Acro's browning

[Dr. Dee]

Ok thats it the monkeys back i miss him too

 

[kevinpo]

On most of my tanks I run mogul (single ended) bulbs driven by an HQI type of ballast. I like the extra PAR and the color shift the bulbs. It shortens the bulb life a couple of months but I can live with that. Currently there's more color choices with single ended bulbs but that is changing rapidly. Double ended bulbs work well also but you have to have a glass shield on them which makes it a hassle to change the bulbs and keep clean. Even a small amount of dust will reduce the PAR.

Regards,
Kevin

 

[Slickdonkey]

So on average how long do your bulbs last? Don't the 10K and 20K bulbs have different lifespans?

 

[kevinpo]

I change my bulbs every 10-12 months. The first sign that the bulbs are losing their PAR is the Acropora corals begin to darken and the ones with blue or purple tips lose the color on the tips (this can also happen to certain corals from a shortened photo period). Many of the Acropora corals will turn dark brown at 12-14 months depending on the brand of bulb and ballast combo. After 14 months you will need to reduce the photo period after you put new bulbs in to prevent bleaching or shocking the corals.

Different brands of bulbs/ballasts combinations give different bulb lifespans. Even the same brand bulbs vary from bulb to bulb. Because of this I watch the corals using the criterea above.

I used to run Ushio 10,000K with a Radium 20,000K side by side to get the tank look I liked but for the past couple of years I have been running the Reeflux 10,000K which burns at about a 12,000K look. With VHO actinics I am happy with the look and the corals do fine.

Everyone has a different opinion on what color looks best to them so I recommend going to see as many different setups as possible. The alternative is to buy different bulbs each year for 5 years or so and/or have multiple tanks with different lighting setups (like I did ).

Regards,
Kevin

 

[Slickdonkey]

Thanks for the advice. Quite a game we play to get the correct lighting.

I talked to Icecap support about their 400W ballasts. While they say they drive both SE and DE bulbs, the SE bulbs are not overdriven. The guy I was talking to said it's not recommended to do this. Not sure why, maybe because it shortens the life of the bulbs as you say.

The only ballast I'm found that does what you suggest is the PFO HQI 400W. Is that what you're running? So many choices, I just get confused after awhile. Please set me on the path of righteousness, great master.

 

[Herefishyfishy]

Ok thats it the monkeys back i miss him too

Thank you Dr Dee!

 

[kevinpo]

The only ballast I'm found that does what you suggest is the PFO HQI 400W. Is that what you're running?

Yes it is. Sunlight Supply also carries the same type. Although the lighting systems are expensive once purchased the ballasts last years and years. I have 17 400W PFO HQI ballasts currently running plus 2 400W pulse start PFO ballasts. Some of them have been running 6+ years without any problems.

Regards,
Kevin

 

[Slickdonkey]

Ok, so obviously you haven't had any problem overdriving the bulbs other than a shortened life. Maybe I'll toss a coin.

 

[james734]

Ok, so obviously you haven't had any problem overdriving the bulbs other than a shortened life. Maybe I'll toss a coin.

Heads you win, Tails you loss...

 

[class clown]

Organic compounds in the water can have a large impact on how lighting penetrates the water column.

interesting - I didn't think of this, but in fact, I just added filter socks and noticed that a green slimer and 1 tip on my ORA tort looked burnt. I'm now thinking that that might be the cuase. they've now healed, but I should have taken a picture. I bet that is what happened.

 

[Slickdonkey]

Well Kevin, I've had my acros under 400W Hamilton 10K's for about a month and I can't see any change in color. There is no growth but that's about the only good thing I can say.

Is this enough time to see a difference or should I consider raising hedgehogs instead?

 

[Dr. Dee]

Well Kevin, I've had my acros under 400W Hamilton 10K's for about a month and I can't see any change in color. There is no growth but that's about the only good thing I can say.

Is this enough time to see a difference or should I consider raising hedgehogs instead?

Hey slick my acro took about four months before it started coloring up again,slow to grow but its getting its cool color,i will post a pic later

 

[salmonslayer]

Water Change. Lol

 

[kevinpo]

For some corals a month to color up is a short time. Wild corals can take as long as 6-8 months to color up. Another thing to remember is that not all corals are colored. Many SPS corals are brown, tan, or cream in the wild.
If they are tank raised and were colored before find out the distance from the bulbs they were and what type bulb/ballast they were under. Try to duplicate at least the distance and orientation they were when colored.

Regards,
Kevin

 

[Dr. Dee]

My brown acro now four months

 

[SueT]

I have an aquacultured prostrata, pink w/yellow tips that I got back in april. The small colony came very nicely colored. We ended up redoing my tank after recieving it and it went with my tank help to their shop. I did not know it was placed under pc lighting. It was there for 3 weeks and came back to me a weird shade of purple. It is only now starting to regain the yellow tips. Since it came back to me it turned a nice deep red from the purple. Like Kevin said they can take a long time to change color or build up energy to go through a color morph.

 

[Slickdonkey]

Ooops, meant to say there is "new growth" rather than "no growth" in my post above.

Ok I will stick with it for now and see how they look in another few months.