LPS light acclimation

[Caragol]

I just moved a couple of LPS corals from my frag tank (with a lot of cheap PC lighting) to my display (6 bulb T5 Tek Light). They've been model citizens, colorful, healthy, growing in the frag tank. One's a chalice, the other is a plating hydnophora (some people call this one SPS). OH! I forgot about a tiny piece of galaxia, tiny tiny, maybe about 10 tenticles, smaller than a pencil eraser (accidental frag that's been slowly growing in my frag tank for a month or so).

There's no way that PC light can compare in intensity to the T5s, so I started off by placing these guys at the bottom of the tank. They hydnophora so far has kept it's color, but it stays close to it's skeleton. The chalice is bleaching, and the galaxia hasn't extended it's tenticles in a couple of days. When I saw the chalice bleaching I moved it to a slightly more shaded area in hopes this would help.

These are the first few corals I've moved from my frag tank to my new display. Other corals in the display are doing well, but came from MH environments to my tank.

I suppose other parameters could come into play, but I was blaming my non-existent light acclimation.

Right now, calc is 460, alk 8.5dkh, 0 ammonia, 0 nitrites, 0 nitrates, also 0 phosphates and 1600 mag. The mag is a bit high, but not unnaturally high, I was/am fighting a bryopsis issue. (FYI, Tech M and raising the mag levels worked for me to eliminate any visible bryopsis in the display).

I did a float acclimation only... I suppose with the increased mag levels a drip might have been smarter too.

At any rate, that's a lot of background... I still have a strong feeling I just gave it too intense light too fast and don't want to repeat this error going forward. I will not be upgrading the frag tank lighting as I will be shutting it down as the last few frags are moved out anyway.

I guess to summarize what I'm looking for:

1) If the chalice is not completely bleached (yet) do you think it will be OK in time, or do I move it back into the PC lit environment and let it recover?

2) Other than a slower drip acclimation due to different mag parameters, what should I do about light acclimation? Can I start in a shady spot and move outward or should I only have a couple of bulbs on for a few days afterwards?

[benihana]

I agree with you, I think it is the lighting that they need to acclimate to. Similar to your situation I switched my tank from 260 wts PC to 8x54 T5. What I did was went to the local hardware store and bought regular window screen (enough to make 3 strips that cover the entire top of the tank) then every 3-4 days I removed one layer...it seemed to help a lot

[Caragol]

That sounds like a plan. I've got one prized (by me) fungia LPS that is too beautiful to let anything happen to it. I got it as a smaller than a quarter sized frag for $5 and it's now 6 inches across and bursting with color.

What do you think of this plan?
Day 1 add frags, no lights except light from room.
Day 2 two bulbs only (10k).
Day 3 four bulbs only (10k, 6500k).
Day 4 all six bulbs (10k, 6500k, actinic).

Think that might save me a trip to the store?

[benihana]

That should be fine as well, another way to do it would be to set timers. Have your Actinics turn on and off normally, and slowly (over the course of a week or so) bring up the time in the 10K/65K bulbs. Either way, I think you will be fine.