Metal Halides

[xxnonamexx]

I have a 55gal. 260Watt CoralLife Power Compact, 3 1W Lunar Lights, Live sand 4in DSB, 75lbs. Live Rock, 2 Cinnamon Clownfish, Firefish, Magenta Dottyback, snails, crabs, Feather Duster, Sabae Purple Tipped Anenome, 1 White Leather Coral, Red Sun polyp, assorted polyps, 2 Assorted Color Plate Corals, Pipe Organ, Frogspawn, Fox Coral, Flat Brain, Finger Leather, Mushrooms, Green Star Polyps, 2 8" Maxima Clams, Wet/Dry filter, Protein Skimmer, Heater, I have the Liquid Plankton and also frozen plankton and brine shrimp for food.

I hear that metal Halides give a much nicer color to the tank and help corals. I also hear that it promotes alot of unwanted algae. http/www.marineandreef.com/shoppro/power...oaqualight.html
This looks like a nice unit. I was wondering what others think. Thanks

 

[Great Lakes]

IMHO, Power compacts are the underacheivers of the marine lighting world.
They work well in Nano situations where lighting can be problematic due to tank size, but have no business being on tanks 55 gallons and up.

You would find yourself haveing ebdless options for bulb colors of you were to go with a pair of 250w Halide bulbs, supplemanted with a pair of 4' VHO bulbs.

Your plate corals, nenny, brain and green stars will lve you for it.

GL

 

[xxnonamexx]

Ok Thanks for the info. So I should get window screening and cover the entire top of the tank with 6-7 layers. Then like every 3 days I will remove one layer until all layers are off. This shouldn't effect my corals all that I have that is high in the tank is a http/www.flickr.com/photos/59422509@N00/ take a look. I get the MH in 2 weeks. Is it also true that I should keep the lights on for 4hrs day 1 then a lil longer each day? Also I should have open water or egg crate correct instead of glass canopy? Did you take a look at the one I ordered.http/www.hellolights.com/aqadse.html this is the unit

 

[katrinel]

That would be very wise to acclimate your corals too the new light. I didnt and lost one brain coral and almost lost 2 of my other corals.

 

[Navarre]

Alway try and acclimtise corals to any new lighting (even new bulbs).

Corals cannot adjust quick enoughto a more powerful form of lighting and this can cause massive problems deep within the corals structure.. for example, a higher ligh could produce more internal algae and thus overpower or stress the coral. It takes a couple of weeks for a coral to be able ot produce enough tissue pigmentation to create a barrier and stop too much light reaching the algae and thus regulating the alges intenral growth.

I would do one of 2 things.. (maye both if hte lights were very powerful) put the corals at the bottom of the tank for a few days and slowly raise them higher in the tank until their desired position is reached. And raise the lights from teh water surface/cut down on the number of hours the lights are switched on.

 

[amstar15]

sorry to "jump" this topic, but what if you are changing from a 5500 k bulb to a 10k bulbs. should you take teh same precautions

 

[Navarre]

yes, i. Basically over a period of time halides 9any light realy) loses its efficiency so even if you are changing from an old 10k to a new 10k this should be done.

 

[amstar15]

what are some ways to do this? many of my corals have grown and become attached to large pieces of live rock, so i cant move them lower. my halides are in a canopy so I can not raise them any higher? any ideas?

 

[Navarre]

lower the lighting hours.. if you are lit for 8 hours then reduce to 6 and do this for a week.. then the follwing week increase to 7 etc.