes, even for 1 second, s I'm sure you know. Good luck buddy.

 

[mjpelikan]

The sump is hopefully going live this weekend in the basement. I am hoping that the coolness of the basement, with the increased exposed surface area will dissipate the heat... if not, I will have to convert one of my old college fridges into a chiller.

Are there any formulae for determining the amount of light reaching the bottom of my tank that I could use to determine what is currently reaching the bottom vs. how far I need to make the 650w from the top to make it equivalent?

Thanks,

Mike

 

[Mykayel]

You can always do an "odd" lighting schedual to aclimate your corals to the new light. Do 2 hrs on and then 1 hr off.

 

[Phyto]

Putting the sump on a concrete basement floor will help.
I don't know of any formula for light penetration. I know the bulb and ballast manufaturers will suggest a recomended height on their websites. There may be a formula but it is probably a rough estimate. You have to consider the many variables like bulb and ballast age, color spectrum, type of ballast, size and shape of reflector, even the amount dissolved organics and surface scum in the water column will effect a penetration formula.
I do have a little device that measures light intensity for my plants. I can't think of the name of it for the life of me. It is one of the "ometers". I bought it for a few bucks at home depot. It could be sealed and sunk to the bottom of your tank.
It's a lux meter. It measures the intesity of light only. If you want it to be the same as your current light setup, you can calibrate it at your PC's intesity. Then, adjust the hight of your MH accordingly, with the lux meter in the same place you measured your PC's from. Light intensity is light intensity wether it is from the sun, PC's or a halide. The level of intensity varies from source to source, thats why we love halides right, but it should remain constant.
Just one option, hope it helps.

 

[mjpelikan]

Great idea! I will just grab my photo light meter, put it in a ziplock, and give 'er a whirl!

Once I have them at equal intensities, I switch directly to the MH, and slowly lower it (and possibly lower some of the corals in the tank) and be golden!

Thank you!

 

[Dert42]

your corals will burst into flames!
underwater!

 

[spongebobby]

Get some screen material to difuse the light.Stack 6 sheets and remove a screen a week. You probably won't want to run your halides for 13 hrs./day. 7-8 hrs should be plenty. Good luck..