Lighting Upgrade

[sen5241b]

I do not have corals yet but soon I'll go from 76 watts, 10K to a 150 watt 20 inch MH Sunpod. (Yeah I know watts are useless). Even without corals don't you need to acclimate the tank to new lighting? Are algae blooms possible?

Some have suggested using layers of screening under the light and them removing a layer every few days.

 

[messiah023]

Hey Sen,

That's a lot of juice for a 29g system. Just remember, with MH lighting, you run the risk of "overheating" your water on a smaller system.

You should acclimate your tank with the new lighting, but since you are FOWLER only, it shouldn't be too much of a "jolt".....just run the MH for a little less time at the beginning.

Most important, monitor temps. I would guess in that small of a tank with a 150MH that you may eventually need a chiller....

 

[sen5241b]

The stock BC29 hood fits very tightly over the tank and yes it causes over heating. I'll set the Sunpod over the topless tank, and try fans. I've left the lids on the stock hood open with a fan blowing in and the temp stayed below 80 when it was over 90 outside.

 

[yote]

9 times out of 10,when you add more light,you'll get more algae.
That being said,you can limit its growth by starting the 150MH off at 3 or 4 hours a day and working it up from by add a few more minutes each week.