Flourecents to MH

[dreamcr]

I'm setting up a 120 gal tank and plan on putting an Orbit MH/flourescent fixture on it. I have a 46 gal tank now with a Satelite compact flourescent fixture. My question is being that the MH lights are brighter/stronger does the time I should have the MH on differ? Currently I keep the actinics on (according to the time of year, I shorten/lengthen the times to match daylight hours)12 +/- hours a day and the daylights on about 6 +/- hours. Would that be too long of an exposure with MH? :eek1:

[Blazer88]

I keep my MH on for about 10 hours a day and my VHO's on for about 12. If you are changing the tank over to MH, you probably want to start with a few hours a day and increase it a few hours per week to allow the corals acclimate to the intense light. My corals made the switch from PC to MH just fine, it just take a little time for them to get used to it.

[Blazer88]

Oh, you also don't need to adjust the light to match daylight hours. I believe most reefs have 12 hours of sunlight since they are located very near the equator. It doesn't matter if it's dark outside and the tank is light, it's probably better to just keep the tank light constant in terms of timing.

[dreamcr]

Hey thanks for the input!

[dreamcr]

Hey, good point in regard to reefs and the equator. Never thought of that! LOL