T5s -> too much light ?

[mling]

I switched from PCs to T5s (54watts x 6 48in) just after New Year's day. I have a Oceanic 156. Certain corals have not been reacting too well but most are doing much better. The kenya tree for instance is about half it's height.

 

Is there such a thing as too much light ? My glass turns green in 6 hrs ! I am hoping that this is just the cycle of an algea bloom for a 5 month old setup that just had a huge increase in light.

 

Anyone had similar experiences when switching to T5s ?

[jason the filter freak]

The short answer is yes there is such a thing as too much light. Corals have a level of light they do best at (I think its called photosaturation) once you pass that it seems to do more harm than good for the coral.

[amos]

Corals will react differently under different lights. Corals generally stretch to maximize light under lower light conditions, and the reverse is true when under higher light conditions. What you might be experiencing is the corals just reacting to the new level of light intensity from the T5s. I experienced something similar. Its recommended to acclimate corals to light changes gradually using short photo periods initially, or by using eggcreate or another screen to help the transition. Most are resilient though, and should recover.

 

Jon