Going LED to Halide/T5

[CheifReeferNB]

I am in the process of partially restarting a tank and as part of the change I want to switch from LED to halide and T5. I invested in a premium led setup which has been disappointing to this point. I don’t have confidence that the lights themself or the spectrum produced is optimal for coral growth.

That brings me to my main question. What would I need to do to switch to a halide/T5 hybrid setup?

I imagine that a sudden change like that would be stressful to the corals so if anyone has tips or experience with something similar please let me know.

 

[tbrown]

You'll want to mainly ensure the PAR levels don't spike or drop significantly. If the new Halide is significant brighter, you'll risk bleaching corals. If it's a little brighter, no big deal.

The other issue you may run into is a shift in color spectrum from the LEDs to halides (depending on which bulb you select) could cause some different effects with corals. Some might like it better or not like it at all.

Best bet, figure out approximately what spectrum you're running and match that, then start the halide higher above the tank and lower it to get the proper PAR readings.

Watch your corals closely and they'll tell you over a day or two wether they're liking the change or not.

T5s will be the same thing - spectrum and PAR. Those are usually the two main concerns with lighting changes.