New Live Rock: lighting recommendations

[owenz]

Hi Guys,

I'm putting about 60 lbs of live rock in my 46-gal bowfront for the first time tonight (the tank water has matured for about a week). I will be upgrading my lighting to a commercial MH hood in the next few weeks, but for now I'm stuck with my 110W power compact hood, which I used when the tank was fresh. It is powering two 55W daylight 10,000K bulbs.

Any recommendations on how long to leave these lights running over the rocks at first? The rock seems to be very healthy, but has been stored in rubbermaid bins for a few weeks. I plan on leaving the rock in the tank for several weeks before introducing any livestock.

Owenz

 

[SnowManSnow]

If it were me Id run them about 8 hrs / day or so. You'll just have to keep your water fresh and clean to avoid algae blooms.

Make sure your skimmer is running, and you are using RODI water because the new LR will need to go through a curing process. You MAY consider doubling your water changes for the first month or so.

Good luck!
B.

 

[Len]

Hey Owenz, exciting times I'd run the lights for 6-8 hours, then ramp it up to the usual 10-12 hours after a couple of months or when everything has settled down/cycled.

 

[owenz]

I put the lights on for the first time last night...Yowzers. I know I only have a tank full of pet rocks so far, but it was pretty exciting!

I'm going through the whole lighting debate as we speak. The 110W CF bulbs are totally shot, but instead of replacing them, I'm just going to upgrade. It is either 2x96W CF's or one of the integrated MH/CF hoods I've been rambling on about over at the main board. The only thing holding me back on the MH/CF front are concerns about overheating. The tank is in an air-conditioned room and pretty open on top...but without a sump, I'm worried.