Lighting changes - LTA questions

[wisebonzai]

I've got an LTA who I have owned and treasured for around six months or seven.

It's growing and healthy, hosting 2 Gold Barred Maroons who use it to cover eggs constantly.

I have it under 4 96 watt PC right now in a 55 gallon aquarium.

It sits dead center of the tank, and I am going to do a lighting upgrade and I am very frightened of ruining a good thing.

You know the old saying...if it's not broken, don't fix it? Well, my lighting has run smoothly for awhile now, but I think a lot of other corals may become available to me if I add the halide system I bought.

I got a Current Sunpod, 36" unit (my tank is 48") and it has 2 150w HQI 14k (new bulbs) and I am going to mount that on the 55 gallon aquarium and leave 2 96 W CF, one on each side of the Current to boost the spectrum, with 10k actinics.

My concern is for my beloved LTA. I do not want to cause it any undue issues. Right now, it's very healthy, eating 2x weekly, growing like crazy.

Would you suggest some kind of way to acclimate my anemone, or would you just put the lights on and switch out the 2 CF, or how would you suggest I go about the transition?

Thankyou all in advance.

 

[myxsptlk]

I'd find a way to prop the MH up so that the nm doesn't get a sudden change of intensity, then slowly lower it over the course of a couple weeks. I have an LTA under halides and it loves it.

 

[wicked_NaCl_h2o]

My purple lta did fine under pc lights, but its looks much better under MH 150w 14ks.

here it is under PC.

and now MH's

The LTA grew under PC and it was always healthy.

IME the lights never made a difference on the health of my lta.

Mine wasn't stressed when I switched lights..it adjusted very well as you can see in the pictures.

 

[davocean]

I'm sure 150w mh will be fine, and I too would raise a little to acclimate it.
Mine took on much healthier color when I went from PC's to 150w MH just as wickeds did(nice BTW)
To be on safe side I did make a little shelf of LR so it could tuck in if needed, and it did stretch in/out.

 

[Toddrtrex]

I would put a piece of egg create over the tank, and then some layers (( 3 )) of window screening. Removing one layer each week. The egg create is to hold to screening.