Adapting Corals to different Lights

[MINIATUS]

I do know that when adapting corals from a lower light to ah higher light you need to do slowly over days or weeks.
My question is the opposite and concerns SPSs. I have bought a large amount of SPSs corals that have been kept under 4-400 watt Halides with the light on for 6 hours a day. These will be moved to my new setup which is only 2-250 watt halides supplemented with 220 watts of actinics. Will this stress them by moving down in lighting. How will this affect there color and if there isnt a problem how long will I need to leave the lights on per day.
I think Ive covered everthing but if not please help Me out.

MINIATUS

[mps9506]

Originally Posted by MINIATUS

I do know that when adapting corals from a lower light to ah higher light you need to do slowly over days or weeks.
My question is the opposite and concerns SPSs. I have bought a large amount of SPSs corals that have been kept under 4-400 watt Halides with the light on for 6 hours a day. These will be moved to my new setup which is only 2-250 watt halides supplemented with 220 watts of actinics. Will this stress them by moving down in lighting. How will this affect there color and if there isnt a problem how long will I need to leave the lights on per day.
I think Ive covered everthing but if not please help Me out.

MINIATUS

Corals will naturally adapt to lower lighting. If you think about what happens in the wild, generally corals have to adapt to either being overgrown or broken off and falling deeper in the water column.
I would just maintain what you have been doing, no need to stress your established corals by increasing the light suddenly. However if you are running your lights for much longer than where they came from, then maybe bumping back the photoperiod a bit would help the corals adapt. IE if you have a 12 hour cycle, then bump the metal halides down to 10 hours.

Also keep in mind if you have 10k halides and the other tank had 20k's and the SPS were deeper in the tank or were from a larger tank, the light output might not be as different as you think.
The guy I trade frags with often has a much larger tank and runs 400watt 20k halides, the 10k 250 watt halides over my 40 gallon tank would bleach any frags not properly acclimated from his tank.

[MINIATUS]

Ok
these corals are not in My tank yet, there are still at the place until my tank is ready. His lamps where also 10k XM lamps. I want to make sure I get all the facts before the move over to my tank. I dont want to cause any damage to them.I have nothing in the tank yet. My own corals which are all LPS are being kept at a friends place and are all being adapted to Halides.
I sure left a lot of info out Dah!!!
I tore my old system down and have started agian, sand is gone and have upgraded My lighting to halides from a all VHO light.Am I leaving anything else out.

MINIATUS

[MINIATUS]

Dang Im a SeaPen. now whooooo

MINIATUS

[Witfull]

Originally Posted by MINIATUS

Dang Im a SeaPen. now whooooo

MINIATUS

thats so you can write under water,,LOL

[Jerome]

Most of the SPS corals that I purchased for my tank when I switched over to SPS were "brown outs" from a local store ($20 each when they're brown!). Brown from two factors high nutient levels and low lighting. Some were dark brown and if you look at my tank picture they have colored up nicely. I have low nutrients and 9.5 watts per gallon of lighting. So IMO if you tank has low nutrient and lighting is about the same you shouldn't have any problems with color change. Hope that helps.