Going from halide to T5, corals not happy

[richardhmc]

I had corals under a metal halide for about a year now and I switched over to T5s. All my corals are less big and happy under the T5s. Is this normally what happens? Or is it because they have been used to the halide for a long time

 

[rookie07]

To many variables to answer this.
What type of MH, placement of lights (then and now). Did u acclimate for new lighting?

Etc, etc, etc

 

[JonnyJ]

Rich, considering it's a new tank and a new arrangement it could be a number of things.

I don't know the specifics of your setup but when it comes to changing lights you will see a difference in extension, color an size.


How old was the mh bulb? How old are the t5 bulbs?

Was it a 150 watt mh? And how deep was the temporary tank?

How many bulb t5 are you now using? How deep is the new tank?


And how about flow?
How does the flow compare to the old setup?

There's so many things that could contribute to extension color and size etc

 

[ming]

How long have you had the coral before with MH, and how long with T5's?
The reason I ask is because the tank looks pretty new from the pic posted here.
http://www.manhattanreefs.com/forum/984523-post4.html

The anemone being sliced up doesn't help either as it releases a lot of toxins into the water too.

 

[richardhmc]

Rich, considering it's a new tank and a new arrangement it could be a number of things.

I don't know the specifics of your setup but when it comes to changing lights you will see a difference in extension, color an size.


How old was the mh bulb? How old are the t5 bulbs?

Was it a 150 watt mh? And how deep was the temporary tank?

How many bulb t5 are you now using? How deep is the new tank?


And how about flow?
How does the flow compare to the old setup?

There's so many things that could contribute to extension color and size etc

I'm not sure how old the mh bulb was since I got it from someone else but I assume it needed a change.

the t5 bulbs are only about 2 months old

I am using 6 t5 bulbs and the tank is 18 inches deep

with flow, the rock placement is very open so there is a lot of flow. compared to the old setup, where the flow was more restricted because of more rock

 

[richardhmc]

How long have you had the coral before with MH, and how long with T5's?
The reason I ask is because the tank looks pretty new from the pic posted here.
http://www.manhattanreefs.com/forum/984523-post4.html

The anemone being sliced up doesn't help either as it releases a lot of toxins into the water too.

with MH, only about 3 months, and with T5s, prob a week.

the anemone is fine now, its moving around still trying to find a spot

 

[lfsmarineguy]

What wattage were all the bulbs you had and are using now? You might have more light now than you did with the MH and if you didn't acclimate for it the corals could just be in shock or working through it. You might want to try removing some of the bulbs for a little while and then adding them later so the corals have a chance to acclimate more easily.

 

[richardhmc]

the metal halide was a 150w

 

[pauliwalnuts]

It can be that your new fixture is brighter/less then your last one and you'll will need to acclimate them to the new type of light anyway.
Why don't you try cutting your light cycle by two hours. Then bumping it up a half-hour every week until you see they are comfortable or back to your usual light cycle.

 

[pauliwalnuts]

the metal halide was a 150w

Now I'm totally convinced that they are brighter. Lol... You get a lot more spread on a tube that covers the tank from side to side completely.

 

[richardhmc]

so I guess I need to acclimate them to the stronger light?

I have my lights on an 8 hr light cycle
8 hrs of 2 blues and 6 hours of 4 bulb combination of 3 whites and a purple

 

[pauliwalnuts]

Have you noticed any of the coral getting a lighter in color ?

 

[richardhmc]

all the zoas are nice and open... my lps aren't as open as they used to be... under the halide they were fluffy and big but now, not so good.

no color loss though

 

[pauliwalnuts]

If they're not fading then it's just acclimation to the T-5's that they need. I would still shorten the light cycle and gradually bring it back to normal weekly. Everything should work out fine buddy.

 

[richardhmc]

cool thanks for the tip.

in comparison, T5s SHOULD cause better growth than a metal halide right?

It's a 6 bulb 36" light compared to my 150w MH.

I'm still thinking if I should change my bulb combination but for now I'll leave it

 

[pauliwalnuts]

cool thanks for the tip.

NP buddy.

in comparison, T5s SHOULD cause better growth than a metal halide right?

If the color combo is right, I don't see why not. :groupflip

It's a 6 bulb 36" light compared to my 150w MH.

Definitely more light Richard. This is way the LPS coral are not bubbling up.

How are the SPS holding up ?

 

[richardhmc]

What would be a good combination? or is it just preference of color?

I don't have any SPS yet actually but hopefully later on when my tank is well established

 

[pauliwalnuts]

14-20k is the guide line most of us use. I guess it's just a preference. Lol...
I like the 20k'ish look myself.

 

[richardhmc]

ok I guess ill just leave on 2 bulbs, ease them into it

 

[richardhmc]

how long do you think it takes for the corals to come around