I am tired of my corals bleaching annual

[chris_h]

Every year I replace my old 250 watt halide bulbs. After about a week I notice that most corals and anemones are paler than they used to be. The anemones are not as large as they used to be. After about 2 months everything is back to normal. I am too stupidly stuburn to reduce the time of exposure after I replace the bulbs. But I have an idea that might help.

First I will buy a lux meter. Then I will measure how much light a new halide bulb makes. I will buy some type of lights that are dimmable. I will add the dimmable lights to my hood. When there is a new halide the bulbs will be off. And as the halides dim with age I will slowly increase my dimable bulbs at an equal rate, so the amount of light will be equal all year long.

Is there a dimable light source that would produce the amount of light that 2 250 watt halides lose in a year? Are vhos dimable?

 

[monkeyboy]

VHO's are dimmable but they require a dimmer to do so. What about replacing the bulbs more frequently? If there is such a drop in intensity then maybe it would be to the corals advantage to replace every 8-10 months instead of yearly?

BTW, what brand lamps are you using?

 

[chris_h]

I am using hamilton 250 watt 10k bulbs.

If vhos are dimmable, I will use vho. I have been wanting to add some atinic.

Can I use the same kind of dimer that is used for house lights or do I need a special dimmer.