Light placement for SPS in a 29 gal biocube

[joker577]

Hey guys/Kevin, I am starting to add frags to my 29 gal biocube (pics soon!) and I just wanted to check where I can place them to make sure I don't torch them all! I have about a 1.5 inch sandbed and the tank is 20" tall, so far for my corals they include:
heliofungia
ricordias
acans
gsp
frogspawn
christmas favia
SPS:
hydnophora

but I plan on adding soon
ORA tri-color
orange digitata
blue tort
rainbow (cali) tort
and possibly a blue stag

 

[Cwazy Clown]

well..... it depends on what light you have....

 

[joker577]

Knew i forgot something LOL , i have a giesemann nova II 250w 12" over the tank

 

[kevinpo]

Hello,
Initial placement of corals under high intensity lighting (like you have) is going to be dependant on what lighting they came from. If you don't know what type and distance they came from then I always start them at the bottom.

As a rule of thumb soft and LPS corals should be placed in the bottom third of the tank and SPS in the top half. Typically if the SPS corals turn brown I move them up or center them more under the halide.

HTH,
Kevin

 

[Faciosity]

Be careful starting anything too high! I have a really cheaply made T5 fixture with cheap factory bulbs, so lots of my stuff was up top including LPS and zoas. Well, I changed my bulbs to better ones, and a few days later, some of the LPS started bleaching, and some zoas closed up tight. Moved that stuff lower and they are doing fine. The few SPS that I have started becoming much more vibrant colors though!

 

[joker577]

Yeah I normally check the LFS when I order them and see where they have them in the tank, they have a display tank with frag racks on it and the 250w hangs over it about the same height as mine so I try to judge it , and the LPS, acans, etc. can all hang on the bottom as it's plenty of light for them