Metal Halide

[Tru REEF]

Okay I currently have a 250 watt 14k metal halide over my reef I just switch the bulbs out today and I was wondering which way do you guys think would be the best way to diffuse the light now I know all the ways but which would be best recommended??

 

[McMullen]

Definitely downward

I'm actually not sure what you mean.

 

[Tru REEF]

By the way the lights sits 12 inches from the water line so raising it 12 more inches would be to high

 

[Tru REEF]

I mean as far as i dont want to burn my corals with the new bulb so im trying to see what u guys would recommend as for diffusing the light

 

[jduck]

Just turn down the photo period

 

[Tru REEF]

Ok i run them 10 hours a day should i go down to five hours and work my way up week by week

 

[mcarroll]

That's about what I used to do.

 

[firstlight10]

I like using a piece of egg crate or light diffuser over the tank.

 

[FL_Reefer]

Use a piece of egg crate or two, then remove them a week apart. I wouldn't suggest lower your photo period. This may still bleach your corals. You are still blasting them with light and it doesn't matter how long you run the lights for. You can still get a sun burn in 2 hrs of light as the beach...

 

[reefrider777]

I have three pieces of screen I use when I put new MH in. Each week I remove a screen. I keep the same photoperiod.

 

[Tru REEF]

Ok, so I will keep the same light schedule and add (2 pieces of acrylic sheet and one piece of egg crate) being that this is what I have here and remove one layer every week. Cool thanks for the help..

 

[mcarroll]

Isn't acrylic supposed to be 99.9% transmissive to light?

And egg crate does diffuse a little bit but it's main purpose is to direct light downward.

FWIW. May still work. Adjusting the schedule does...depends what's easier? [emoji6]

 

[Tru REEF]

Well i also moved the light up about 6inches so its 18 inches from the surface everything looks great though after a week. Thanks for the input though.

 

[Tru REEF]

Quick question how do u guys feel about giving your corals a hour of just atinic blue during your actually day light cycle? So say light comes on @ 6am cuts off at 10am atinic stays on and metal halide turns back on at 11am til 4pm. almost like clouds blocking the sun then shinning once the clouds have moved. Any feed back would be appreciated.

 

[firstlight10]

I thought about doing that too but really didn't like the look of just the whites (I run a Reef Breeders value fixture) on my 29.

 

[mcarroll]

I'm not sure how realistic it would be to cloud cover, but I suppose no less realistic than running blues for "moonlights".

I say try it out!

 

[reefrider777]

Wouldn't that wear out the bulb and add more to the ballast as you shut it off and then have to refire the bulb and ballast?

 

[Tru REEF]

You may be right rr777. I didn't think of it like that. That's why its good to have this forum, others thoughts can be extremely useful.

 

[Tru REEF]

Phoenix 14k bulb. Definitely awesome. 1st without atinic 2nd with it.

 

[WetWhistle]

You can just raise up the fixture by a few inches and over the next few weeks lower it by an inch per week. Bump it up like 4 or 5 inches.