MH acclimating

[hnguyen]

O.K. heres a question for those of you with higher wattage MH. I ask this because I'm planning on putting a 400w MH into my 60g cube which is in the works right now. For those of you that run higher wattage MH like a 400w or higher, how do you acclimate your coral when you first buy them? Lets say that the LFS you got the coral from uses a lower wattage MH like a 250w or even T5's. How do you acclimate your new coral once you introduce it into your tank? Do you just throw it in or do you reduce your light cycle EVERYTIME you get new coral?

Thanks in advance for your help.

Hoang

 

[lilrobb]

Start them low in the tank and gradually move higher - works every time for me...

 

[hnguyen]

LilRobb;601425 wrote: Start them low in the tank and gradually move higher - works every time for me...

how fast do you move them up? a little every day or a little every week?

Thanks,

Hoang

 

[lilrobb]

That would depend on what light they were under before...

 

[cr500_af]

I run 2x250s, and I can't speak for everyone else but I don't reduce my photoperiod. I made a little baby frag rack (about 1.5"x3") and I use that for the new pieces. I place them lower in the tank than the others to acclimate them, but I run the same 9 hours/day all the time.

This of course only applies if it is coming from weaker lights than I have, or if it was lower in the tank than I typically keep frags.

 

[hnguyen]

LilRobb;601428 wrote: That would depend on what light they were under before...

I see, well the LFS I go to uses 250w MH for all of his coral tanks. It hangs about 2 feet from the water. Want to take a stab it at?

 

[hnguyen]

cr500_af;601429 wrote: I run 2x250s, and I can't speak for everyone else but I don't reduce my photoperiod. I made a little baby frag rack (about 1.5"x3") and I use that for the new pieces. I place them lower in the tank than the others to acclimate them, but I run the same 9 hours/day all the time.

This of course only applies if it is coming from weaker lights than I have, or if it was lower in the tank than I typically keep frags.

I've always wondered about those frag wracks, do you glue the wrack to the tank wall itself or do you glue it to a cleaner magnate and just slide it up and down accordingly?

 

[cr500_af]

Hnguyen;601433 wrote: I've always wondered about those frag wracks, do you glue the wrack to the tank wall itself or do you glue it to a cleaner magnate and just slide it up and down accordingly?

Eggcrate super-glued to a mag float.

 

[cr500_af]

Also, take your LFS' lighting period into account... it is possible, though his lighting won't be as intense as yours, that he may run his up to 12 hours a day depending on the store hours. Both intensity and photoperiod play a part... of course, you still don't want to blast it with tons more light than it got there even if you DO reduce the photoperiod. But, on the other hand a shorter photoperiod in your tank than in the store will serve to help acclimate them (assuming that they do run theirs longer than you).

 

[hnguyen]

cr500_af;601435 wrote: Eggcrate super-glued to a mag float.

ahhhh!! That explains it now. I always thought people stick it to their wall :doh:
Thanks for the info cr500!! :thumbs:

 

[hnguyen]

cr500_af;601437 wrote: Also, take your LFS' lighting period into account... it is possible, though his lighting won't be as intense as yours, that he may run his up to 12 hours a day depending on the store hours. Both intensity and photoperiod play a part... of course, you still don't want to blast it with tons more light than it got there even if you DO reduce the photoperiod. But, on the other hand a shorter photoperiod in your tank than in the store will serve to help acclimate them (assuming that they do run theirs longer than you).

I didn't think about that, but now that you mentioned it. I normally only run my MH about 6.5 hours a day and my T5's come on 2 hours before and after the MH. I think the LFS runs his about 9 or 10 hours a day. I'll have to ask him tomorrow.