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Reef Lighting -
Can We Burn Our Corals?
We all need to keep in mind that man has yet to
come up with any form of lighting that is as intense as the
sun is on the tropical reefs! Pictured above is the
220g tank here at AquaCorals. The lighting over this
tank consists of 3 250 watt metal halide bulbs & 2 6 ft VHO
actinic bulbs. Lighting at 4.86 WPG is intense enough
to keep light loving clams very happy. I have also
noted on the picture (right end) where this toadstool was
originally placed in the lower light end of the tank
indicated by the # 1. This coral moved itself
to position # 2! It is literally inches below a 250
watt halide bulb! Note the "foot tissue" left behind
in it's move just under the white arrow! If you would
like to see progressive pictures of this coral moving, go to
the home page of this web site & click on the 220g picture
there. Quite amazing to see the progression of growth
in this tank.
As
proven above, I do not believe you can
“burn” a coral with any type of lighting system available on
the market today. What we DO see are corals adjusting to
the light we provide. After collection an animal is rarely
given the light intensity it was accustomed to in the wild.
Many times they are tanked then transported in darkness
until they arrive here at the store. It takes them time to
adjust. Each coral type & clams too need to be allowed time
to adjust before we start moving them to another position to
“try & make them happy”. This adjustment period can take a
matter of hours to sometimes a week or more. Patience is
key. Avoid the temptation to move your new animal. If
you’re confident you are providing good water quality & the
flow rate is right for your newcomer, sit back & let Mother
Nature do her thing.
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