How to?

I saw a thread on coral acclimation time.

I'm getting a new light system for my 29G

but I didn't know I had to acclimate for lights, my lights arrive on Wednesday.
Can someone explain the Reasons for and prosess ( idk how) Of acclimating lights to a tank?

Do I need any equipmet for this because I don't have any with me...my lights get here on Wednesday

forgot to ask.. Am I supposed to expect an algae bloom?

 

Usually, people put sheets of mesh in between the lights and the tank - something like 7 to 14 of them - and remove one every day or other day.

 

If upgrading to more powerful lights, the sudden change in intensity can shock the corals and kill them. There are a couple different ways to acclimate. Some people move their corals farther down in the tank and then gradually move them higher up over a period of time. You could also only leave the lights on for a couple of hours when you first get them and then gradually increase the lighting time back to your full light cycle. Or you could take some of the bulbs out and then gradually add one overtime. Either way should help your corals acclimate. I never saw an algae bloom when upgrading.

 

Can you use anything else? I don't have sheets of mesh and I doubt I can get them by wednesday.
Is there another way to do it? Like maybe turnin the lights on and off like every few hours? Or something?

( my old lights still work, maybe switch in between them? Every few hours ?)

 

Oh ok I might go with the decreasing the light cycle a few hours. Should I go about like 3 hours less? Or more?
And for how long should I do this?

 

What are you upgrading from? If the upgrade isn't too dramatic, like PC to MH, then you could start with 3 hours. Run that time for about 4 days and then increase the time to 4 hours and so on. If you see that your corals aren't responding well then just keep the lights on a shorter time until they do. It's more of how your corals respond then a set time schedule. If you see they are doing great then you could increase the time. It all depends on the corals.

 

Well Im going from 2 t5s ( don't know how many watts) to 4 of them.

 

half your current photoperiod and every two or three days step it up by a half hour. has worked for me, and others, on multiple occasions

 

That's not too bad... If you were going from PC to MH then you have to go a lot slower & increase the hours of lighting over time.

 

Ok I'll half the photoperiod

Can't wait till I get my lights! I'm hopig they look pretty cool. Since they arrive on Wednesday
right now they are in INDIANAPOLIS. lol I'm stalking the fedex truck