Old bulbs and algae growth?

[miston]

I have a 12 gallon with 96 watts of PC lighting. I have algae growth mainly due to not changing the water frequently, which I have now started to do.

My bulbs are over a year old. I just purchased two new bulbs, and plan on replacing the other two bulbs in six months, this way I'll be changing half the bulbs every six months.

Is is true that old bulbs can cause algae growth?

Which would be better to help the algae die off:
-- replace half the old bulbs now
OR
-- wait until the algae subsides THEN replace half the bulbs


THANKS

 

[mr_X]

i have heard of old bulbs causing algae blooms, but i have also heard of people having algae blooms immediately after changing out their old bulbs for new ones.

i would suggest replacing all bulbs at the same time. easier to keep track of, plus, i'm guessing you have some sort of photosynthetic animals in the tank- i'd want to give them the best light possible at all times, not one good bulb, and one old bulb.


i think if you change out the bulbs and continue your nutrient export via waterchanges, you'll be ok. i can't see how replacing old bulbs with new ones can ever be a bad thing.

 

[ChrisRD]

One thing to consider - in some cases changing out all lamps at once can be stressful to corals due to the drastic increase in light intensity. Some folks specifically avoid this to minimize this effect. I'm not saying this will be the case for you, but if you do change them all at once keep an eye on your corals for signs of bleaching for the first few weeks...