[neoh]

This will be long and drawn out, but I'll give you the skinny on pretty well what I'm looking at.

I've currently owned a Vertex Illumina 260 48" fixture over my tank for about 6 months now, and I haven't had the kind of growth or coral health from what would be expected to be a high performing fixture.

I have a nano tank beside it that I need to transfer any corals that are starting to bite the dust into to regain their health back, and they are over a simple Par38 bulb. I am going to attribute most of my problems to the lighting, and have considered switching back to T5's, but maybe as a last ditch effort - I'll try something different.

Here's what I'm looking at:

My tank is 60" long, 18" wide, and 16" tall.

The light is currently 9" from the top of the tank.

I have it set as 6W 54RB 52B for 6 hours at peak during the day.

My tank parameters:

0 Ammonia
0 No2
10-20 No3
Phos 0.5
8 Alk
8.1 PH
78 F
1350 Mg
450 Ca
Sg 1.025

I've got a wave maker (WP40) a MP40, with another 1200gph and two input flares at 800GPH. Lots of turn over.

Dose amino's, coral snow, Ca, Mg and trace elements.

Everything is fully automated, and I use RODI water, and I currently house a scooter dragonet, hippo tang, dotty back, fumanchu lionfish, lime wrasse, and a bicolor angel. I feed mysis and krill every other day with nori for the tang (after washing it clean) and spot feed with reef roids and phytoplankton.

Water changes every two weeks.

I don't think I can be any more thorough! Should I keep my lights peaked longer? Shorter? Should they be lower to the tank? Higher? Should they be less bright? More bright?

I'm at a loss! Anyone have any ideas?