new halides...help me out plz

[danieljames]

http://archive.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=418559

[TN_sledge]

Most recomendations I have seen is 8 to 10 inches.

[gflat65]

How would everyone recommend acclimating to the new light? That's alot of extra light that wasn't already there. I had talked to dj about this this weekend, and didn't really know how to advise. I had to drape a piece of paper towel over the halide section for two weeks after I upgraded from the 12K to the 10K Ushio (believe me, it was an upgrade). That was in addition to reducing my light cycles for about three weeks (maybe four, can't really remember now). I ran them at 5 hours for the first week, 7 for the second, then to the 10-11 hour mark (I've always run long photoperiods). MY VHO bulbs were pretty burnt at that time too. Given that he's got the completely adjustable type (similar to what EBay is carrying now), he may be able to forgo some of the acclimation procedures.(?)

[danieljames]

I put them about 12" above the tank today for around 4-5 hours. I didn't notice anything closing up on me. In fact ....that little orange plating digi extended polyps for the first time that i have seen. Popped right out. My zoa skirts extended much further as well, as did the size of them. They just blew up man. I was watching the shrooms mostly, to really gauge. I thought they would tell me first if anything was wrong. They all seemed to extend normally, except for the red one at the very bottom. He did not extend as big, but looked happy. I am so stoked. I just can't believe the difference. I've been glued to it all day.....lol. One of my 20k's was bad. The company sent me out another one yesterday, so i actually had one 10k and one 20k today. Two 20k's tomorrow. My skimmer started skimming yesterday as well.

What should i watch for as far as bleaching? Much less polyp extension? I'm one happy person today for sure. These lights just blew me away. I'm seein' a clam in my near future...woohoo

[boofer]

Thats what i would think, with them being pendants just keep them say for example 15-20 inches from the water and say every other day move them down an inch or so till you reach the normal 9 inch range or so. over a 2 week period seems the norm. id just watch everything real close for sure. im about to switch to halide over my 29 (if germany ever lets those damn ac bulbs out!!) and was probably going to do similar. but i was also looking at the screen method. just seemed like a hassle to me. let me know what you end up doing and how your inhabitants do. as my journey to the halide side begins here shortly:D

[boofer]

beat me by 1 minute :) sounds great man! I cant wait!!

[danieljames]

what halide setup are you gettin' boofer?

[boofer]

I went with all sunlight supply..reef optix III, Blue wave III 250 watt DE...hopefully the aquaconnect 14k bulb ive been waiting on since may will be here shortly. if not within the next 2 weeks im going with either a 14k hamilton or 20k ab...prob 14k hamilton. yeah man im really excited about it, but as i said may is a long time to be waiting and my patience is running out fast :)

[fishdoc11]

Just don't get impatient with the acclimation whatever you do. I would take 2 weeks minimum and maybe as much as a month to get up to 8 hours. Bleaching sometimes is slow and sometimes is fast. I would watch for the corals to become lighter by the day. If you start seeing this happen slow down a little bit.
Chris

[danieljames]

would they not become lighter because of the intensity anyway? How can i tell if its bleaching or just acclimation? I think i'll raise them up a bit tomorrow.

[Oldschooler]

Lighter? No. More *colorful*, maybe. If they become "lighter", across the board, as fishdoc says, you got problems.

~Roberto

[fishdoc11]

Lighter as in approaching white a little more every day. Im sorry it's hard to explain unless you've seen it and I hope you don't. They just get lighter and lighter each day. A change in color will be more gradual, over a few weeks typically.
Chris

[danieljames]

These bulbs are crap. They are shifting already to a pinkish hue. Gonna return them on monday. I noticed my sps are definately getting a bit whiter. I have a monti with purpleish skin under the pc's. It is definately getting lighter. Almost pink under the halides.
Chris....that orange monti frag is definately getting lighter on the tips. It was a lighter orange...and is even lighter now. Raise the lights up higher i guess? If they have started to bleach....will raising the lights up now stop the bleaching? I'm going to be switching over to the 11k's that came with the pendants until i can get other 20's. I'm thinking ushio's. Any suggestions?.

