Jessie Posted March 10, 2011 Share Posted March 10, 2011 Im upgrading my lights this weekend from a 150 MH to a 250 MH and wanted some suggestions on the best way to implement them without frying any of my corals. Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derry Posted March 10, 2011 Share Posted March 10, 2011 Use deer/bird screen. I ran some tests with a lux meter awhile back, and here's what I found regarding the light reducing effects of some common materials: solar screen (40%) egg crate (15-25%, depending on the angle of incidence) deer/bird netting (5%) By layering bird netting , you can get the light blocking you need to start the acclimation, then remove a layer every 3-5 days to gradually allow more light through to the tank. You can find it for 10-15$ a roll in the outdoor section of HD or Lowe's. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jessie Posted March 10, 2011 Author Share Posted March 10, 2011 Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timfish Posted March 11, 2011 Share Posted March 11, 2011 I like Derry's approach verus reducing the amount of time the timers are on, not that that won't work. You can get lux meters pretty cheap and that will give you an idea of how much you've changed your light levels and Dana Riddle did a good article on measuring light on AdvancedAquarist.com that included some conversion factors for lux to PAR depending on the bulbs color temp and wattage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derry Posted March 11, 2011 Share Posted March 11, 2011 I bought my lux meter off of eBay for $20. Reducing the photoperiod doesn't work as well b/c it doesn't reduce the intensity of the lighting. You can get a sunburn in only 30 mins at midday in July, right? Same with your coral - sunscreen works better than trying to guess when to get out of the sun before you get lobsterized. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jessie Posted March 11, 2011 Author Share Posted March 11, 2011 Any idea how much light I should block off to begin with? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derry Posted March 11, 2011 Share Posted March 11, 2011 That's where the light meter comes in. If you take a reading off of the old bulbs, then a reading off of the new bulbs, you can calculate the difference to figure out how many layers of netting to use. Of course, I figured all of this out AFTER installing my new bulbs. I put on five layers in an effort to play it safe, then pulled a layer off every five days. Took almost a month, and probably overly conservative, but I didn't have any coral trouble. I'll be more accurate in my layering next go-round. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jessie Posted March 11, 2011 Author Share Posted March 11, 2011 Good info. Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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