will my sps bleach with 250w MH
- Thread starter damienkee
- Start date
any idea to share?
ClownReef®
Bubbletrousing
I would start with short photoperiods..then increase them gradually..let your corals get used to the increment of light.
Lunchbucket
Premium Member
don't do the short photoperiod method. that does NOT work that well plus it is a PITA.
got to Home Depot, Menards, or Lowes and get stuff callted light diffuser or egg crate. it is the square stuff put under flour lights to focus them.
then get some nylon windown screen while you are there
use a side cutters (or such) to cut a piece or 2 (i like 2...its easier to remove) to fit the top of your tank.
then cut 3-4 layers of window screening to fit the eggcrate. tape layer one one, layer two on top of that, three on top of 2, and 4 ontop of 3.
set your lights to 8hrs or whatever photoperiod you are going to run and run that for 7days. then peel off 1 layer of screen, run for 7days remove layer three, etc, etc.
this will give them time to acclimate. you can do longer periods then 7days if you wish.
i have done the on/off or short photoperiods before and this window screen method is MUCH easier and works better IMO
Lunchbucket
got to Home Depot, Menards, or Lowes and get stuff callted light diffuser or egg crate. it is the square stuff put under flour lights to focus them.
then get some nylon windown screen while you are there
use a side cutters (or such) to cut a piece or 2 (i like 2...its easier to remove) to fit the top of your tank.
then cut 3-4 layers of window screening to fit the eggcrate. tape layer one one, layer two on top of that, three on top of 2, and 4 ontop of 3.
set your lights to 8hrs or whatever photoperiod you are going to run and run that for 7days. then peel off 1 layer of screen, run for 7days remove layer three, etc, etc.
this will give them time to acclimate. you can do longer periods then 7days if you wish.
i have done the on/off or short photoperiods before and this window screen method is MUCH easier and works better IMO
Lunchbucket
Znut Reefer
Premium Member
I agree with Lunchbucket it works better, and then you are sure they won't bleach on you.
RichConley
New member
I ran a 250 on a 12" deep tank, theyre really a waste. You're not going to see any improvement in your corals. You dont really say what size tank it is, other than depth, but I was running it on a 20L, and to not bleach everything, I had to keep it up 12"+ above the tank, and was spraying light all over the room at that point, really just not an optimal setup.
Lunchbucket
Premium Member
damienkee - no problem. figured someone could learn from my mistakes
Lunchbucket
Lunchbucket
herefishyfishy2
New member
I have a 75 gallon with a 4-5" DSB which makes the tank alot shallower. I have some troubles with bleaching no matter where I put SPS and no matter how careful I acclimate so I feel your pain. I have the Aqua-Medic 48" 2x250 and 1x150 Ocean light running all DE 20k AB bulbs . Certainly looking forward to my new 120 to spread that light out a little and not be so intense.
Wiskey
New member
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7065975#post7065975 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by damienkee
but would acclimate help? coz its only 12"H
thanks!
Like I said, I would go with the 150W hands down.
If you are dead set on 250W then you can always put the pendit 14 inches off the tank and not have too much light in the tank but I think that is a waist.
Whiskey
Lunchbucket
Premium Member
herefishyfishy - i run 2x400w MH on my 58gal and i bleach NOTHING if i acclimate them right. there is something not going right with either you acclimation or you water.
Lunchbucket
Lunchbucket
herefishyfishy2
New member
Thats what I am leaning towards as well. Just can't figure it out. I would have to say that its acclimation somehow someway. Whats odd is I have a friend that I get frags from with 3 400watt bulbs on his tank and I bring them home and acclimate carefully with the screen layer method and they still bleach even with would you could consider less light. Starts at just the tips and works its way down the frag/colony.
Lunchbucket
Premium Member
what are your water parameters? what is you po4?? doesn't sound like light to me. not sure what but run all yoru tests and psot the parameters
Lunchbucket
Lunchbucket
