Too intense
Printed From: Utah Reefs
Category: Specialized Discussion
Forum Name: Equipment
Forum Description: This is the place to ask question about reef equipment.
URL: http://www.utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=2177
Printed Date: July 02 2026 at 2:38am
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Topic: Too intense
Posted By: Weimers
Subject: Too intense
Date Posted: March 25 2004 at 5:46pm
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Just wanted to know if there is ever too much intensity of light for soft corals and anemones. We have a ritteri anemone that seems to thrive when the metal halides are off. Our m/h are 250w aqua spacelights. The anemone is at the bottom of the tank. The lights hang about 10" above the top of the tank, which is 36" tall. So approx 46" from the 250w. Is this too intense? ------------- Renee and Damon Weimer Tankless in Hawaii |
Replies:
Posted By: Mark Peterson
Date Posted: March 25 2004 at 5:54pm
I don't mind the bright mid-day sun but am also in better spirits in the morning and evening. That's my answer to your question.  ------------- Reefkeeping Tips, & quick, easy setup tricks: www.utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=9244 Pay it forward - become a paid WMAS member 
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Posted By: Adam Blundell
Date Posted: March 25 2004 at 5:58pm
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You will never over light your tank. Adam ------------- Come to a meeting, they�re fun! |
Posted By: Mark Peterson
Date Posted: March 25 2004 at 6:27pm
That word "never" would be "very" hard to defend.  ------------- Reefkeeping Tips, & quick, easy setup tricks: www.utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=9244 Pay it forward - become a paid WMAS member
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Posted By: Adam Blundell
Date Posted: March 25 2004 at 9:58pm
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I'll stand by the comment. I'm prepared for a comeback, I already have my defense ready to go. Adam ------------- Come to a meeting, they�re fun! |
Posted By: Mark Peterson
Date Posted: March 26 2004 at 12:04am
Then let's hear it 
In my experience, too much light burns coral and even algae. Then some algae loves more light and it gets out of control for the average hobbyist, before they realize it. ------------- Reefkeeping Tips, & quick, easy setup tricks: www.utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=9244 Pay it forward - become a paid WMAS member
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Posted By: Adam Haycock
Date Posted: March 26 2004 at 1:19am
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I was thinking about adding the same lighting setup as the one on top of the Luxor hotel in Las Vegas to my new tank. It would be 39 x 7000watts xenons + 2x65 watt actinic PC. Thats a total of 273,130 watts over a 90 gallon (over 3,000 watts per gallon). Too much? Ritteri anemones are known for liking intense lighting (250 or 400 watt MH). Did you just buy it? Many times these anemones are kept under lower light conditions at the LFS. When they are placed in a new tank with intense lighting, it may take some time for them to adjust. ------------- 
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Posted By: Weimers
Date Posted: March 26 2004 at 6:36am
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Yes, we just got this ritteri. It's worrisome because our last ritteri acted the same way. Eventually, it rolled under a rock and tango'd with our pistol shrimp. The shrimp won. I suspected a temperature problem, but that didn't seem to make a difference. Since it's cooler today, maybe I can rule it out for sure. He just fluffs right up as soon as the lights are out for 15 minutes or so. ------------- Renee and Damon Weimer Tankless in Hawaii |
Posted By: chrisslc
Date Posted: March 26 2004 at 6:46am
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You say it being cooler today may help you determine the problem. Does this mean the tank is only heated by the surrounding environment? If so my first reccomendation would be to add a heater to the system, if not it does sound like the lighting is just higher than that at the LFS as Banana said, give it some time. ------------- Murray, Utah just north of the park. "It's all the same to the clam" -Shel Silverstein |
Posted By: chrisslc
Date Posted: March 26 2004 at 6:59am
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Just a shot here but I think Adam's response could go something like this, yes the luxor light display may be too much for a 90, But I don't see how you'd fit 39 7000 watt bulbs in 8 square feet of surface area. For the hood area available on a given tank even filling it with MH's would probably not approximate the sun's intensity at high noon in the tropics. Given alot of the things we keep are not within 24" of the surface in the tropics, but there are some things that are exposed to direct sunlight above the surface of the water during low tide on the great barrier reef that thrive. And I'd Imagine that's gotta be a whole lotta light. (very technically put eh?) Either that or it's a symantics thing. Adam said "you" will never over light your tank, meaning he knows none of us are going to arrange a Vegas style attraction in our own homes. (although I do have a minor mock up of circus circus in my basement ------------- Murray, Utah just north of the park. "It's all the same to the clam" -Shel Silverstein |
