Acclimation of new corals when you already have corals in the tank

[Acalin]

Hello, everyone,

As I am slowly working my way towards adding corals to my tank, a newbie question came to mind:
Do I need to add all my corals at once, or how do I go about acclimating new corals if I already have a few existing in my tank? (the second part of the question is thinking more down the road).
I have a RedSea 250, with 2 x RedSea 90 LED lamps so it's easy to me to set up in the app the acclimation.
However, my plan is to go slow and start with some soft corals first, until I get to learn a bit more. Second step, I will try to add a few LPS and then, once I am more comfortable and I can see/keep stability in my tank, I'll add some SPS as well.
Since I am the type that likes to go the slow way, I was wondering how I would acclimate the LPS, once I already have some softies established, or the same question for when I add the SPS.
What I try to avoid is the existing corals to start dying/degrading/discolorating due to the lack of light or anything like that, while the new ones are acclimating.
I am not plannig to run a QT for corals, but to place them directly in DT. (Of course, only after temp drip acclimating and dip them).

Thank you!

 

[T-J]

Your existing corals won't die due to a couple days of acclimation lighting. Remember, even the ocean has clouds and storms that reducing lighting.

Here's what I do: I float my bags of new corals to temp acclimate. Then I place them onto a frag rack at the bottom of the tank. After a few days, they go to their permanent spot in the tank. That's it. I run Radions and most of the places I buy from run them as well, so acclimation is pretty simple.

 

[Cell]

I'm not a fan of running acclimation lighting programs in established reefs. I place new frags at the bottom of the tank or a low light area to start with and gradually move them up if needed.

 

[LiveFreeAndReef]

Float them for 30 minutes, place the new corals on the bottom of the tank for a few days, then mount them where you want them. Easy peasy

 

[Acalin]

Thakn you all for the advice!
T J - I agree with the clouds comment. I actually have my schedule to have some "clouds" a few days of the week so my lights are actually decreasing intensity by a bit for about 1 hour every 2-3 days.
I was more concerned as the default in ReefBeat app for lights shows 50 days for acclimation and I started to think that's a long time to keep lights dimmed over existing/established corals.
Again, newbie here, so I thought that they suggest 50 days as it would be somewhat a standard time interval for acclimation. Looks like I assumed wrong, but good thing I asked.
Thank you all, once again!

 

[T-J]

Thakn you all for the advice!
T J - I agree with the clouds comment. I actually have my schedule to have some "clouds" a few days of the week so my lights are actually decreasing intensity by a bit for about 1 hour every 2-3 days.
I was more concerned as the default in ReefBeat app for lights shows 50 days for acclimation and I started to think that's a long time to keep lights dimmed over existing/established corals.
Again, newbie here, so I thought that they suggest 50 days as it would be somewhat a standard time interval for acclimation. Looks like I assumed wrong, but good thing I asked.
Thank you all, once again!

So, those acclimation periods on those lights (My Radions have that option too) aren't at a set level that entire time. It slowly increases over the course of however many days you set for the acclimation.
So I could move my lights to 30% for an acclimation of 10 days. So, over the course of 10 days, it'll go up a little bit so that by day 10, the lights are back to 100% of what they were before.
But, like myself and others have said, skip the acclimation and just stick them on the bottom.

 

[Placenta89]

So, those acclimation periods on those lights (My Radions have that option too) aren't at a set level that entire time. It slowly increases over the course of however many days you set for the acclimation.
So I could move my lights to 30% for an acclimation of 10 days. So, over the course of 10 days, it'll go up a little bit so that by day 10, the lights are back to 100% of what they were before.
But, like myself and others have said, skip the acclimation and just stick them on the bottom.

I thought lowering the light Intensity is bad for the established coral. I'm newish as well and when I did my first batch of corals I did the acclimating in 29 days but every new coral I've added I just drip acclimate for 30 mins and put them at the bottom of the tank for a couple days. I've never lowered the lights for them and they all seem to be open within an hour or so and good. You think I should be lowering the light Intensity for new additions as well?

 

[T-J]

I thought lowering the light Intensity is bad for the established coral. I'm newish as well and when I did my first batch of corals I did the acclimating in 29 days but every new coral I've added I just drip acclimate for 30 mins and put them at the bottom of the tank for a couple days. I've never lowered the lights for them and they all seem to be open within an hour or so and good. You think I should be lowering the light Intensity for new additions as well?

Lower lighting for a few days isn't going to hurt established corals. It's not always sunny in the ocean (clouds, storms, night, etc.).

 

[elorablue]

If you’re buying aquacultured corals, I’m just about 100% certain they haven’t experienced any cloud cover in quite some time, like their entire life.
Forget about the unnecessary acclimation setting on your lights and just start new frags on the sandbed or a rack near the bottom and over the course of a week move them up or over into position. Easy breezy

 

[Jedi1199]

I guess I will play the anti-reefer part here again. I don't acclimate corals at all. The go from whatever container they came in, straight to the dip, and directly into whatever place I want to keep them.

Temp acclimation is pointless. Take a quart of tank water from your tank (what my dip solution dose calls for), and set it on the counter for 15 minutes (dip time). What temp is it at now?

On the reverse side... Unless you buy from a LFS that packages corals in bags like they send fish in, most of the corals I get come in a container the size of a condiment cup at a fast food place... How fast does that water change temps?

My point is that the water will change temps almost as fast any way you go as if you didn't temp acclimate at all.. hence, I don't bother.