lighting--55 gallon reef

[mtglore]

Hi everyone. Just a couple quick questions about lighting for a 55 gallon mini-reef:

1. At 8 watts/gallon, would 440 watts of VHO (i.e., 4 X 110 watts) be considered overkill?

2. How crucial or important is the dawn/dusk effect (i.e., via dual ballasts and/or dual on/off controls)?

Thanks for all your help and attention to my inquiry.

Best wishes,
Michael

 

[Guest]

At 8 watts/gallon, would 440 watts of VHO (i.e., 4 X 110 watts) be considered overkill?

IMO, Just right...

How crucial or important is the dawn/dusk effect (i.e., via dual ballasts and/or dual on/off controls)?

It gives the tank more of a balance as with the natural day and night effect...

 

[ReefLady]

At 8 watts/gallon, would 440 watts of VHO (i.e., 4 X 110 watts) be considered overkill?

IME, no, but it depends on what you intend on keeping. Also, you may need to slowly acclimate new acquisitions to this lighting.

How crucial or important is the dawn/dusk effect (i.e., via dual ballasts and/or dual on/off controls)?

It is not crucial at all - mostly a personal preference, and pleasing to the human eye. The critters in your tank do not care whether you have a dawn-dusk cycle or not.

 

[mtglore]

How does one allow critters to "slowly acclimate" to new lighting conditions?

Thanks for the input so far!

-Michael

 

[ReefLady]

How does one allow critters to "slowly acclimate" to new lighting conditions?

When purchasing a new coral, start it off on the substrate, or in a partially shaded spot (depending on the type of coral, and what type of lighting it came from).

After about a week of allowing it to adjust to it's surroundings, you can move it to a brighter location. I would not move a coral 'up' by more than a third of the tank's height at a time.

You're welcome, and hope this is helpful!