Lighting Question

Hi all,
I have a 6 bulb T5 fixture on a 55 gallon tank.
I mainly have softies and I think this is too much light for them.
The fixture only has 2 light cords so if I want to run actinics longer than the daylights, I cannot just turn two bulbs off.
so my question is, can I just take bulbs out of the fixture and run it will less bulbs? like put nothing in a couple of the spots?
will this affect the fixture in any way?
hope this isnt too confusing.

 

not confusing Meagan1823

you mean take 2 tubes out and only run 4 lamps?

Im not sure you need to though to be honest as I know it depends on the softies your keeping , but I doubt on the whole it would be to much light
it might be more light than they are accustomed to where they where before (another tank or LFS)

I had , GSP, Zoanthids, leathers, toadstool, LPS corals and others under 6 x 80 watt T5s
and IMO the corals I had where very happy under those lighting conditions

there are some corals who do prefer lower lighting levels
but often the terms used in the hobby are intended to inform reef keepers that these species will be OK in lower light levels , rather than telling them they would not be happy in higher light levels

basically what is given is a minimum requirement in terms of needs , but that doesnt mean to say they cant do equally well in higher levels

Steve

 

try put those corals lower or partially under a rock shelf/cliff. you can add a insect screen on top of your tank too, helps cut down on light going through. if 1 layer isnt enough add a second layer of screen. I would advise to keep all bulbs in unit. as with most tank usally theres a few spots where the light isnt has bright in areas.. such as being low, in a corner, under a powerhead.. etc..

 

I have my mushrooms on the sand, they do not grow or reproduce and seemed bleached that is why I thought the lights were the issue

I have had the mushrooms for 8 months and not one of them has grown or spread

 

on my 6 bulb t5 , the one switch\cord controls 2 bulbs, the actinics. the other controls 4 bulbs , the daylights. yours controls 3 and 3?

 

Another option would be to replace a couple of the bulbs with not as intense and lower PAR bulbs. I'm thinking 1 or 2 straight actinic bulbs to help lower intensity since they're not intended for grow but they will help your LPS and softies fluoresce and pop

If 3 bulbs run on each cord. Maybe you could have something like 2 actinics and a Blue+ bulb start you off in the morning then have some 6700-11k's come on during the day to help grow and settle down the blues.

 

I doubt you can, but it does depend on the fixture and how it is wired. Most 6 bulb fixtures are wired for two bulbs on the outside and then the four on the inside. If you remove 1 bulb in the middle or one on the outside, the remaining bulbs on that circuit won't work. You can try it with your fixture as different manufactuers do wire their fixtures differently.

 

no mine controls 2 and 4 but if I want to control the actinics on a different swithc, i cannot just keep the 2 off.

 

ok thanks.
this is what i was wanting to know

 

how are your water parms?