Time taken for higher par light acclimation and how much?

[joseph.timbs]

In your opinion, vote on how long should you take before moving corals into higher par? And another vote between a few small par increments or one or two large par increments. IK some context matters like type of light, coral type, system age, system nutrients, etc.. I think it would be better to just vote in general. If you think some type of context matters enough, please comment below

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

IMO light acclimation is only needed if your lights are stronger than the average persons. If your lighting is similar to where the coral came from, then no need for acclimation.

I assume most people are running adequate strength lights for their size tank, as I do. Usually I just go ahead and place them where I want without acclimation.

IMO touching them too often would bother them more, not to mention they would need to re-acclimate over and over again to the lighting until you finally stop moving it.

 

[Euphylliaphyle]

The question can be interpreted as "How long before we get there?" and "How big a step to take?" without knowing how far we need to go.
I answered "A few days" and "More of small 20-30 par at a time increments." I assumed the acclimation time refers to the increment. My answer could be very different if I assumed acclimation time consists of multiple increments, but one cannot answer that without knowing the total increase desired.

 

[Euphylliaphyle]

If your lighting is similar to where the coral came from, then no need for acclimation.

I concur in the case of a local purchase. Do you not light acclimate in the case of corals shipped, which have spent a day or possibly more in complete darkness inside a shipping carton?

 

[joseph.timbs]

The question can be interpreted as "How long before we get there?" and "How big a step to take?" without knowing how far we need to go.
I answered "A few days" and "More of small 20-30 par at a time increments." I assumed the acclimation time refers to the increment. My answer could be very different if I assumed acclimation time consists of multiple increments, but one cannot answer that without knowing the total increase desired.

Yeah, that’s why I was trying to leave context out as much as possible. There’s so many variables. I think I would just give it a couple weeks, move halfway to the desired final placement in par. Give it a couple weeks or just however long you can patiently wait and move into the permanent and see how it goes. Long enough that it has time to adjust but not too long that it’s made a home of it. But if it’s a true low par coral like a bounce mushroom and you’re trying to get crazy color or bounces. I think longer, more low incremental adjustments are necessary for Acropora lit type of systems.

 

[joseph.timbs]

IMO light acclimation is only needed if your lights are stronger than the average persons. If your lighting is similar to where the coral came from, then no need for acclimation.

I assume most people are running adequate strength lights for their size tank, as I do. Usually I just go ahead and place them where I want without acclimation.

IMO touching them too often would bother them more, not to mention they would need to re-acclimate over and over again to the lighting until you finally stop moving it.

Yeah I mean if it’s just a LPS, softies type of lighting system, I don’t think it’s a big deal. I’m more talking about more extreme acclimations. Low-mid, 50-150 par corals moved up in systems lit for acros that go 350-400+.

 

[dedragon]

a week or two but i just use acclimation mode on my light

 

[joseph.timbs]

a week or two but i just use acclimation mode on my light

That’s actually interesting. Does your tank have high par? You do it for any coral addition? What is the acclimation mode, like length or how long? What’s the gradient like? Constantly slightly raising or in levels at a time? How low does the acclimation mode go and is it according to your light settings or pre-set then working towards the usual par? Sorry so many questions about it. I just have A8’s and Amazon lights, don’t have that setting. Wouldn’t mind knowing what their version of light acclimation is.

 

[dedragon]

honestly no idea i dont measure par and im running 1 orphek icon compact right now that just has an acclimation mode that you set for how many days you want it to acclimate.
most of my corals come from places that also have pretty high and i use overhangs for any corals that need lower par.
sorry i couldnt help more than that, but this light has just been set and forget

 

[joseph.timbs]

honestly no idea i dont measure par and im running 1 orphek icon compact right now that just has an acclimation mode that you set for how many days you want it to acclimate.
most of my corals come from places that also have pretty high and i use overhangs for any corals that need lower par.
sorry i couldnt help more than that, but this light has just been set and forget

Nah, no worries man. I don’t know my par levels for sure either. One LFS and the few times I’ve asked they haven’t had it available. I was just wondering what pols opinions were. Here all the time to par acclimate over the years and thought I could see a consensus of how and how much.

