I wanted to get everyone's thoughts. Do you think that a 250 watt mh about 12" off of the water of a 40b is too close with lps (chalice) along the bottom side edges? It's a 12k se reeflux bulb if that matters.
Light too close?
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Acropolis
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wouldn't worry about it. if it were the 10K variety you might have issues. the 12k is generally less intense. the 10 k bulbs seemed to be really inconsistent in terms of spectrum: some look too pink and most have an extra jolt of UV that makes acros look painted. the 12k is much more geared to fluorescence.
Reef Monkey
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Aro ballast and a standard faced pendent. I guess the reason I'm asking is because over the past couple of weeks my bgm and mh are developing whiter areas and they've gotten lighte in color than they should be. My alk, mg and calc are where they should be. I guess I should check my other parameters if it isn't a light issue.
Acropolis
Community Member
they might still be good, but it's really a matter of opinion. Your corals will adjust. Your BGM won't die, but it won't look as pretty either. you could try moving some corals down in the tank, but that's a real PITA. as the spectrum shifts it goes toward the red, which is the the end that gets filtered out first as water depth increases. so as the bulb ages it becomes less and less conducive to coral coloration. another way to tell is if you've seen an increase in nuisance algae, diatoms, etc. But if you water quality is solid, you still won't tell. trial and error my friend. time and experience are the best teachers.
