coral healtj declining

Discussion in 'Coral Health' started by bvb-etf-luva, Jan 14, 2011.

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  1. bvb-etf-luva

    bvb-etf-luva Banned

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    i have a 90 gallon reef tank, the livestock are one yellow tang a sailfin tang three damsels one percula clown a maroon clown and a hawkfish. i have a light fixture setup with two pc lights in it one actinic and one 50/50. just the other day the 50/50 one burned out and now its just the actinic.
    i keep the lights on 12 hours a day but after the burnout the corals very rapidly seemed to decline, especially the blue xenia. and the kenya tree died. all my params are great, ammonia and nitrate and nitrite are 0 and ph is 8.2. could just a small reduction in light over a short period of time cause such havock on my coral, or do you believe it was soething else?
     
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  3. jonjonwells

    jonjonwells Great Blue Whale

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    That is not a little light drop.... that is a massive light drop.

    The problem is the light spectrum that you lost. Most corals need that whiter (daylight) to survive and grow. The actinic bulb is mostly for coloring up corals and for your viewing pleasure. The corals will have a very hard time, if not impossible to live in actinic lighting alone.
     
  4. M-Ocean Man

    M-Ocean Man Flame Angel

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    Sorry to hear you are having troubles with your corals!!!

    How many watts is your CF lighting hood?

    You might be on the lower end of watts/gallon as it is, and if you take away half of that power, you might very well see rapid decline of coral health.

    I would strongly recommend getting the bulb replaced ASAP as it is certainly not good for your corals to go without it for an extended period of time.
     
  5. bvb-etf-luva

    bvb-etf-luva Banned

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    yes, i am trying my hardest to come up with forty bucks fast. i bought the fixture used, so i had no idea the lights were near burning out, but the actinic is brand new i bought it to replace one light then the other burned out. i am not sure the wattage.
     
  6. M-Ocean Man

    M-Ocean Man Flame Angel

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    On the actual lightbulb itself at the base near where the pins go into the connecter of your fixture, you should see the wattage stamped on the lamp. It should also indicate the CCT of the bulb which is most likely 10K - you might consider going with a 12K or 14K bulb depending on your preferences.
     
  7. bvb-etf-luva

    bvb-etf-luva Banned

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    ok, it says 65 watt dual actinic, i cant find the cct tho it might be on the other side, but i dont want to take it out of the fixture, thats how my last bulb broke so no chances. lol
     
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  9. M-Ocean Man

    M-Ocean Man Flame Angel

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    Yeah I get a little anxious changing out any glass bulbs. Only advice I can give you is to just go slow and rock gently back-and-forth within the wire-harness that the 4 pins go into.

    Unfortunately you are going to have to bite the bullet and just do it!!

    If it all feasible I would suggest taking the fixture away from your DT and changing the bulb elsewhere so that in the case of bulb breakage you are not tearing down your tank, fishing for glass all the while.
     
  10. M-Ocean Man

    M-Ocean Man Flame Angel

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    It is most likely that the CCT of your bulb will be 10K - that is the most common and is perfectly fine for coral growth IMO.
     
  11. bvb-etf-luva

    bvb-etf-luva Banned

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    ok i finally got it out of the brackets and it ways 12k. doesnt this mean its just more blue?
     
  12. M-Ocean Man

    M-Ocean Man Flame Angel

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    Exactly - just slightly more blue than a 10K bulb. If you liked how your corals looked - I would get a 12K bulb again. It's pretty much personal preference between the 10K, 12K, and 14K bulbs. Any of those three would do you well.