Lighting schedule?

[cal91666]

My current lighting schedule is - actinic's on at 12pm, mh's on at 1pm, mh's off at 10pm and actinic's off at 11pm. I've recently added some SPS frags including some acropora and staghorn. Should I gradually lengthen my lighting schedule or leave it the way it is? BTW lighting consists of 2 x 250watt 10K MH's and 2 x 96watt actinic PC's on a 90 gal. tank.

 

[reefrunner69]

IMO, if your adding corals you should shorten it. I think your lighting schedule could stand to be lenthend by about an hour as a normal photo period, but when adding new corals you should acclimate them to the light. I would cut the schedule to two hours twice a day, adding 1/2 hour to the middle of each photo period per week until they meet and your at your target photo period. You may notice that the corals bleach a week or two after getting them due to the increased light if not acclimated properly.