Finally bought metal halides and have questions

[hd dude]

Unfortunately over the summer, I lost 30 corals due to excessive heat - because of an air conditioning malfunction. So today, I finally decided to redo my tank. It is a 76 gallon, half circle, Oceanic tank with 200lbs of live rock.

I purchased a Hamilton 36" light fixture which has a total of 400watts of metal halide and two atinic vho's. I also purchased an Arctica titanium chiller 1/4 horse to control excessive heat. My questions are as follows: What is the best way to set up the ligting pattern. The light fixture has two led's, which I am assuming will stay on all the time. What I was looking to do was have the atinics come on from 9:00am to 12:00pm and then both the atinics and the metal halides come on at the same time from 12:00 to 6:00pm, and then the atinics from 6:00pm to 12:00. I am having a hell of a time trying to figure out this timer, it is a coralife day and night timer or wavemaker. Can anyone give me any insight if this is the correct light cycle and what is the best timer on the market which is the easiest to use.


I was told that the above is the optimum light set up for my tank to house any corals and clams - is this true?

Thanks for any guidance or assistance you can give me.

[bertoni]

I'd probably shorten the light period to 8-10 hours, with an hour of actinic or so at the beginning and end. I use the Intermatic timers from the hardware store. I don't know anything about the CoraLife.

[tmz]

I agree. The 6 hour halide is ok but 15 hours actinic is long. Moon light can be separately timed. i like to allow a one hour period of darkness in the pm and am preceeding and following the leds on the theory that darkness is natural and needed for some biological processes.

[hd dude]

great thanks for the input, is this a good set up, I have the chiller set at 77 degrees, and have changed the amount the MH are on - 6 hours as well as the actinic down to 10 hours - both MH & Actinic on together for the 6 hours that the MH's are on. See how this works!

[muzz]

I would set the chiller to 79 or 80 degrees. Most corals like it around 80, 77 might be too chilly for optimal growth. This is what I have always read............