400 gallon project

[GreenSpottedPuffer]

Originally Posted by untamed

I sure hope I don't need to replace those bulbs every 6 months...they cost $600 a set! Based on this past experience, I'm guessing that my current situation will result in new bulbs every 10 months. The PAR meter will help, but I'll also be a bit wiser than before about recognizing the symptoms.

My lighting cycle is such that the bulbs are running 9 hrs per day. Just this moment, I realize that I increased the lighting hours/day in the 2nd year of the tank. That might explain why my first bulbs seem to make it to 1 year without problem, while this set didn't...I ran this set 11% longer.

You may want to read some of the threads around about photoperiod too.

I am at 6 hours now and corals have never looked better. Bulbs should last much longer too. I decided to give it a shot after seeing the RC TOTM a few months back that was at 5 hours only. He explained all his experiments over the years with photoperiod and how coral can only use a certain amount of light anyways. In many cases people seem to be finding that 6-7 hours gives their tank best results for color and growth. For SPS anyways.

There is a thread right now in the SPS keepers section of RC about this. Might be worth looking. Might not be for you but many have been shortening the photoperiod and getting nicer growth. I have seen nothing but positive results and there are the added bonuses of less bulb use and less algae. I have a feeling the cyano I used to have was from a long photoperiod (used to be 10 hours). And since corals are not using the light the whole time, may as well not feed the cyano I figure

Just thought I would mention it.