Light Upgrade!!!!!!coral Question???/

tdog7879

Member
Today i pick up a 4" NOVA EXTREME PRO it has 6 t-5 bulbs with 2 fans. I got it at my LFS for 379.00 . Hope that was a good deal. Anyways i just wanted to get your opinions on what corals i could get in my 80 gal tall (26" with a 5" sandbed). Thanks
 

tdog7879

Member
Also should i cut back on the light schedule? Iwas running 4 t-5 without individual reflectors i had them on for 8 hours a day
 

fishfreak1242

Active Member
You should be able to keep softies and easier corals. Maybe an anemone if its a relatively easy one. 8 hours a day sounds pretty good. If you don't have any algae problems then you could extend it a little.
 

m0nk

Active Member
What wattage are the bulbs? If they're high enough wattage you might be able to do SPS high up, and very likely LPS anywhere in the tank (some require more light and will need to be higher, but many can be mid-low light).
 

tdog7879

Member
Originally Posted by m0nk
http:///forum/post/2825900
What wattage are the bulbs? If they're high enough wattage you might be able to do SPS high up, and very likely LPS anywhere in the tank (some require more light and will need to be higher, but many can be mid-low light).
54 watt each bulb
 

big

Active Member
Originally Posted by m0nk
http:///forum/post/2825900
What wattage are the bulbs? If they're high enough wattage you might be able to do SPS high up, and very likely LPS anywhere in the tank (some require more light and will need to be higher, but many can be mid-low light).
I have the pro.. The 80 is a deeper tank than my 72 I think..... But the Pro will keep most anything you want to keep higher up....... When I first had mine I cut back for the first few weeks....... It is a pretty bright set of 6 bulbs
 

tdog7879

Member
Originally Posted by big
http:///forum/post/2825991
I have the pro.. The 80 is a deeper tank than my 72 I think..... But the Pro will keep most anything you want to keep higher up....... When I first had mine I cut back for the first few weeks....... It is a pretty bright set of 6 bulbs
How deep is your 72?
 

ilovemytank

Member
Thats an amazing looking tank. What were the lights you had before the T5 ? It looks like they were working real good too.
 

big

Active Member
Thanks...I have never ventured into Metal Halides.... I like the shimmer but just do not want to deal with the heat issues... Back to you question the tank had 4x96 watt PC's up till last year.(Yuck!)........ The old PC's are now on a new frag set I am building up.
 

tdog7879

Member
Originally Posted by big
http:///forum/post/2826223
Right at 23 inches....... surface of water to substrate averages about 19. Here is a shot of how bright it looks.

Your tank looks great!! do you think i will get away with most LPS on the sandbed? So i could put some SPS up higher. Also did you go to full light peroid after your upgrade or did you do it a little by little.
 

mr_x

Active Member
if you see a decline in your corals over the next month or so, it's because you upgraded your lighting. the shorter photo period is not going to help much. you should have used the screen method. it's the blast of the new light that will shock the corals, not the length of the day.
i think you can keep sps in your tank now, you just have to keep them in the upper half.
you should also look into changing out the factory bulbs for bulbs with more punch.
what is that coral near the overflow? is that an orange cap, or an elephant ear?
also, i think you should take those lps off of the upper rocks, and put them on the sand bed.
 

tdog7879

Member
Originally Posted by Mr_X
http:///forum/post/2826646
if you see a decline in your corals over the next month or so, it's because you upgraded your lighting. the shorter photo period is not going to help much. you should have used the screen method. it's the blast of the new light that will shock the corals, not the length of the day.
i think you can keep sps in your tank now, you just have to keep them in the upper half.
you should also look into changing out the factory bulbs for bulbs with more punch.
what is that coral near the overflow? is that an orange cap, or an elephant ear?
also, i think you should take those lps off of the upper rocks, and put them on the sand bed.
how do you do the screen method? Also the pic of the tank is not mine but someone who has replied to this thread. Im not sure if you already new that??
 

big

Active Member
Yea I cut my photo-period way back when I first had the Pro...... I would have to look back but I think I went to about 3 hours of 10 k and 6 for the Actinic.......
Mine is wired that only 2 Actinics are on that switch................ Yea as to bulbs I am changing out 2 of my 10 K's to 14 soon and new Actinic bulbs soon...The have several thousand hours on them........I do mot need any faster growth anymore ,it is warfare with some of them now.......The Pink Pearl on the left is huge now and he hates all of them he wants them for dinner.......... Ohhhh Mr. X it's a Orange Monti..He is soon going to Frag city in the basement, of at least a good part of him...... sorry not a very good shot with the bow-front.......
 

big

Active Member
Oh again Hey Mr. X........ I missed who was chating with who...... The tank shot with the LPS next to the Pink Peral is a frag rock sitting on top of a batch of GSP's when I was redoing-rethinging the "scape" I am changing out another rock in that place with.......... That area for me of late seems to be a continual work in progress...................Problem there in that area that Pink Pearl reaches way out in the eveings............
 

tdog7879

Member
Originally Posted by big
http:///forum/post/2826707
Yea I cut my photo-period way back when I first had the Pro...... I would have to look back but I think I went to about 3 hours of 10 k and 6 for the Actinic.......
Mine is wired that only 2 Actinics are on that switch................ Yea as to bulbs I am changing out 2 of my 10 K's to 14 soon and new Actinic bulbs soon...The have several thousand hours on them........I do mot need any faster growth anymore ,it is warfare with some of them now.......The Pink Pearl on the left is huge now and he hates all of them he wants them for dinner.......... Ohhhh Mr. X it's a Orange Monti..He is soon going to Frag city in the basement, of at least a good part of him...... sorry not a very good shot with the bow-front.......
So how long did you do that photo-period for? And did you adjust it weekly or daily?
 

mr_x

Active Member
the screen method is- put a few window screens in between the light and the water. remove one every week or so, until the light is at full strength.
 

wangotango

Active Member
+1 on getting better bulbs. Look into Geisemann, ATI, and UVL. Current bulbs have pretty lacking PAR, which combined with a poorer reflector doesn't help much.
-Justin
 
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