Xenia Not Doing Well After Bulb Change

Hello 3reef friends,

I hand to change the bulbs in my wavepoint 24" lamp. It has 4 bulbs 2 white and 2 blue. Before the change my Xenia was doing fine and the reason I change the bulbs was be cause one of them blew out. After the change the Xenia has not done as well. I did not by wavepoint bulbs. Instead I bought the bulbs from my LFS. What can I do to make my Xenia thrive again? I have heard that adding iodine to the water will improve its appearance and growth. Is this correct. Do I need to go with Wavepoint bulbs, and get rid of the $9.99 bulbs that I bought? Let me know because I love my Xenia and what it to go back to thriving and beautifying the tank. When I first got it, it grew and split six times in about a 3 to 4 week period and this is what I want to get back to. Please let me know what I can do and let me know your thoughts are.

Thank you in advance.

Gus Gonzalez

 

How old were the original bulbs? There shouldn't be much difference between WP and any other OEM/cheaper lamp; however, they lose their spectrum long before they burn out. It's possible that your xenia is suffering light-shock and needs to be reacclimated.

As for iodine- Do not dose anything for which you are not testing. Your routine water changes will keep trace elements in check.

 

Two years at least.

The bulbs where 2 years old if not older when the first burned out, the second went out about a week later and the third a week or so after that. I forgot that I was supposed to replace them at 18 months and lost track of time. I now have three new bulbs and I need to get a forth to replace the last one. How does one re-climate the Xenia.

Thanks for the reply and information.

Gus Gonzalez

 

The easiest way is to reduce your photo-period. Start around 4 - 6 hours of daylight for a week, then increase by 1 hour per week until you get back to your normal setting.

FYI, lower-end T5 bulbs should be replaced every 6 - 9 months. Top-of-the-line lamps, such as Geismann and ATI, only last 9 - 12. (High-end fixtures with cooling fans help extend the life of the bulbs, hence the variation.)