question about light intensity....

11sec76 · 10/29/2013, 08:47 PM

ive had my current tank up and running now and im getting a lot more algae on the glass than I did with my old one setup with the same lights. there are 4 lights now instead of the 2 I had before though. my new tank is 30" deep. I do have 2 clams and they are about 12-15" deep in the water. so my question is should I turn down the intensity to cut down on all the algae growth on the glass? I hate having to come home and clean the glass every single day because I don't get to enjoy the tank as much. they are currently set at 100% intensity but do I need it that high? I thought I would simply because of the depth.

thanks in advance

erndog1001 · 11/01/2013, 04:06 AM

Ummmm.. Well first of all. When you say "New" How new? Bc that could be an issue all by itself.
But yeah I'd back the intensity off some.
How long are they at full intensity? You could try shortening this as well.
Also go in and lower the reds & greens. That will help with algae growth

Alex Y EcoTech · 11/01/2013, 09:56 AM

11,

Algae growth can be attributed to many things. If the aquarium is still fairly new and cycling, I would recommend enabling acclimation mode, and perhaps try shortening your photo-period slightly.

11sec76 · 11/04/2013, 01:16 PM

The tank never really had a cycle period. everything just went from one tank to another and i added extra water. the full intensity period is about 4 hours. i took your advise and i did go ahead and lower the intensity to 75%. ill go back and check all the reds and greens to see how they are setup. the algae is not as bad on the glass now, so i dont have to clean it but every other day now. i just wasnt sure that the clams would be happy with the lower intensity setting. thanks for your help. ill update you all after i give the lighting change a couple more days after i check the red and green.

10/29/2013, 08:47 PM	#1
11sec76 Registered Member Join Date: May 2013 Posts: 37	question about light intensity.... ive had my current tank up and running now and im getting a lot more algae on the glass than I did with my old one setup with the same lights. there are 4 lights now instead of the 2 I had before though. my new tank is 30" deep. I do have 2 clams and they are about 12-15" deep in the water. so my question is should I turn down the intensity to cut down on all the algae growth on the glass? I hate having to come home and clean the glass every single day because I don't get to enjoy the tank as much. they are currently set at 100% intensity but do I need it that high? I thought I would simply because of the depth. thanks in advance

11/01/2013, 04:06 AM	#2
erndog1001 Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2013 Location: Syracuse/Camillus Posts: 829	Ummmm.. Well first of all. When you say "New" How new? Bc that could be an issue all by itself. But yeah I'd back the intensity off some. How long are they at full intensity? You could try shortening this as well. Also go in and lower the reds & greens. That will help with algae growth __________________ The heck with the grandkids Ask me about my reef tank!

11/01/2013, 09:56 AM	#3
Alex Y EcoTech Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2013 Location: Allentown, PA Posts: 1,956	11, Algae growth can be attributed to many things. If the aquarium is still fairly new and cycling, I would recommend enabling acclimation mode, and perhaps try shortening your photo-period slightly. __________________ Alex Y. Customer Service Representative at EcoTech Marine Call: 1-800-785-0338 Ext. 2 or E-mail: Service@EcoTechMarine.com

11/04/2013, 01:16 PM	#4
11sec76 Registered Member Join Date: May 2013 Posts: 37	The tank never really had a cycle period. everything just went from one tank to another and i added extra water. the full intensity period is about 4 hours. i took your advise and i did go ahead and lower the intensity to 75%. ill go back and check all the reds and greens to see how they are setup. the algae is not as bad on the glass now, so i dont have to clean it but every other day now. i just wasnt sure that the clams would be happy with the lower intensity setting. thanks for your help. ill update you all after i give the lighting change a couple more days after i check the red and green.