metal halide acclimation

shrimpin

New member
I just bought a 175w coralife metal halide pendant and had been told that it would be best if I acclimated my coral to the new light. Right now I still have a 96w coralife pc light over my 27 gallon 12wx24lx18h, I figured the best way to do so would be for me to get window screen, cut it into sheets and take a sheet away every couple days. My question is how many sheets should I use, and how often should I remove them???

or any other suggestions to go about this......

thanks
 
When I change out MH bulbs I use 2 screens and take 1 off per week. In your case 2-3. Or cut your photoperiod by 1/2-2/3 and increase by 1 hr per week.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12233520#post12233520 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Philwd
When I change out MH bulbs I use 2 screens and take 1 off per week. In your case 2-3. Or cut your photoperiod by 1/2-2/3 and increase by 1 hr per week.

This is the method I use, although I get a bit more extreme. I use 5 sheets of screen and remove one per week. MAKE SURE YOU GET NON-METALLIC SCREEN MATERIAL IF YOU DO THIS. No matter what you do, the screen WILL dip into the water at some point. If you get the nylon version, this is no biggie.

But yeah, going from 96W PC to 175MH - DEFINITELY acclimate.
 
two more questions, how do I tell how old the bulb is (fixture was bought used) and how do I tell if the ballast is magnetic or electric? Also does anyone have a 14k double end that I could try out to see if I like the color???
 
Next to impossible to tell how old the bulb is. You can look at the envelope inside to see if it is coated. If so then probably on the downward part o fit's life. Or if you had a PAR meter you could take a measurement then compare to Sanjay's data.

If the ballast is built in I would go to the manu website and see. Otherwise you'd have to tear into the pendant to see.

175W DE or SE? Pretty much the best bulb out there for 175 is the Iwasaki 14K. 175 does not have many good bulb choices.
 
SE = single ended, plugs in on one side.
DE = double ended, plugs on both sides.

DE tend to be much more intense lighting.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12239435#post12239435 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by psimitry
SE = single ended, plugs in on one side.
DE = double ended, plugs on both sides.

DE tend to be much more intense lighting.

I will be changing out my MH bulbs here shortly for the first time and was curious if you would acclimate a SE just as long as a DE since DE are more intense? my bulbs are SE 250 watt bulbs.
 
Well DE aren't really more intense. Check out Sanjay's site. The DE pendants were better reflectors. Not any longer. It really depends on the ballast you use. If you use electronic then DE will likely be LESS intense than SE. Some people claim using anything other than a M80 HQI ballast on DE will underdrive the bulb and shorten it's life. Ballast manufacturers dispute that. No real data I've seen though.
 
ok so I put 4 screens down and I plan to remove one every 4 days does that sound ok? Also I have the fixture hanging about 14 inches off the water is that ok too?

thanks for all your help!
 
Sounds a little high to me. Mine was about 6 inches off the water, and most stands keep it about 10" off.

Edit: the screen plan sounds ok.
 
any other input on height...i just picked up a 10 150 watt coralife pendant and will be setting it up this tuesday (4/30) and would love some input on height?

thanks
 
How much area are you trying to cover? What do you want to keep on the bottom? How deep is your tank?
 
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