How long without lights? Will they survive?

stimpy4242

stimpy4242

Member
So I need to send my solaris light back for a board upgrade. Amazingly enough they admit their old boards had problems, but they don't bother telling any of the customers until the boards die and cause problems. So not only have I had a not working light, but now I have to pay for shipping to send it back for replacement.
So here is the question, I anticipate it will take 3 weeks, being conservative, for this process to take place. The only backup light I have is a 48" light with two 65 watter 50/50 actinics in it. The corals I have in my tank are:
2 BTAs
Xenia
Orange Monti cap
Green star polyps
Huge Frogspawn
Red zoas
Green mushrooms galore
Pink Birdsnest
Green Plate Coral
Do you think they will all survive under that weak lighting I mentioned? Remember its only for a few weeks. Although I had a light outage before and it seemed to cost me a few corals and that was for about a week.
What do you all think?
 
vivioo7

vivioo7

Member
I dont think the anemones will make it or the frogspawn or sps. Try to talk a friend or lfs into holding them for you. JMO
 
premilove

premilove

Active Member
well i read somewhere most sps can go without light for 2 weeks. i still wouldnt do it based on ur past experience.
+1 for finding a temp home..
 
stimpy4242

stimpy4242

Member
Finding a temp home seems quite undoable. I mean all the corals are encrusted to my live rock and the anemones of course have their feet well buried into live rock. Anyone in the MD area with some back up lights available?
What do you think would be the minimum required for that short period of time?
 
aquaknight

aquaknight

Active Member
All of the corals should be fine with the PC light, except for maybe the Birdsnest. The orange cap will likely 'brown out', but a month or two after you get the Solaris back, they'll be back to full color. The birdnest may just brown out as well.
 
stimpy4242

stimpy4242

Member
Ok well that is good to know. I will get new bulbs for the PC and make sure it is as best as it can be, maybe try to scrounge up another PC light somewhere.
 
stdreb27

stdreb27

Active Member
IMO your sps is the only thing you might have a problem with. The softies and LPS should be ok. Not great but I doubt will suffer that much from the lower lights.
 
oceanlover

oceanlover

Member
I too have the acursed Solaris lights. You will have to repair them over and over and over.
I got tired of it and bought some T5s.
 
stimpy4242

stimpy4242

Member
What model light did you have? What did you do with it? When I spoke to them, they told me they put faulty components into the light. These electronics would not regulate the electricity and allow for burnouts and faulty displays and controls. Great company. To top it they said I am responsible for return shipping to fix the issue and they won't give me a new product. I filed a Better Business Bureau complaint. I think you should too. The more they realize what type of company this is, the more support they can provide for others who have had similar problems.
 
peef

peef

Active Member
I think for 2 weeks max you will be fine. People have nems survive (not healthy but living) with standard cube stock lighting for months or years. As long as you have light they should be fine temporarily. Think of it as a two week cloudy day. Might brown or bleach a bit but overall I think you should be alright. What size tank/depth do you have?
 
patrick8929

patrick8929

Active Member
i would say just move every thing so they have the best light possible (maybe higher up in the tank) and get some new bulbs in your pc's and you should be good.
 
rael

rael

Member
Originally Posted by stimpy4242
http:///forum/post/2847465
Finding a temp home seems quite undoable. I mean all the corals are encrusted to my live rock and the anemones of course have their feet well buried into live rock. Anyone in the MD area with some back up lights available?
What do you think would be the minimum required for that short period of time?
I'm in Maryland and I just added a couple of small T5 stand alone strips to my tank. They are only 30 inches and have actinics in them but my tank survived for 9 months without these extras and I could do without them for a couple of weeks. I'm in Timonium. If these would provide a solution or part of a solution let me know.
 
T

tfolke1

Guest
Originally Posted by Emilaya101
http:///forum/post/2853501
Go buy a fixture somewhere local with a reliable return policy, and when your repaired light arrives, take it back

-1
I normally prefer giving advice over and support over telling people they are wrong but I'm making an exception. Why don't you just advise him to steal one?
 
emilaya101

emilaya101

Member
How in the heck is that even close to stealing ? I'm sorry, but I must need you to clarify because I don't know about you, but when I buy something at walmart and have to take it back, they sure don't treat me like a thief.
Please, Tell me how this is so wrong "tfolk1" ?
 
T

tfolke1

Guest
Originally Posted by Emilaya101
http:///forum/post/2869227
How in the heck is that even close to stealing ? I'm sorry, but I must need you to clarify because I don't know about you, but when I buy something at walmart and have to take it back, they sure don't treat me like a thief.
Please, Tell me how this is so wrong "tfolk1" ?
If you buy something intending to use it and take it back, it is theft.
Once its used, it can't be sold as new. period. You have removed value from the item that cannot be replaced. The store refunds you the full amount of the purchase price because as you put it, "they have a good return Policy" and you have effectively stolen the decrease in value. They may not treat you like a thief yet, but do it a few more times and see what happens.
If its an item that doesn't work, doesn't fit, or you decide not to use its an entirely different matter.
If you are old enough to type, and cannot understand this simple principle, there is no way that I could ever explain it to you.
There are stores all over ---- devoted to trying to recapture some value for goods that "Honest" consumers like you have bought, used, and returned.
 
emilaya101

emilaya101

Member
Well, then why can you buy something at walmart, and take it back for a full refund, even if there is nothing wrong with it, as long as you have the reciept, and they don't mind one bit ? I don't think it's that big of a deal, you are just trying to make it seem like I go and buy a million things a day and take them back cause I just needed them for a bit. That's bull. You said yourself that if "you decide not to use its an entirely different matter." What's the difference ? You are just overreacting and trying to tear someone else down, for no point.

Originally Posted by tfolke1
http:///forum/post/2869687
If you buy something intending to use it and take it back, it is theft.
Once its used, it can't be sold as new. period. You have removed value from the item that cannot be replaced. The store refunds you the full amount of the purchase price because as you put it, "they have a good return Policy" and you have effectively stolen the decrease in value. They may not treat you like a thief yet, but do it a few more times and see what happens.
If its an item that doesn't work, doesn't fit, or you decide not to use its an entirely different matter.
If you are old enough to type, and cannot understand this simple principle, there is no way that I could ever explain it to you.
There are stores all over ---- devoted to trying to recapture some value for goods that "Honest" consumers like you have bought, used, and returned.
 
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