new lighting

[cajonez]

So after only 5 months I decided that my PC lights just aren't going to cut it. I am replacing my 130w PC with 324w T5. I read in some other posts that I should put a few layers of screen above the tank and slowly remove them to acclimate the tank to the new light. Should I also move my mushroom and zoas to the bottom of the tank?
Secondly, I have read that the lights that come with the Nova Extreme Pro are not good. Whats the problem with them? Do they not put out enough light or do people just not like the spectrum that they come in?

 

[flukes]

You can use the screen idea, but that sounds messy to me (and I'm very lazy) what I would do is just reduce the time that the lights are on and gradually increase it. example would be if you normally had your PC lights on for 10 hours then I would start them out with the T5s for 6-7 hours a day.
The stock light bulbs on the extreme pro's don't have the par rating that you can get with some of the better brand of bulbs (It is still much better than what you are use too). I would just go head and use them for a year, that's about when you need to change them out anyways and then replace them with a better brand.

 

[cajonez]

I was thinking the same thing about the bulbs. Crappy T5s are still better than the PCs that I have now. I was just wondering if someone could give me a compelling reason not to use them.

 

[chilwil84]

you def want to acclimate by reducing the photo period or using some sort of filter. as for the bulbs the actinic are to bad as far as actinics go, but the 10k have basically the same par value and are pretty much garbage. i would run the stocks for about 6 months than start replacing the bulbs in pairs every couple months. than use the new bulbs for a year before replacing. the slow upgrade will be good for the coral and not light shock them and good for your wallet by not having to shell out a large chunk of cash at one time.

 

[cajonez]

Just got my new light hooked up. Holy crap that is a huge difference! One thing I notice immediately is that it looks very blue. Is this because the stock 10k suck?