MH Acclimation

[SSGumby]

Hi,

I hope to be finishing up my hood this weekend and installing (along with finishing my sump :)). I currently have 4 40W NO's. My new hood will be these along with a 250W 12k MH.

I have Xenia, mushrooms and yellow polyps currently. They have been in the tank for almost two weeks. Should I do anything to acclimate them to the MH? It will be hanging from the ceiling, so I could start it out high and gradually lower it.

Also, should I expect a whole new algae bloom?

Mike

[Fishwife]

That's what I did. Started them high and lowered them little by little. You will see things open up like never before. If anything starts to draw in after you've lowered them raise the lights a little bit again. I have 10Ks supplemented with NO actinics. Are you supplementing the 12s with actinics or are you using your NO bulbs as white light? Let me know and tell me how it looks.

As far as algae bloom, we had a tiny bit but not much.

Good luck - you're gonna love that MH look!

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Fishwife

"By the sea, by the sea, by the beautiful sea..."

[badgers]

What is the mechanisim that damages corals with to much light?
I would appreciate it if someone could explain it to me. If these things are taken from the ocean I would think that we would be underexposing them.
thank you for your time and have a good day

[portelli]

I would think it is like us after winter. We are pale from lack of exposure to the sun. Then when we go out in the full bright sun with our pale skin we get burnt. But if we take it slow we can tan and adjust so we do not get burnt. The corals are the same way. The algae inside the corals need to adjust to the new light. As soon as they 'tan' they are good to go in the brigher light. At least I think. I'm a computer scientist not a marine biologist, so you may wnat to get on of those to answer.

[Staceon]

Badgers,

I agree with you about underexposing. But I will describe what I saw when I changed from having PC's for 2 years to MH. Now I realize that I do not fully understand everything that goes on, and hopefully somelse can chime in here. The corals were growing, expanding, reproducing, etc... at a given rate. I equate that rate to light source, water, and the generality know as food. Now lets up the anty on the light source. To me it looked like a change was taking place at a cellular level. Meaning at first the corals were expending much more than usual, thus I though taking in the excess light, the problem I saw is how they converted that excess energy. Seems like the coral were working on overdrive. If that overdrive is to great I would tend to think negative effects would come about. Once the corals leaned to use the new energy and process it they came back to their former glory.

Now all this may be way to general or complety inaccurate, just going from personal experince.

[SSGumby]

FW,

I will have two daylight and two actinic with my NO's.

Not sure how it will look yet, we'll see.

Mike

[smpolyp]

What can happen with to much light exposer that I remember reading.The coral takes in more light energy than it can produce(due to not enough Zooxanthellea to convert the light to food)This energy then stores up and creates heat from inside.Even if the water is very cool the coral burns from the inside out.So slow acclimation of light can help build up the zooxanthellea.Some aquarist also state that adding iodine to the tank can help.

[DaveinKY]

Hey Gang,
I think I read in Tullock somewhere that corals that have been under low lighting such as the LFS, and are then transfered to a high light environment will synthesize at a very high rate increasing oxygen to a deadly level. FWIW.

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Dave
"We amateurs must not, in our excitement, trample down the whole meadow, just to pluck a few wildflowers" John Tullock

[badgers]

smpolyp: could the burning be do to the oxygen level and not heat? It would seem that the coral needs to get rid of extra zoozanthelle(how do you spell this?) under higher lighting.
But i do not know so maybe i am just guessing.

[tubs]

Hi,

Dave is correct. Corals accustomed to lower light levels compensate by increasing the population of zooxanthellae and what you typically see is a browning up of the coral. When the lighting levels are increased on these corals, the oxygen production is also increased and can be increased to a point where it is toxic. Syptoms of this are corals closing up and expelling brown strings of zooxanthellae as a response. Keep this in mind when you're adjusting the light levels.

Regards,
John Susbilla
Please visit my Reef Flat at: http://www.homestead.com/reefflat/files/index.htm

[Staceon]

tubs, WELCOME! and sweeeeeeeeeeeeeet tank!

[tubs]

Hi Staceon,

Thanx and I really appreciate the welcome.

John Susbilla

[DaveinKY]

tubs,
Great looking tank! Looks like coralline coverage is tremendous! Nice page!

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Dave

[smpolyp]

Yes it could be from the ox.I forgot to say that I was talking about when you see that coral bubble like a ballon.I'm not scientist by any means but when energy is stored dosen't it create heat?