T5 Lighting cycles

[SynDen]

So I ordered LET reflectors and new bulbs for my t5 (2 Blue+. Purple+ and Coral +) and I am trying to figure out exactly how I should install them and how I should change my light cycles as to not burn up everything in the tank. My current light cycle is 13 hours of blues and 5 hours of daylight.

Option 1: Replace 2 bulbs, 1 daylight and one evening bulb and apply reflectors to those 2 bulbs. Cut light cycles in half. Leave for two week adjustment and then replace last 2 bulbs and add remaining 2 reflectors. Keep light times at half and increase light times both evening and daylight by 1 hour each week until back to normal

Option 2: Replace all 4 bulbs and add reflectors at once and cut light cycle by 75%. Slowly increase both cycles by 1 hour each week until back to normal.

Goal is to ramp them back up and not burn up everything, but also in the mean time change the lighting times to a more optimum lighting cycle(s)

So which option would you go with or would you go another way of doing it? And what would be an optimum light cycle for evening and daylight? Thinking maybe to increase the daylight time another 2 hours or so or would that be to much?

 

[Andrew_bram]

Run your blue plus 8-10 hours a day and day light for an hour or two see you everything responds they will shock you

 

[Andrew_bram]

Correction a blue plus and purple plus 8-10 hours but only if you like the look

 

[zombie]

Why not just replace one bulb at a time and let it sit for a week or two between changes? then you dont have to mess witb changing light cycles and your corals can easily acclimate to the change in intensity. Another option is to change all 4 at once and cover the tank with several layers of screen mesh. Remove 1 section every few days as long as bithing is bleaching.

Anyone who cannot cope with mathematics is not fully human. At best he is a tolerable subhuman who has learned to wear shoes, bathe and not make messes in the house. -robert heinlein

 

[Munch]

I went from Vega to T5 4 bulb with no issue.

 

[Craigar]

I would personally Change a bulb a week and leave your cycle where it's at

 

[bsharpe]

I would personally Change a bulb a week and leave your cycle where it's at

+1 makes most sense to me.

 

[SynDen]

Kewl. thanks for the input. guess I will do the one at a time. Had thought of doing it that way too, but thought it might be better the other way. Not sure why I thought that though lol

 

[Andrew_bram]

Here is gonna be your problem with one bulb at a time. You have let reflectors which is now going to be like overdriving your old bulbs. I just don't want you to cook things.

 

[SynDen]

so still reduce the light cycle a bit then?

 

[Andrew_bram]

Personally I would

 

[SynDen]

So reduce light cycles by about 35% or so and replace one bulb and one reflector each week and then after all 4 in raise light cycles by an hour or so each week till back to normal?

 

[Andrew_bram]

Did you buy the entire kit ballast and all

 

[SynDen]

no just the reflectors

 

[Andrew_bram]

If you have individual reflectors now then I would replace reflectors and give that just a week or two then start one bulb at a time. If you have one reflector for all 4 bulbs then I would shorten light cycle by fair amount and run blue plus and purple plus so your not blasting then adjust based on how everything is responding

 

[SynDen]

ya it only has a single reflector for all 4 bulbs. I will try that, thanks for the input

 

[Andrew_bram]

Yup yup

 

[SynDen]

Got my reflectors in today, although they look like they won't all fit in the fixture I have. Have to rake it part to see but looks like I'll only be able to get 2 or 3 in there but not all 4. Will look at it closer tomorrow but thinking maybe I will just go ahead and buy the rest of the piece for a retro fit and build a new fixture that will mount on the inside of my canopy top.

 

[Andrew_bram]

You can angle those reflectors

 

[SynDen]

they do seem fairly flexible, but will it effect the light output at all if you do? that was what i was most worried about if I flexed them in to place