The Most Important Thing Do Do Once You Replace Your Bulbs

June 22, 2010

When bulbs age, they lose their brightness, (called PAR) and their spectrum of color shifts. No matter how good your eyes are, you can’t see these changes.

So when you put in fresh bulbs, the new bulbs have more PAR and a different spectrum of colors.

Therefore, the MOST important thing you can do after you change your bulbs is to slowly ramp up your photo period (how long your lights are on in a day).

The first day after you change your bulbs, only leave them on for 2 hours, then every 4-5 days, add an hour, slowly building back up to your full photo period. If you see corals bleaching, or turning brown, slow down! Back off one hour and leave your lights there for a week, then add in an hour and see how your tank reacts.

(For you tank dabblers, I’ve seen fish hide all day when new bulbs are installed, so ramp up your photoperiod as well, but you can add 2 hours each day)

Why do corals react this way?

It is the reason that when you go to the beach for the first time in the summer, you burn. Your skin is not used to the bright sun, so unless you put on sunscreen, your skin burns. When you put in new bulbs that have a higher PAR rating, and a different color spectrum, your corals can’t handle the sudden exposure to this new light and they “burn” by bleaching, or turning brown.

For light bulbs in your tank, change them every 6 months, and then slowly ramp up your photo period.

Posted in Reef Enthusiast, Reef Junkie, Tank Dabbler