[jnarowe]

I think there are some good points within the article. I know in my situation, I have a very difficult time with certain species of coral because of my intense lighting. Most LPS cannot adapt to it, even in the shade, ricordia is totally out of the question. I also note the corals close to my lamps will spread rather than grow upwards at a certain point.

The three common statements regarding light given in the beginning of the article are not considered current conventional wisdom though. But since the article was written in 2004, I give the author a pass on that.

The thing that bears out the info. in the article is the fact that when we change out halide lamps, if we do not raise them or filter the light, corals will bleach from the sudden change in light intensity. That is why I recommend that reef keepers burn in their lamps prior to putting them over their reefs.

There are some quite spectacular reefs that are lit with all sorts of lighting. So from this I conclude there is no "right" way to light a tank. I use powerful halides primarily because of the depth of my tank and to save energy costs by moving the lamps over the tank. I get great results with an added benefit that my anemones do not climb up the rocks to get more light.