Metal halide lighting time

Lonelyreef · Jun 25, 2015

I run my halide about 7 hrs a day currently so I'm wondering is this enough to keep my sps happy. My buddy had crazy par numbers and was holding my corals and now there ticked I run one 250 watt radium 7 inches above the water on an 18 inch deep tank. Not sure on par numbers I have to get our clubs par meter to check out the actual numbers most of my sps is in the upper part of the tank.

Do I need more light like a supplemental light like an led so I can get a longer light cycle or do I have enough already I'm going back and forth over weather or not I have enough in there. Tanks 30x30x18 deep
Halide sits dead center on the tank and sps is all up high.

Thanks for ideas or suggestions

anarchy · Jun 26, 2015

I run my 250w halide 12 hours and no supplement lighting. DE 14000k phoenix bulb. About 14" off the water of my 24" deep 93 and the top middle rock is getting about 300 par and 100 on the sand.

My shallow 30 is running the same setup only the fixture is 10" over the water and the par is between 100 on sand and 400 on the top rock.

I'd be curious to see your par numbers. How are they looking different than when they were in your buddies tank?

hybridazn · Jun 26, 2015

I run my 250w radiums 8 hours a day with reefbrite xho blue supplement for 13 hours a day.

Lonelyreef · Jun 26, 2015

They had more color but he had his lights on about 11 hrs a day an 8 bulb t5 he had like 700 at the top of his rock and 400 on the sandbed

Lonelyreef · Jun 26, 2015

So they lost a ton of light when they went into my tank I feel like I need some kind of supplemental lighting to help out the halide like a blue led or a Chinese knock off I just turn on blue only