Lighting Transition?

[texhorns98]

OK, my 6X54s should be here today and I'd like to get them going. As of now, the setup is 3 actinic blue and 3 10K daytime. I have individual switches on them and am wondering how to ease the tank into the new lighting setup. Currently, I only have 2X39 and both of them are PowerGlo lamps.

Also, what's a good daily cycle? Blues for a bit, then both, then blues, then lunar...but what amount of time do most people use? I have a few softies, one or two LPS and no SPS (yet). I'll post over on the other forum as to what bulb combo I should eventually shoot for.

I bought these lights on Ebay (not Oddysea) and it says they have individual German parabolic reflectors and the whole thing is made in the USA. I'll let everyone know how they turn out since they were only $275!

[texhorns98]

Anyone?

Echo....Echo......Echo....Echo........Echo.........

:)

[WaterKeeper]

You can pretty much use a regular lighting schedule with what you have. It is corals that mainly need light acclimation. I'd run all the main lights 12-14 hours a day having the actinic come on an hour before the 10,000 K's and stay on an hour after they go off. The moonlights can come on all night unless you have one of those fancy controllers that simulates moon phases. Otherwise run them as you see fit as, again, it is coral that is more interested in the moon.

[texhorns98]

So, right from day one, just run the whole set up like that? No, adding a bulb every other day or anything? Hey, I'm all FOR easy...just want to make sure I don't tick off my few corals too bad! My Youngs Leather sits abour 1/2 way up in the water column...should I move him to the floor (of the tank, that is)?

[surge19us]

I would probably start the 10k's at 4 hours and add an hour every couple days til your where you want. The actinics you can run 12 hrs or whatever right away.

[der_wille_zur_macht]

The key to acclimation is intensity, not duration. If you are worried about the new lights being far more intense than what's currently on there, put the lights higher above the tank, or screen the light by putting one or more layers of (fiberglass, not metal) window screen material on top of the tank.