Photoperiod descriptions?

[Xolsiion]

I'm still very new to the hobby, but my tank is predominately Corallimorpharians. Looking back at older pictures I've noticed that almost all of my mushrooms have gotten smaller and lost some color. The only exception are my ricordea which seem to be doing just fine. Other coral seems to do ok and I've never had a test that isn't optimum (with the exception of calcium running a little low) - so I don't think its my params, I think its my lighting.

So I was wondering if people could describe their photoperiods and lighting?

I have PCs: 65W 10,000k (10 hrs a day) and 65W Actinic (11.5 hrs a day) on a 20 gallon tall tank.

 

[leezer]

I have a 3 gallon tank with a whole bunch of different inhabitants, including 11+ mushrooms of various sizes and colors. The tank came with a single 9w PC 50/50 bulb (half actinic and half daylight). With that lighting, everything was existing in a state somewhere between "barely holding on" and "staying alive happily". I added a Coralife 2x9w light with 1 actinic and 1 daylight bulb about 2 weeks ago and have seen everything (except my toadstool because I can't get him situated anywhere) begin to grow substantially. My lights are about 4-5 inches above the water and the water is only about 7-8 inches at the deepest point.

With all three bulbs running I have 27w total, split half and half between daylight and actinic. That works out to be 9w per gallon of tank capacity. Your setup works out to 6.5w per gallon, which could be enough except for things that very low in the tank. Try moving (if you haven't already) a few mushrooms to the highest spot in the tank (slowly, though...over the course of a few days, moving it up just a little each day) and note whether they regain color and size over the next couple of weeks.

 

[Xolsiion]

I was actually worried that I had too much light. Or rather, that I was running my lights too long.

Unfortunately I got the majority of these coral a couple weeks after getting my current light, but the one orange discoma (I think its discoma - its not a ricordea or yuma) was huge when I had a 65W 1/2 10,000K and 1/2 Actinic. With the new light it continued to grow, and continued to have color - but all the heads got smaller and it stopped "reaching" towards the top of the tank. It went from having a nice stalk to being tight against the rock its on.

I was under the impression that when the mushrooms 'tighten' up its because they get enough light without having to really expand out? Is this incorrect? How long do you run your lights?

Thanks!