So this is my first reef tank and i have setup a 55 gallon tank with two 175 watt metal halides for lighting. when i first started i was stupid and got the flourescent bulbs from petco that say there for coral but i quickly learned that that isnt enough light so i did some research and it seemed like metal halides are the best bet besides the heat they produce. The only problem im having is since i got them my toadstool seems to be kind of shriveling up and my candy apple wont come out at all but my star polyps love it. i have the star polyps the highest up in the tank the other two are just above the substrate cuz i dont want them to bleach out should i maybe hide them in some shade or just hope they adjust? By the way the tank has cycled and everything ive set up two saltwater tanks and a freshwater before ive just never done a reef before
Question on coral lighting
- Thread starter sample789
- Start date
karsseboom
New member
you want like 2 actinic bulbs along with the mh so you get good color. You should run the actinic buls for an hour or 2 before the mh turn on. I would run the mh for about 6 to 7 hours a day is all you need.
smtank
New member
Yes.
I would cut back the photo period to 6-7 hours. It will take some time for the LPS to come around again.
As for the leather, does it have a waxy film on the surface? If so try placing in an area of higher flow and decreasing the photo-period will assist it as well.