 

[Daniel Doherty]

a week or two but i just use acclimation mode on my light

That’s actually interesting. Does your tank have high par? You do it for any coral addition? What is the acclimation mode, like length or how long? What’s the gradient like? Constantly slightly raising or in levels at a time? How low does the acclimation mode go and is it according to your light settings or pre-set then working towards the usual par? Sorry so many questions about it. I just have A8’s and Amazon lights, don’t have that setting. Wouldn’t mind knowing what their version of light acclimation is.

Does this not affect the rest of the corals in the tank ?

 

[Euphylliaphyle]

Does this not affect the rest of the corals in the tank ?

Yes, of course it does, but they all seem to take the re-acclimation pretty well. A lot better than just blasting a new coral that spent the last couple of days getting jostled around inside a dark shipping box with maximum PAR, imo. I think it's best though, if you can limit the impact on other organisms by placing a single (or few) new coral(s) lower in the tank or in a shaded spot to start and make a couple of moves to progressively brighter areas in the tank until they are in their final location. It depends on the coral family though, what the individual was used to, and where it is going ultimately. I think the more populated your tank is with corals, the less you want to use whole-tank re-acclimation. I just base this on trying to do what is best for the greatest number of organisms while being as accomodative as necessary and practical for the few new ones.

 

[Daniel Doherty]

Does this not affect the rest of the corals in the tank ?

Yes, of course it does, but they all seem to take the re-acclimation pretty well. A lot better than just blasting a new coral that spent the last couple of days getting jostled around inside a dark shipping box with maximum PAR, imo. I think it's best though, if you can limit the impact on other organisms by placing a single (or few) new coral(s) lower in the tank or in a shaded spot to start and make a couple of moves to progressively brighter areas in the tank until they are in their final location. It depends on the coral family though, what the individual was used to, and where it is going ultimately. I think the more populated your tank is with corals, the less you want to use whole-tank re-acclimation. I just base this on trying to do what is best for the greatest number of organisms while being as accomodative as necessary and practical for the few new ones.

Cool, sounds like a good idea. I’m still a bit of a novice and can’t keep sps alive. My rodi water isn’t that great either, I tear through resin so that could be it either, but I’m also guessing I’ve probably cooked a few birdsnests and playing montis by putting them right at the top.
Would it be a good idea to put them on a frag rack, and raise them week by week until their in the location I want them?
Thanks, any advice at all I’d welcome.
You can see my tank thread, I’m in university still so everything’s DIY/ Cheap, but alk is stable at 8.4, PO4 is 0.06, and nitrates usually about 10, although at the moment they’re after bottoming out so I’m increasing stocking this weekend.

 

[Euphylliaphyle]

Would it be a good idea to put them on a frag rack, and raise them week by week until their in the location I want them?

It can't hurt, imo. Especially if you buy online rather than local.
You mentioned RO/DI. Do you know that the resultant water you use in the tank is good? You may want to get that right before stocking more corals.
You say you will be stocking more this weekend because your nutrients are bottoming out. Do you mean stocking corals or fish? Stocking more coral will tend to have a worsening impact on bottoming nutrients. Though it won't be fast, you'll be going in the wrong direction, if that's your plan.

 

[Daniel Doherty]

Would it be a good idea to put them on a frag rack, and raise them week by week until their in the location I want them?

It can't hurt, imo. Especially if you buy online rather than local.
You mentioned RO/DI. Do you know that the resultant water you use in the tank is good? You may want to get that right before stocking more corals.
You say you will be stocking more this weekend because your nutrients are bottoming out. Do you mean stocking corals or fish? Stocking more coral will tend to have a worsening impact on bottoming nutrients. Though it won't be fast, you'll be going in the wrong direction, if that's your plan.