JK)Posted By: Weimers
Date Posted: March 26 2004 at 7:32am
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The temp thing that I was worried about all week is that it may have been too warm. I think it got up to 84 degrees one day. Time to look at a chiller, or fan, or ??. Anyway, we have two heaters in our 250g. Also 3 thermometers in different places. Maybe our tank is weird, or maybe we buy strange anemones. They just don't seem to want to attach to our rock, even the really smooth areas of rock. I keep researching, but the research isn't helping the anemone so far. ------------- Renee and Damon Weimer Tankless in Hawaii |
Posted By: Carl
Date Posted: March 26 2004 at 9:34am
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Personal opinion here, but what the heck... Adam, well, I disagree. Weimers, 84 is not that bad. Don't go buying an expensive chiller. Try running a $4 desk fan over the sump and you should be fine. Look at the other creatures in the tank. How are they acting? Many days, 84 is normal for me. In many natural shallow reefs, 84 is also normal! The article listed below describes in detail the basic physical conditions of coral reefs, and it is also worth examining. Kleypas, J. A., J. W. McManus, and L. A. B. Menez. 1999. Environmental Limits to Coral Reef Development: Where Do We Draw The Line. American Zoologist. 39: 146-159. These authors took measurements from over 1000 different reefs, and determined the physical and chemical limits statistically. The temperatures they found (Converted to Degrees Fahrenheit): Averages: Minimum = 69.8�; Maximum 85.1�; Average = 81.(this is the average temperature of all coral reefs). Some extremely warm and saline reefs were noted. Extreme Reefs (Maximum Weekly Temperature in Deg. F; Salinity in ppt) Those of you with Red Sea animals may well wish to alter the temperatures of your reefs. ------------- In Syracuse "I believe that forgiving them is God's function. Our job is simply to arrange the meeting." - Gen. H. Norman Schwarzkopf |
An excerp from http://www.rshimek.com/reef/tempsal.htm - http://www.rshimek.com/reef/tempsal.htm Posted By: Adam Blundell
Date Posted: March 26 2004 at 9:39am
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So many responses already but I'll try. Banana- that much light on a 90 gal is fine. Mark, those people should be moving their corals under their rocks, not on top of their rocks. And as the club lighting guru said, if you want algae to grow in your sump not in your tank, you must have more/better lighting in your sump. So those people with out of control algae need better refugiums. Why is it that we all like to have our rock stacked up, then place our corals nicely on top. Crappy looking if you ask me. Build caves and arches, build your rock work all the way to the top, then across the whole top of the tank. You won't have too much light down below. Really, you can't over light your tank.... you can however improperly place your tank inhabitants. Adam ------------- Come to a meeting, they�re fun! |
Posted By: Jared Wood
Date Posted: March 26 2004 at 12:18pm
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Because of this thread I decided to try an experiment. (with my neighbors tank) Here is his aquarium on the bedroom dresser yesterday.
and since we can't add too much light we upped it a little. What do you think of it now Adam?
------------- In the beginning, God created the heaven and the earth ... then He let it cycle. Have you read my http://www.jaredwood.com/observations.htm#dinosaur" rel="nofollow - dinosaur theory yet? |
Posted By: Adam Blundell
Date Posted: March 26 2004 at 1:36pm
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It looks a little white. I would add a few actinic or blue bulbs to it. A fefugium may be difficult in that location, but something to consider. Adam ------------- Come to a meeting, they�re fun! |
Posted By: Weimers
Date Posted: March 26 2004 at 2:21pm
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Yes, I know that 84 degrees isn't bad on the global scale. In my tank, though - two weeks ago it was around 74 at night to 80 during the day. Now that it's warming up (weather wise), it's 76 at night to 84 during the day. The inhabitants aren't looking thrilled with the 84 degrees, but there haven't appeared to have been any problems. Except the anemone, which seems to not like the light. We put him under two different ledges, and he didn't attach in either. I'll try that again and see how it goes. We do have lots of caves and arches. 27 of them. I just thought I'd check to see if there is ever just too much light. I figured I knew what the answer would be - NEVER! So I got my answer. ------------- Renee and Damon Weimer Tankless in Hawaii |