new radium frying my birdsnest?

_dilly · 09/03/2013, 12:15 PM

i have the 400w lumatek adjustable ballast / lumenmax elite reflector. just replaced my radium 20k with a new one after 9 months of use. bulb is 8" off the water. after running the new bulb for 2 weeks, i've noticed it has completely torched the parts of a birdsnest coral i have that are in a direct view of the light. the rest of it is fine and bright pink/purple with extended polyps. the previous radium and now this bulb are both being run on the 250w setting. anyone have anything like this happen? i know changing a bulb could shock corals depending on the par jump but considering it's the same bulb, same wattage, and on a coral that is 18" from the bulb that is supposed to love high light which didn't have a problem with the previous bulb, i'm confused - the birdsnest is sticking out of a giant pipe organ coral and there's about a 4 or so inch line of the pipe organ behind the birdsnest that has also been fried and is just now a bright maroon skeleton while everything else around it is fine. i only have 1 other sps in this tank which is a green digitata and it is mounted at the exact same distance from the bulb and is loving it - i can almost watch it grow. it basically looks like i have no uv shielding in that area - can mogul bulbs have areas that don't get a uv filter from some kind of production error? only other thing i could come up with is a pest/predator but the fact that the only parts of the birdsnest that are fried white skeleton are what is a direct line to the light makes the light seem like the issue.

moondoggy4 · 09/03/2013, 12:24 PM

I would turn down the led light What percentage are you running it at?

_dilly · 09/03/2013, 12:29 PM

i am only running a single halide over the tank and it's on the lowest possible setting on my ballast which is 250w. any ideas?

jerpa · 09/03/2013, 12:30 PM

It's a 250w Radium halide bulb.

I would raise the light, shorten the photoperiod, or use some screening to reduce light getting to the burnt corals. I always raise my lights when I change my bulbs. The PAR increase can be significant. It was about 15% the last time I changed phoenix bulbs. Unless part of the outer glass is missing UV isn't the issue.

moondoggy4 · 09/03/2013, 12:34 PM

Sorry my bad Radion/Radium.

_dilly · 09/03/2013, 12:35 PM

i appreciate the feedback guys...i dropped it to a 6hr photoperiod from a 9. i may post a pic later but i've had my share of tanks and haven't seen an issue like this. it's like the bulb just has a brightspot...like one little area that is letting out way more par or uv than it should be bc everything else in the tank is fine

sirreal63 · 09/03/2013, 01:13 PM

The Elite is a spotlight reflector so it is understandable that a new bulb can cause a little bleaching, the birdsnest was acclimated to a lower light level under the old bulb and will need time to adjust to the higher par level of the new bulb. That hotspot has always been there, it is from a purpose designed reflector, which a spotlight. It will just need a little acclimation and should be alright.

_dilly · 09/03/2013, 01:28 PM

thanks - that's what i was looking for. appreciate the help

sirreal63 · 09/03/2013, 01:31 PM

It may help to look at Sanjay's plots of the reflector, it will help determine what corals to place where.

http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2009/1/review

_dilly · 09/03/2013, 02:10 PM

thanks for posting that - good stuff in there

jda · 09/03/2013, 03:15 PM

This can totally happen if your bulb was so old that output was diminished. If you change the bulbs in appropriate (depends on hours per day ran) intervals, then the coral never even know that you changed.

I would just leave it. The birdsnest will color back up.