It comes in at 330, and usually to be honest is about 2 TDS coming out. If I use brand new resin it only stays at 0 for maybe 20 litres. Like is said, still in University so haven’t forked out the 35 euros for ICP yet, but I suspect I’ve high silicates.
All my softies and lps corals do fine, but it could be why my sps doesn’t seem to do well…
I just want a few easy sticks to kinda of grow up into my top section of my tank as you can see in my tank thread, as my tan is quite small. E.g birdsnest, blue staghorn, green slimer and the like…
I’ll probably also place a yellow Fiji leather up there too, I think it would go well with the sticks, and then add a big group of bluestreak cardinals to hang out amongst them.

Apologies, it’s fish in stocking with. One white tail bristletooth, a pair of longnose hawks, and a trio of royal grammas .
I’ve also stopped cleaning my sponges in the sump, and reduced hours in my refugium, which brought nitrates from 0.0 to 0.4 in two weeks!

 

[joseph.timbs]

It comes in at 330, and usually to be honest is about 2 TDS coming out. If I use brand new resin it only stays at 0 for maybe 20 litres. Like is said, still in University so haven’t forked out the 35 euros for ICP yet, but I suspect I’ve high silicates.
All my softies and lps corals do fine, but it could be why my sps doesn’t seem to do well…
I just want a few easy sticks to kinda of grow up into my top section of my tank as you can see in my tank thread, as my tan is quite small. E.g birdsnest, blue staghorn, green slimer and the like…
I’ll probably also place a yellow Fiji leather up there too, I think it would go well with the sticks, and then add a big group of bluestreak cardinals to hang out amongst them.

Apologies, it’s fish in stocking with. One white tail bristletooth, a pair of longnose hawks, and a trio of royal grammas .
I’ve also stopped cleaning my sponges in the sump, and reduced hours in my refugium, which brought nitrates from 0.0 to 0.4 in two weeks!

Alright, I’m going to give my pov to try to help ya out. I’ve kept corals for a long time, 10+ years and 25+ years in the saltwater hobby.
His response is right, you have to get the RO/DI right. Zero TDS is necessary and even then is a starting point because even at TDS 0, there can be harmful elements in the water supply not measured in TDS. On a budget, I’ve got a lot of experience… LESSONS.. expensive lessons over the years. My advice is fix that before adding any more livestock. Buy purified water at the LFS or even from Walmart or similar places. Once you get the right water. Water changes. Pretty big water changes at that but you have to match conditions like salinity, alk, calcium and preferably nutrients as well. Plenty of info on how to, if you need it. You’re right, I would bet you have high silicates, along with others. A good starting point is carefully, slowly using products like Chemi-pure blue can help get ya started. Carefully tho, go smaller, don’t just add a bunch, crushing nutrients and elements the corals have gotten used to.
Now acclimation wise. Like after shipping acclimation SPS, they are high light corals. Ppl think that means they’ll be fine but because of par being so high, so extreme, the new different spectrum is a major stressor and is why you see more RTN in acros/sps than any other coral. The stress from the light makes them more susceptible to things like infection and/or water conditions causing stress also. Start all corals at a par rate for atleast a day, I suggest longer, that is less than the norm. Just starting on the sand takes a lot of guesswork out.
I saw you mention a leather. If you want to keep them with sps it can be done but a lot of tanks that do, run carbon. Leathers especially but softies in general are masters of coral warfare. (Not the stinging kind.). Just out of caution, I don’t put leathers in any tank but a softy and a few LPS tanks. That is just me tho. Isn’t totally wrong but needs some experience. I also don’t like running carbon but for like a day if I think it’s needed for whatever reason so that’s another reason why I personally don’t. Especially in small tanks.
Good luck with it. If you have any questions I’ll try to help but there’s others around that help folks all the time here.