Another T5 lighting duration thread

[Husker]

I know this has been asked many times, but this time there is a twist because of the modified light fixture.

I have a nanobox hybrid feature: a 8 bulb 60" ATI T5 unit modified to 6 bulbs + 10 LED clusters. Because of this modification , there is only one power cord for all 6 remaining bulbs. My LEDs are all blues/royal blue, so I would like to have the T5s on for a long time in order to have the tank viewable with a more fuller spectrum. I just don't want to fry everything.

Here is what I am doing now:
Bulb combo: 3 Blue +, 2 coral +, 1 purple +
Height: ~12"
On time: 8:30 am
Off time: 5:00 pm (would like to work up to T5s for 10-12 hours, if possible)
LEDs ramp up and down gradually from around 7:00 am to 9:00 pm

Parameters:
Alk: 7.1-7.4
Ca2+: 400
Mg2+: 1440
Nitrate: 0-2 (Red Sea Pro)
Phosphate: 0 (Hanna Phosphate Checker)

I have a red planet and pink lemonade that have gotten pretty pale, but they seem to have plateaued in their paling and might even be darkening back up. The newer frags have only been in the tank for a few days, but have no changed colors at all. My aquascape leaves most frags in the bottom half of the tank. I'd love to see tanks running this long of a full T5 photoperiod or hear any thoughts or experiences. I don't see a lot of people running 6 bulbs for this long.

 

[Diesel]

My question is why you wanna go longer on your full spectrum peak periods?

Pale colors on your SPS is the result of your No3 and Po4 to low.
Do you dose any food supplements for your corals?
What's your fish population and how often you feed and what?
I know I'm going if topic but I can hear your SPS scream at me
"feed us"

 

[Husker]

The only reason I want to go longer is for viewing. As of now, I only see the tank in the "full" spectrum on the weekends. If it just won't work, I can knock it down until it does.

Only a couple corals are pale, and I actually think it is more the result of those two individuals coming from a lower-light tank. But the low nutrients are probably a contributor. The tank is plumbed into a 55 gallon refugium, which is certainly exporting nutrients. I've been trying to feed the fish out the bejeezus in order to allow the longer brighter lights. I do globs of frozen 2-3 times a day. Currently have a kole tang, a solorensis wrasse, 2 tomato clowns, an ocelaris clown, 2 dispar anthias, and a coral beauty angel (in both systems). Will be adding 3 or 4 fairy wrasses in the next couple months.

 

[ChiCity]

Why not just start your lights later?
I mean, you don't have to start at 830am...

 

[Husker]

Why not just start your lights later?
I mean, you don't have to start at 830am...

Hah... yes, that is an option. But I tend to be refractory to solving problems that I'm not sure are problems. Basically, I wanted to see who (if anyone) has had success running their 6 bulbs for 10-12 hours. I like having more time per day on T5 + LED, and some Acros seem to show better color when you just blast them. But if nobody has had success with this long of a photo period with that many bulbs, photoinhibition might be the reason.

 

[Diesel]

My photo period is from 10am till 11.30pm
Running the ATI 8 bulb hybrid.
LED ramp up at 10am till 11am when my first 4 bulbs come on.
At 1 pm the second 4 bulbs come on so all lights are on till 5pm when the second 4 bulbs turn off.
The first 4 bulbs turn off at 7pm and the LED will ramp down till 11:30 pm when they turn off completely.

 

[Diesel]

Your corals don't turn pale due to the light.
If other they should turn green for not having enough light.

 

[Husker]

Your corals don't turn pale due to the light.
If other they should turn green for not having enough light.

I may be misinterpreting what you are saying, but high light leading to pale SPS is pretty well established. With too much light (or too rapid of an increase in light), the corals expel excess zooxanthellae, leaving only the coral pigments and fluorophores. In contrast, in lower light, more zooxanthelae are needed, causing corals to move towards the green--> brown colors (zooxanthellae are usually brownish yellow, depending on the species).

 

[Diesel]

I may be misinterpreting what you are saying, but high light leading to pale SPS is pretty well established. With too much light (or too rapid of an increase in light), the corals expel excess zooxanthellae, leaving only the coral pigments and fluorophores. In contrast, in lower light, more zooxanthelae are needed, causing corals to move towards the green--> brown colors (zooxanthellae are usually brownish yellow, depending on the species).

I mainly was referring to the light schedule from the OP.
Looking at his test results and understanding his light schedule I don't think his corals are turning pale due to his light but more due to his nutrients deficiency in the water.
Besides a good read for you is https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/light-alkalinity-nutrients.319223/ cause it ain't proven that the light contribute to pale colors but it has more to it.

 

[Husker]

I mainly was referring to the light schedule from the OP.
Looking at his test results and understanding his light schedule I don't think his corals are turning pale due to his light but more due to his nutrients deficiency in the water.
Besides a good read for you is https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/light-alkalinity-nutrients.319223/ cause it ain't proven that the light contribute to pale colors but it has more to it.

There is a logical difference between the statements: "high light contributes to pale colors" (which is very well established) and "high light is the sole cause for pale colors" (which is not supported). Low nutrient availability for SPS has certainly been implicated in coral paling, I agree. However, I don't have a general problem with coral paling- 2 of my 25 frags have paled since transferring them from the low light tank in which they were previously. I was mainly just looking to see how many people (if any) have had success running a long photoperiod with 6 T5 bulbs.

 

[zsuzsu]

Fwiw, cherry corals only run a 6 hour photo period. With aqua blue special and reefbrite Xho blues. So if it were me, I would start the photoperiod later .on my sps reef I use a g4 radions just the blue channels for 11 hours with ramp up and down this supplement my main light ati 8 bulbs (5 blue plus, 2 actinic, 1 aqua blue special). All the bulbs are on for just 5 hours with two bulbs on for 10hrs. Good luck n stuff.....zsu