Lighting question

[stradt03]

I just upgraded my 150's lights from 192 watt PC 50/50s, up to a 72" (3) 175watt MH and (2) 196 watt actinic blues.

This is quite a bit more light than I had before, my question is....do I need to do a light acclimation? Will the coralline on the rocks get burnt by the sudden increase in light? (kinda like a sun burn I guess)

second question is, what kind of light cycle do you guys run for these types of lights? I currently have no corrals but would like to start getting into them since I now have proper lighting.

thanks alot,

Jason

 

[cal91666]

Do you have anything else in the tank? I would be more concerned about any fish then the coralline. The sudden increase in light can stress fish also. With that said I have a smaller tank, 90 gallons. I am running 2 x 250 watt MH's and 2 x 110 watt VHO's. The VHO's come on at 11 am, the MH's come on at 12:30 pm and go back off at 10 pm, and the VHO's go off at 11 pm. Seems to work for my schedule and allow me prime viewing while I'm at home. I've heard of some people, that work shift work, altering the on/off times to allow them to view their tank while they are home but the duration of the lighting scheme is usually similar.

 

[lando]

http://www.aquariumadvice.com/article_view.php?faq=2&fldAuto=37
Here is a good article on photo-acclimation.

I run my MH lamps 8hrs a day, actinics for 10.

 

[stradt03]

how high should I have the fixture off the water? I'm using the mounting legs that came with the unit and it sits ~ 10-11 inches off the water.

 

[lando]

that should be fine