RE: Lighting Dilemma
I've had a 250W Mogul six inches over an 18g tank running about 5 hours a day with no issues (other than heat). As long as it doesn't get splashed, you should be fine. Are yours Mogul or DE? Pendants or retros in a canopy? In addition to shortening the photo period, you could also start the corals lower in the tank and move them up as they become used to the light.
Custom Acrylic 180g RR, acrylic sump, 45BR frag tank, 18g fuge, 250+/- lbs LR, Euro Reef CS8-2, 10x39W T5, softies, LPS, and a few SPS.