Another lighting question

[mini-reefer]

Right now I've got a 36" 96 Watt CSL PC and a standard 24" flo. actinic on my 34 gallon reef. I WAS going to upgrade in the next week to a 400 watt metal halide Iwasaki 12k sunburst and a 55 watt PC actinic. But I'm starting to read many other opinions that tell me that MH might be too much. I thought there was no such thing as too much light? With the setup I was planning on I would be around 13.3 watts per gallon.
As far as fish go I have 4, and I'm leaving it at that. A Bangaii, Gramma, and two Saddlebacks.
As far as corals go, all I have now is Zoanthids and green star polyps, and lots of assorted shrooms. But, I am planning on 1 or 2 hard corals and maybe even an sps.
I am planning on building my own very ventilated and somewhat tall canopy to accomadate the MH's. So, is 400 watts of MH too much?
As Sammy asked, where are the lighting experts? <img src="graemlins//confused.gif" border="0" alt="[confused]" />
Mini-Reefer

 

[kelly]

Although I am not a lighting expert, yes you can have to much lighting for certain corals. You can also move some of the corals that do not like a lot of light lower in the tank, or into less lit areas.
Some mushrooms will actually shrivel up and die if given too much light. Just like creatures on land, those in reefs can also get sun burnt.
I personally do not think that 400W of MH is to much, but give your corals time to adjust to the increased lighting by shortening the amount of time the lights are on each day, and then gradually increase it until you reach your normal lighting period.
You may have to move some of the corals near the top of the tank, especially if they are not light loving corals. As others have mentioned, you will need to know the lighting requirements of each of the corals you wish to keep. Do a little research, and move them accordingly.
I hope this helps.

 

[mlm]

A 400 watt MH light is for a tank that is very deep. In your tank if you want MH I would not go with more than 175 watt.

 

[option720]

OK OK OK-
I don't think i can handle this whole watts per gallon debate anymore. Lighting a reeftank has nothing to do with watts per gallon, it has to do with the intensity of light required by corals. Hopefully the following statement will put an end to this type of thinking:
Corals do no need Less/More amounts of light based on what size tank they are housed in. If you have an Acropora Sp. That needs the intensity of 400watt 6500k bulb, then that's what that coral need to survive. Regardless of whether its housed in a 10g tank or a 300 gallon tank, it need the intensity of that bulb to sustain itself. So that means you have 40 watts per gallon in a 10 gallon tank, so what, that’s what the coral needs to survive. You cannot put three 20 watt NO's over a 10 gallon and say "well i have 6 watts per gallon i can keep almost anything" Intensity, Intensity, Intensity!
Watts per gallon (w/g) is not a very good method of determining light requirements. Following this "rule of thumb", 100 watts over a five-gallon tank (20w/g) appears much better than that same 100 watts over a ten-gallon tank (10w/g), but the intensity is lacking in both cases. One hundred watts is still one hundred watts, no matter how you slice it. Intensity is the key, the more the better.
Please read this article for some great insight on light in reef It will open your eyes to many things that you may be doing wrong in your tank.
<a href="http://www.animalnetwork.com/fish2/aqfm/1999/july/features/2/default.asp" target="_blank">http://www.animalnetwork.com/fish2/aqfm/1999/july/features/2/default.asp</a>
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_____|_______ I have step of the soap box, let the flames begin. <img src="graemlins//evilwhorn.gif" border="0" alt="[Evil Horn]" />

 

[mini-reefer]

Thanks Option720. Very informative indeed. After reading this a few questions come to mind.
1. How do you read the amount of Einsteins? What kind of meter can we use for our hobby?
2. Where would you recomend looking up different lighting or PAR's required for any given species?
3. What does PAR stand for exactly and how is it measured?
I am sure this information would be greatly appreciated by many who frequent this BB.
Once again, thanks and I look forward to your reply.
Mini-Reefer

 

[option720]

Check this archive for some answers to your questions.
<a href="https://www.saltwaterfish.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic&f=12&t=009556" target="_blank">https://www.saltwaterfish.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic&f=12&t=009556</a>
I found it interesting how that article mocks the fact that most of us turn on our actinic lights first to simulate a sunrise, when in fact the intesity of our tank lights at full is barely equal to the intensity of the oceasn sun rises.
HTH