[fishdoc11]

What brand of bulbs are they? I would think about the Hamilton or aquaconnect 14k bulbs since you have HQI. I have seen a lot of people that are happy with theirs. The Ushio 250 watt SE are great but I don't know about the DE 150's. Ushio, Hamilton and Aqualine all make good bulbs IMO. The digi's tips are normally white when they are growing fast. But if the orange part is getting whiter I would move the lights up higher. How long are you running the bulbs?
Chris

[danieljames]

They are azoo chris. I've been reading threads all day. The asian bulbs do not have a good rep. They colors have switched on all the ones i have tried. yellow and pink and a nasty washed out blue. The ushio's seem to be a nice coloration. I have yet to see the aquaconnect. many threads about them being very cool. the tips on that monti have been a light orange under the pc's. They are definately whitening up. I don't think its a bad thing though. I have to switch over to the 11k's that came with the pendants until i get the new bulbs. So i'm gonna raise them a bit anyhow. The overal color has stayed the same on everything. The hamiltons don't offer a 150 20/14k hqi. So that narrows my choices a bit. I've been running the bulbs about 6 hours a day. I think i will go with the ushio, coralvue, or giesemann. The price of the ushio is quite a bit lower than the radium or geisemann. So with two bulbs in mind, i might go with the ushio. I don't think i would be dissapointed. I hope this company takes the bulbs back

[fishdoc11]

I use the Ushio SE 250's and I like them very much. The tips of the digi are white when it is happy. If you get any more worried you might go down to 5 hrs a day but sounds like you have a handle on it:-)
Chris

[boofer]

thats the thread that sold me on aquaconnect...theres a few comparison picks too. are you going to run actnics? if not the ushio might be too yellow (depends on your preferance of course). if ac's interest you (although there not cheap) premium aquatics have the 150's in stock so no waiting. I ordered a hamilton 14k (couldnt wait for the ac anymore) so ill see about that one, although everything Ive read seems good about them. Im still on the ac waiting list so Ill probably get that bulb when it comes in (if ever) to compare. I thought having 1 bulb as a spare might not be a bad idea and I can get the shimmer going sooner :) HTH

[fishdoc11]

Boofer has a good point about the Ushios being too yellow without the atinics.
Chris

[boofer]

just thought about BLV 20k..doesnt Ushio make that??

[danieljames]

I mean to get an ushio 20k. Not a 10k. I've seen pics of the ushio 20k and its looks perfect. Not yellow at all. Are you guys talking about the 20k?

[fishdoc11]

No, the 10k. Missed you were talking about the 20k. I have the 10k and like it but with atinics:-)
Chris

[danieljames]

Went ahead with the ushio 20k's. Jeremy over at premium aquatics helped me out quite a bit. Should be here on wednesday. I'll post some pics. thanks much for the help.

[gflat65]

Let us know how those 20K Ushios are. I agree with fishdoc. You gotta have actinics with the 10K's. They do start to hold color a little even under the 10K's after awhile. I lost all color after switching to the 10K Ushio. I had the VHO's off last weekend while I was wiring up my recently repaired Icecap ballast (thanks again coralreefing), and the corals that didn't have any color other than brown when I first changed to the Ushios's were actually displaying color under only the Ushio's. Of course, they all look great under the 10K's and VHO 03's (except my blue tip digi's for some reason).

[boofer]

yeah Daniel, was thinking 10k too..didnt realize ushio made a 20k.
FYI did a little research and blv20k cores are made by ushio. thought Id read that somewhere. let us know how its going

[danieljames]

yeah. the blv is the company that produces the ushios. Very same bulb from what i understand. almost all my corals are within 6-7" of the surface. My zoa's and a nepthea are towards the bottom, but even then its only about 10". I'm thinking with two of the 20k 150 de's i can have the best of both worlds. Plenty of intensity for growth, and plenty of kelvin for color.

An interresting observation....you know the red shroom i said that would not extend nicely with the 20k azoo's? With the 11k's, at the same height, it extends nicely. I found that really weird, being that the 11k's should have better par, and assuming that the shroom was not extending because of light intensity. I wonder if an odd kelvin temp can be irritating some how? This shroom certainly did not like the strange spectrum it was getting with the 20k azoo's.