911...SPS help

[scarybo]

I have a problem with my VHO ballast took it in for service today. I will have it back Wed. night. The problem is a friend gave me two SPS colonies he ordered but couldnt keep. I have temporary lighting 220 watt pc (40 gal tank). All water parameters are fine, but I'm worried about the light the next two days. Is there anything I should do to protect these colonies or am I worrying needlessly.

 

[fishfood]

I don't see any problem keeping them under that light because they are not really any better off under the VHO's. You will keep them alive if thats all you want to do until your friend can take them back and get them under MH hopefully.

 

[lordofthereef]

many sps corals will thrive under vho lights. i have even read of a person who propagates them with normal output lights. the whole sps bug just bit me too, so i've been doing alot of research on the subject. the more you look into it, the more you'll realize that lighting isn't even half of the story. water quality, current, calcium, alk, and trace elements mean more then just light.
do the research and you too will see what i'm talking about.
sometimes too much light is bad for sps too.

 

[blondenaso1]

Lord, you have a good point and have obviously done your research. With VHO over a 40gal I am sure they will do fine considering that you have the rest of your water parameters in check. I only have 1 175MH over my 55 with the rest 440 of VHO. I have at least 17 different SPS corals and they are all doing great. You should be ok with a couple days of less light. Think of it as 2 cludy days in the middle of winter

 

[fishfood]

well my point is that most will not color up under lower lights, and that is why i said he would be able to keep them alive. I bought a blue tip acro from a lfs that was in a tank with VHO lighting raised off the tank about 3 ft. It was alive and well but was brown. They had the same frag in their show tank that only runs VHO also. It was green. Well the one that i got stayed brown for about a month and i just moved it into my new sps tank that is only running a 250watt MH. It has started to turn blue finally. I watched the frag in the tank at the store for well over a month and all it never did anything but stay brown. They have one more left and it has to have been there for 2 to 3 months now and is still brown and the one in their show tank is still green. All the frags that i have moved from my 175w mh with 285 watts of vho to my tank with 250mh have all gotten brighter pinks/purples/greens slowly. They had some color under the 175 w mh. That tank also had the calcium at 500 for a few months now and the alk was a little low but still good for acros. The new tank has only been up since Dec 1 and the acros look better IMO now than in the old established tank. Yes I have seen tanks with only vho lighting that have sps corals but have also seen better sps corals under mh lighting. So yes he should have no problem keeping his sps until the vho get back but i wouldn't expect that great of color is all.

 

[scarybo]

Thanks ...that puts my mind at ease.
Once I get my VHO back, I will have 380 watts on a 40 gal. From the research I have done that will be good for sps. Most of the research I have done has proven sps can grow and thrive under VHO and sometimes have even better color then MH. MH provides a very intense light over a small area. VHO isnt as powerful but it provides a strong light over a larger area. SPS need more then just intense light. PC arent sufficient for most SPS due to the weakness in atinic light and the light is concentrated in a small area.

 

[justinx]

I keep a couple sps, and they are what i would consider thriving. Nice colors too. I do have them high in the tank though.