PC to MH?

dwall174 · 09-21-2005, 08:17 PM

What type of lighting schedule should I use to get my soft corals use to MH & VHO lighting from just PC lighting? I will be going from a 65-gal tank with 260-watts of PC lights to a 135-gal with 500 watts of MH + 320-watts of actinic VHO.

craigGP · 09-21-2005, 09:16 PM

if it was me, i'd run the VHO for the normal light cycle and kick on the MH for an hour or two to start. slowly increase the time that the MH is on so that you slowly acclimate them to longer periods of intense light over several weeks.

there is always the window screen method too. buy window screen, and layer it to help shade the tank from the MH light. periodically remove one of the layers to acclimate to more intense lighting.

dwall174 · 09-21-2005, 09:48 PM

So only an hour or two to start out with on the MH!

Would raising the MH to like 18" or 24" also help?

Being the 135 won’t be finished for several weeks yet because I still have some plumbing to do on a closed loop system. I figured I could make a temporary fixture over the 65& just use one of the MH for now?

Loverotties · 09-21-2005, 10:45 PM

Both work!