Bat Wing Reflectors to Lumen Max Elite

Landon · Jan 31, 2012

A couple months ago, I changed from two 400 watt bulbs in bat wing reflectors to two 400 watt bulbs with Lumen Max Elite reflectors. I wasn't prepared for the par change and got a lot of bleaching. Some things I was able to move down to the bottom of my tank (32") but some I could not. Nothing has died but I have lost LOTS of color.

It's been about a month and I half now and I'm starting to worry there is a water issue since I would have thought everything would have started getting color back. Some have turned from white to brown (which I know is a start) but no sign of other color. My params are normal. Are all the following systems of poor light acclimation?

- bleaching/browning
- Stning
- little polyp extension
- some sps look,for lack of better words, chalky.

Any help is greatly appreciated.

revhtree · Jan 31, 2012

Bump for you and sorry to hear.

How is your water checking out?

Landon · Jan 31, 2012

Thanks Rev

Ph- 8.25
Alk- 9 (a little high)
Calcium- 400
Mag- 1350
Ammonia- 0
Phosphates- 0
Nitrate- 20 (working on it)
Salenity - 1.025
Temp- 77

VegasRick · Feb 1, 2012

Since no one is piping in I will tell you some about my experience. I noticed a big difference when switching to reflectors and had bleaching. I guess like you I didn't expect that big of a difference. Most of the sps seemed to adjust eventually, but others never seemed to like it and had to be shaded or moved. SPS that did the best seemed to lighten up to almost pastel like colors. And lps and chalices bleached and had to be shaded or moved to lower light areas, some recovered some didn't. Your parameters seem fine except for nitrates and that may explain browning. I eventually went to 250w as none of the lps of chalices liked 440w

For the most part it sounds like bleaching from too much light. There were a couple of chalices that turned brown under higher levels of light most for the most part they bleached. None of my sps turned brown from bleaching. As for recovery it seems like it took forever. Chalices being the slowest took 3-6 months. With the sps that recovered there was some color left in lower branches, the frags that bleached totally didn't recover. I think there has to be some zoox left to recolonize the coral. I have heard speculation about it being colonized from zoox from other sps but I can't say for sure.

Landon · Feb 1, 2012

Great information and I really appreciate your input. I use to have GREAT polyp extension on my Milli's but hardly have any now. Did you notice a change in polyp extension?