acclimating tank to MH

[dropped]

hi everyone. My tank is just about finished cycling. ammonia and nitrite are at 0.1 and nitrates are at 10. i think in about a week it'll be ready for a cleanup crew.

during the cycling process, i've been lighting the tank for 1hr each day. 2x250w radiums BTW. Now that the cycle is almost finished, i have the lighting period up to 2hrs a day.

there are no real signs of algae yet, but since the cycle is almost finished, is it safe to start increasing the light period? 1 hour more per day okay? i've noticed that most run their MH's 8-9 hrs/day. should i get up to that much? and then add the cleanup crew?

if i get up to 8/day, what about when i add corals? can i just place them lower in the tank (24" deep) to acclimate them?

when should my algae come lol? will a 1hour/day increase bring some?

 

[jackdp]

Without corals in the tank, I wouldn't worry about how long the lights are on. Set them for a 8-9 hour cycle right now. If you have LR, it may need acclimated slowly or it could bleach the coralline, but it will grow back. How you acclimate the corals depends on what kind of lighting they came from and how different yours is. If you don't know the previous lighting for the coral then it is a good idea to start it lower in the tank and even shaded and then slowly increase its light exposure over a couple of weeks till it is in its final placement. Final placement will depend on the coral and its lighting needs. HTH