Metal Halide Photo Period?

[Kensn]

LOL, I gave that one away, but I still have the one I posted in the Oct Photo Contest thread. The purple was getting too big and knocking stuff down. He went to a very nice home.....

 

[Jerome]

I run my MH lights 11 1/2 hours a day and actinics 12

 

[forestal]

i have my halides on for just 8 hours, i have a problem enough with algae while halides are on, and by night, it is gone, have a poorly functioning sand bed, its been seeded, just not seeming to teem as others of mine have.

 

[LivingTropicals]

6 hours of staggered (by half hour on/off) 3 175w 14k mh lighting from 2pm to 8pm daily. 12 hours of staggered (by one hour on/off) 1 55w 10k pc, 1 55w blue actinic 03 pc, and 2 55w 7100k blue pc's.

 

[Shells]

i've got 2, 250's and 1 400 and atinics. The atinics come on first 30 minutes later the two 250's and then the 400 30 minutes later. The 250's are on for 11.5 hours, the 400 is on for 11 and the atinics are on for 12.
I cant really say how this will effect the growth of my corals because i only have one. But i've noticed that
the long the lights are, the more my ph stays where i want it, which is between 8.3 and 8.4.

 

[swissgaurd]

i run dual 400watt 6500k iwasakis and 2 vho super actinics
vhos on at 10am first mh on at 11am 2nd mh on at 11:30am
First mh off at 8:30pm 2nd off at 9:00pm vho's off at 10pm

MH on for 9 1/2 hrs
vho's on for `12hrs

thinkin of cutting back on the photo period to match australias time
as i have some clowns from there.

vic

 

[cleartank]

6 hrs of MH, actinics 12hrs.

 

[mike_cmu04]

8 hours

 

[CAReefer]

8 hrs, + 12 hrs supplemental. Contemplating dropping by 1 hour, but can't decide which end to take it from.

 

[Teeka]

Ditto to Robert... ALWAYS make changes to the photo period very gradually. Corals are quite sensitive to such changes.

I do have a dumb question. If you get a new coral and cut back on the MH, don't you run the risk of stressing the corals that is already in there?

 

[cheeks69]

I do have a dumb question. If you get a new coral and cut back on the MH, don't you run the risk of stressing the corals that is already in there?

This is usually what I do:

If it's a new coral I will place it on the substrate or if necessary in a shaded area and If it's new bulbs I reduce the photoperiod and then slowly increase it over a couple of weeks.

 

[Elmo18]

9-10 hours.

Hmm nice bell curve...... the CLT wins again!!!! CEntral Limit Theorem.....!!!

Ok...i am a dork.

Best,
Ilham

 

[Tuna]

8hrs for me:whstlr:

 

[Pro_builder]

9 hrs actinics (VHO Super Actinics 380 watts) and 8 hrs of 3- 250 watt 15K XM Metal Halides.

 

[cheeks69]

I have increased my photoperiod to 9 hours after I read that SPS will tend to lose their colorful tips. I have to say that after a couple of months it's TRUE most of the tips on my Acro's have developed either blue or purple tips except my green and rose Mille !

 

[chads29]

edit

 

[Warnberg]

Cheeks69, what are you after? Growth or Color in your corals?
I have found if you want growth, run 10K bulbs and you might increase photo period but that is not always necessary depending on how much wattage you have over the tank. If you want color, you want to run a 20k bulb or suppliment with actinics.

After my light change out (All T5's to MH's) my corals are growing like weeds compaired to what they where and the colors are starting to really come out. This is only after 3 or 4 weeks of running.

 

[cheeks69]

Cheeks69, what are you after? Growth or Color in your corals?
I have found if you want growth, run 10K bulbs and you might increase photo period but that is not always necessary depending on how much wattage you have over the tank. If you want color, you want to run a 20k bulb or suppliment with actinics.

After my light change out (All T5's to MH's) my corals are growing like weeds compaired to what they where and the colors are starting to really come out. This is only after 3 or 4 weeks of running.

Both...lol
I was running 6 hours and the growth was good but the color on the SPS have really began to show thru when I increased the photoperiod. I'm running the AC14k bulbs which have more PAR than most 10 k bulbs and I love the color. I don't like the color of the 20k bulbs and the PAR is pathetic so unless your running 400 watters their a waste IMHO.

 

[Dragon Wrasse]

4 hours to represent Noon day sun and then, Actinic and 10k's.
Actinics - dawn
10k's and Actinics - morning
175W MH - Mid. Day (noon)
10k's and Actinics - after noon
Actinics - dusk
Moon lights - Night