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How do I properly acclimate my tank to higher wattage

1K views 12 replies 8 participants last post by  tgallegos 
#1 ·
Hey guys I need some help. I have a 29 gallon that has been doing well now for over a year and a half. All this time I have been running with a 24" Coralife Aqualight at 65W & 6,700K. Well just today I picked up a 36" version of the same light from a fellow hobbyist. However, this light is 96W at 10,000K. I wanted it because the 24" was just a little to short and left my sides dim. I knew I would be ok with the change in temp but I am not sure of the safest way to acclimate my tank to the increase in wattage?

In my tank I have two healthy Amazon swords, multiple crypt's, and one large anubia. The inhabitants are 4 cory's, eight Tetras, and 2 Otto's. I also run with 2 2L coke bottles of DIY CO2 attached to hagen ladders.

Can someone shed some light on how to acclimate properly so I don't hurt anything?

Thanx
Thomas
 
#2 ·
I once went from 60 watts to 175 when I got a new fixture. I didn't do anything to acclimate but everything turned out fine. I wouldn't worry much about the plants. The fish will probably be looking for cover in shaded areas of the tank for a day or two. I know mine did. If your heavily planted it should be no problem. Be advised though that will plants will be sucking up alot more nutrients. Keep an eye on your nutrient levels so you don't run into algae problems. I would say that should be your biggest concern.
 
#4 ·
I went from 2wpg to 5wpg without any acclimation. The only problem was that I didnt have enough stem plants to out compete the algae thus leading up to months and months of algae problems that I am still battling almost a year later.
 
#5 ·
Just get ready to dose and you sould be fine. Pick some target peramerters and stick with them, this way you at least have a baseline to start with and you can start getting an idea of how much your tank is consuming.

I was totally shocked how much PO4 my tank was really using once I upped the target from 1ppm to 3ppm. Like clockwork it was down to 1ppm every other day. EI is another method and just ignore the targets... I just like to know what is going on and not adding a bunch of NO3 and PO4 just because. My modified EI method replaces my target levels every other day.

Now I'm waiting for Tom to get in on this and tell me I'm a boob for giving this advice... :)
 
#7 ·
I think the ideas of moving to pressurized co2 and getting more stem plants are 2 good ideas.I also suggest to put your new light on a timer to only go on 6-8 hours a day lets say from 12 PM till 7 PM and the other one on another timer to go on from 10 AM to 8 PM.this way you could gradually increase the duration of the new light being on and worry less about algae.
 
#8 ·
Thanx guys for all the pointers...I will keep them in mind as my tank acclimates to the new light. I had plans to run the new light only for six hours and will increase from there. I have had Wisteria, Cabomba , and Ludwigia in the past but either the plant wouldn't do well or grew like a weed. I remember that Wisteria grew like a weed and after pruning would always branch off in two directions...I hated that. Any ways now with the added light the cabomba is something I would like to try again.

I have had a 20lb cylinder of CO2 sitting next to my aquarium for the last three months. I just haven't pursued the regulator and the rest of the setup to switch over to a pressurized system...but it will happen in the near future.

BTW I included a few shots of my 29 gallon

thanx again
Thomas

Light Fixtures


Full Tank Shot


Left Side


Right Side
 
#9 ·
Great looking crypts. With these lamps on this tank youll be better off with a fast growing stem or two in addition to what is in there now... Looks clean. :)
 
#10 ·
awsome looking crypts.
 
#11 ·
Such light level will be OK for those plants. The problem is all of them are slow growers with echinodorus as the greediest root feeder. Perhaps it is time to consider adding a plant or two that eats from water collumn instead such as stem plants. If you dont like the maintenance of stem plants, get the easier to maintain ones; higro corimbosa compacta (which stays short all the time), water sprite (no need to plant, just give weight), etc.

If you worry about it being too bright and will cause problems, just add in a bit of small floating plants. You just have to throw away some once a week after they start to take off.
 
#12 ·
Awesome looking tank those crypts are just gorgeous! That is now a LOT of light on your tank .... great advice has been given and I would only reiterate the suggestion of hooking up your co2 cylinder. You are so close to having it ready - for a simple solution just go with the Milwaukee MA957, I along with many others have experienced no problems with it (although a handfull will try to convince you otherwise).
 
#13 ·
Thanx guys for all the compliments and suggestions....it has been a fun year and a half watching these plants grow in. I have pics from when we first transferred them from our first tank (12 gallon Eclipse now a nano SW reef)and ooooh how pitiful they looked, but now they are healthy and happy. My wife and I will be looking at stem plants this coming weekend and I remember she likes water sprite.

esarkipato, yeah that Milwaukee looks to fit the need any idea where to get it at the best price? Also, would I have to get a second bubble counter in order to run both CO2 ladders or would you suggest I switch to some other mechanism for diffusion?

I have included pictures just after transfer and then three months later.

Dark crypt just after transfer


Light Crypt just after transfer


Both three months later
 
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