09/03/2013, 12:15 PM	#1
_dilly Registered Member Join Date: May 2011 Location: Raleigh, NC Posts: 64	new radium frying my birdsnest? i have the 400w lumatek adjustable ballast / lumenmax elite reflector. just replaced my radium 20k with a new one after 9 months of use. bulb is 8" off the water. after running the new bulb for 2 weeks, i've noticed it has completely torched the parts of a birdsnest coral i have that are in a direct view of the light. the rest of it is fine and bright pink/purple with extended polyps. the previous radium and now this bulb are both being run on the 250w setting. anyone have anything like this happen? i know changing a bulb could shock corals depending on the par jump but considering it's the same bulb, same wattage, and on a coral that is 18" from the bulb that is supposed to love high light which didn't have a problem with the previous bulb, i'm confused - the birdsnest is sticking out of a giant pipe organ coral and there's about a 4 or so inch line of the pipe organ behind the birdsnest that has also been fried and is just now a bright maroon skeleton while everything else around it is fine. i only have 1 other sps in this tank which is a green digitata and it is mounted at the exact same distance from the bulb and is loving it - i can almost watch it grow. it basically looks like i have no uv shielding in that area - can mogul bulbs have areas that don't get a uv filter from some kind of production error? only other thing i could come up with is a pest/predator but the fact that the only parts of the birdsnest that are fried white skeleton are what is a direct line to the light makes the light seem like the issue.

09/03/2013, 12:30 PM	#4
jerpa Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: Pittsburgh Posts: 2,174	It's a 250w Radium halide bulb. I would raise the light, shorten the photoperiod, or use some screening to reduce light getting to the burnt corals. I always raise my lights when I change my bulbs. The PAR increase can be significant. It was about 15% the last time I changed phoenix bulbs. Unless part of the outer glass is missing UV isn't the issue. __________________ Jer Current Tank Info: 40b basement sump, 40b refugium, 30g frag

09/03/2013, 01:13 PM	#7
sirreal63 Go Spurs Go!!! Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Meadowlakes Texas Posts: 13,357	The Elite is a spotlight reflector so it is understandable that a new bulb can cause a little bleaching, the birdsnest was acclimated to a lower light level under the old bulb and will need time to adjust to the higher par level of the new bulb. That hotspot has always been there, it is from a purpose designed reflector, which a spotlight. It will just need a little acclimation and should be alright. __________________ Jack No One has ever been seriously injured by using the search function. Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms should be a convenience store, not a government agency. Current Tank Info: Reefing the Pentagon.

09/03/2013, 01:31 PM	#9
sirreal63 Go Spurs Go!!! Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Meadowlakes Texas Posts: 13,357	It may help to look at Sanjay's plots of the reflector, it will help determine what corals to place where. http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2009/1/review __________________ Jack No One has ever been seriously injured by using the search function. Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms should be a convenience store, not a government agency. Current Tank Info: Reefing the Pentagon.

09/03/2013, 12:24 PM	#2
moondoggy4 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: menifee So cal Posts: 11,042	I would turn down the led light What percentage are you running it at?

09/03/2013, 12:29 PM	#3
_dilly Registered Member Join Date: May 2011 Location: Raleigh, NC Posts: 64	i am only running a single halide over the tank and it's on the lowest possible setting on my ballast which is 250w. any ideas?

09/03/2013, 12:34 PM	#5
moondoggy4 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: menifee So cal Posts: 11,042	Sorry my bad Radion/Radium.

09/03/2013, 12:35 PM	#6
_dilly Registered Member Join Date: May 2011 Location: Raleigh, NC Posts: 64	i appreciate the feedback guys...i dropped it to a 6hr photoperiod from a 9. i may post a pic later but i've had my share of tanks and haven't seen an issue like this. it's like the bulb just has a brightspot...like one little area that is letting out way more par or uv than it should be bc everything else in the tank is fine

09/03/2013, 01:28 PM	#8
_dilly Registered Member Join Date: May 2011 Location: Raleigh, NC Posts: 64	thanks - that's what i was looking for. appreciate the help

09/03/2013, 02:10 PM	#10
_dilly Registered Member Join Date: May 2011 Location: Raleigh, NC Posts: 64	thanks for posting that - good stuff in there

09/03/2013, 03:15 PM	#11
jda Dogmatic Dinosaur Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Boulder, CO Posts: 6,256	This can totally happen if your bulb was so old that output was diminished. If you change the bulbs in appropriate (depends on hours per day ran) intervals, then the coral never even know that you changed. I would just leave it. The birdsnest will color back up.