Sorry so late getting back. So, at the point Im at now, I should replace 1 then wait at least a month before adding another. Example: Replace 1 daylight this weekend, then sometime mid to late Sept. or even early Oct. replace another--say a true actinic on the opposite side. Then, possibly waiting a full 2 mos., replace the other daylight and finally the other actinic after 3 mos. Then begin implementing the 3 month plan for the next round of replacements. Kind of gives it a criss-cross so that one side of the tank wouldnt receive one stress after another. May be a bit more difficult to keep track of, but it sounds like the less stress the better, esp. if I do switch to True 03 Actinics. From what I've read, just changing those may change the way the corals react to the lighting.
Would I be wrong in guessing that while the new bulb burns higher PAR, the loss of PAR on the older bulbs will be more balanced out, thus causing a little less stress? Am I making any sense? Just want to do whats best for the reef.
Thanks Kathy. We have a JBJ system also. You may be getting mail soon, make sure you check your mailbox. I checked out a couple sites, but I want to be sure we get the true 03s and some didnt seem too specific. I appreciate everyones help.
Bang, when you say expired, you mean loss of spectrum, right? Cause I'm just going by the "replace after a year" rule of thumb. The corals seem happy enough, so I'm assuming they are still getting enough at this point, but I also dont want to wait until they're all completely depleted. Thanks, again and tell me what ya'll think of the proposed plan for the big bulb swap.
