Honestly.. Too much light, about 12Watts/Gal ?

[masala4080]

So I just finished my canopy for my 90 gal. It has 2 - 400w, 1000k MH lights, and 9 LED Moonlights (with 4, 4" temp controlled fans). I want to supplement this with some actinics. Do you think it would be too much to have 4x65 watt 1000K pure actinics? Will I still be able to keep shrooms, polyps, and other lesser light demanding corals if I kept them near the bottom (tank is about 25" tall)? Thanks for your help!

 

[ty_05_f]

I wouldn't keep lower light corals, but its possible. I would want to fill that baby up with SPS. Don't forget SPS need good water quality.

 

[masala4080]

Thanks for your help. It would be mostly SPS, but maybe I can get away with a few shrooms and polyps at the bottom. I like the look of them. Anyone else have any comments?

 

[bdhough]

For shame. You think its too much
Place the shrooms/polyps in the shade of your tank and they will do just fine. As i recall 90s have a center brace. Create a ravine in the middle and put them there.....
My friend get ready to keep some REALLY nicely colored SPS corals.
One thing i jsut thought of. Make sure ventilation isn't an issue. Things will get hot.

 

[masala4080]

Dont worry. got the heat taken care of! Thanks for your help guys!

 

[tizzo]

Be real careful with the shrooms!! Mine spread like wildfire after I got halides and threatened to take over my frogspawn. As soon as they started attaching to it, I called in reinforcements and did a serious frag job!! Tried to get rid of all of them suckers!! And of course I was not successful, so some other lucky new hobbiest will be wanting them in a few more months.

 

[masala4080]

Thanks. Ill keep that in mind.
I do have one more question though. My MH lights are about 8" from the water surface. Should my PCs be that far away too or should I make them closer to the water surface? If so, how close? Thanks!

 

[tizzo]

You can put the PC where ever you want!! For obvious reasons like salt creep and electricity being so close I'd keep them at least 2 inches from the top of the tank, but you can place them wherever they'll fit.
400 watts!! Wish it were me!!

 

[masala4080]

Tizzo, check out my DIY canopy in the equipment forum. This will give you an idea of what my canopy setup looks like.

 

[promisetbg]

You might consider ricordias instead of mushrooms..they don't grow or split as fast.Look just as nice.

 

[masala4080]

Thanks, thats what I was thinking of. I really like the look of them as well.

 

[bdhough]

Look into getting some florida rics. They are super expensive at first but have great resale. I bought three for 18 a piece and now i have almost 7. I'll attach a picture if the site lets me. If no picture then no dice....

 

[bdhough]

or look for tongan shrooms. Just as valuable.

 

[masala4080]

looking great, ill check both of those. recently someone posted some black and green rics. that looked awsome. Maybe ill get all of them!:thinking:

 

[promisetbg]

Originally posted by bdhough
Look into getting some florida rics. They are super expensive at first but have great resale. I bought three for 18 a piece and now i have almost 7.
Ouch...they are 9.00 here

 

[masala4080]

I work at a pet store so I can probably get them for cheap. I should start my own online store to make some upgrade money.:thinking:

 

[mudplayerx]

There is no such thing as too much lighting for an aquarium. If you could somehow take every metal halide in the world and put it over a reef tank, it still would not equal the intensity that the sun offers over the reef in the ocean.
The problem with hobbyists is that they misunderstand the organisms they are keeping. For example, say you have spent the entire winter indoors. When spring finally rolls around with its intense rays of sunlight, you decide to do some gardening for eight hours starting at 9am. Of course you are going to get a very severe sunburn.
The same is true with marine organisms. You can't just take a coral or anemone that has been under inadequate lights at the lfs, and put them at the top of your liverock formation under intense MH light. You have to acclimate them to light just as you acclimate critters to water parameters.
Another frequent mistake made by hobbyists is killing thier livestock with oxygen poisoning. Why is he talking about oxygen poisoning in a lighting thread?!? I'll tell you. The algae that lives in the tissues of anemones and some corals is part of a symbiotic relationship. The anemones/coral provides the stable envoronment and the "home", while the algae undergoes photosynthesis and shares the beneficial byproducts. The problem arises when you take a coral/anemones that his been in inadequate lfs lighting and expose it to intense lighting....
The algae undergo a "bloom" within the anemone/coral and produce so much oxygen bypoduct that it kills the host organism.
Too much lighting? A myth. Too much lighting too quickly? A reality

 

[snipe]

You can keep the low light stuff you just have to place them in an good place for them. Like under an over hang or something were they wont get the full amount of light. Just like keeping corals and "featherdusters" that need low flow you place them behind a rock so they wont get the full blast of your powerhead.

 

[ufreefer]

so mud, how do you acclimate them, do you only just slowly increase the number of hrs a day you have the lights on? how slowly should this be done? if you have seperate switches for the lights is it wise to have only one light on at first?

 

[masala4080]

Thanks guys!
As far as acclimating to light, Ill use my PC's the first couple days, then switch to short periods of MH when the PCs are still on, then increase the light a little each day until I reach the full photoperiod.