ATI Sunpower 8 Bulb Not Enough light?

FlyPenFly · Sep 13, 2013

Two questions:

Is this 24" 24watt ATI 8 Bulb Sunpower enough light for this setup
Do I need new reflectors? (see attached photos)

Bulb setup, front to back, all 3 week old ATI bulbs:
1. Blue+
2. Coral+
3. Purple
4. Actinic
5. Coral+
6. Blue+
7. Coral+
8. Blue+

Fixuture is about 7" above the water line.

I do not have a PAR meter handy nor can I get one.

Just moved my main tank from a 24x24x24 cube to a 32x24x20 (l x w x h) tank. Everything looks angry and is mucoused up right now, please forgive the wires everywhere and level. I'm still in the middle of the move.

I'm a bit worried though that the 8 bulb may not be delivering enough light for my SPS on the sides and my clams on the sand. I've been debating if I need to get something supplemental like BML strips or maybe a pair of Kessil A150s shooting from the sides.

I'm going to try to find a PAR meter but thought I'd ask here first for opinions.

Second Question
I purchased this fixture used and it seems during a ballast replacement, the original owner mangled some of the reflectors a bit. I've cleaned them up a bit and tried to fold it down again but they don't look too hot. Should I order a new set or am I being overly pessimistic and wasting money? (see attached photos)

kidtango · Sep 13, 2013

Beautiful tank man! I have the exact same setup! Minus the mini SPS colonies.

I just bought the ATI sunpower 6 bulbs with dimmable features. Maybe you can look into that if you are looking to replace your light. I am replacing the Photon32 Leds from reefbreeder.

I think you should wait and see how it goes first before replace the light. Give it a few weeks and see how your corals respond to the new light.

David@ReefGeek · Sep 13, 2013

Hi FlyPenFly,

I would say that your 8x24W Sunpower should deliver more than enough lighting for your SPS on your new tank, even towards the sides. Since your aquarium is only 32" long, that means you fixture only really has to spread out roughly 4-5" on each side. This is not a problem for the Sunpower. I would give your tank a couple weeks to settle back in, moving tanks is always stressful for the livestock.

As for your reflectors, I don't think I would replace them. They look fine overall to me, I think simply cleaning them with a soft, damp cloth would be fine.

P.S. Nice tank! You have some really nice SPS colonies, the brains are also awesome. I like the Copperband and tamarin wrasse by the way.

Sincerely,

David
ReefGeek

FlyPenFly · Sep 13, 2013

Thanks! funny I was going to order the reflectors from you! Okay my concern was that where the reflectors met and are folded, they're kind of out of joint and separated. Is that okay? I think you can see it in some pics.

Do you happen to know if the sunpower can use power module reflectors?

FlyPenFly · Sep 16, 2013

So it was way too close, I bleached a SPS colony near the top

moved the light up and moved that coral to the side bottoms.

David@ReefGeek · Sep 16, 2013

FlyPenFly said:
Thanks! funny I was going to order the reflectors from you! Okay my concern was that where the reflectors met and are folded, they're kind of out of joint and separated. Is that okay? I think you can see it in some pics.

Do you happen to know if the sunpower can use power module reflectors?

From what I can see in the photos the reflectors look fine to me. The Sunpower is not able to use the Powermodule reflectors, this is not really a problem as the Sunpowers reflectors are very powerful.

FlyPenFly said:
So it was way too close, I bleached a SPS colony near the top moved the light up and moved that coral to the side bottoms.

Sorry to hear that. How high up is your light again? I typically recommend 12" from the fixture to the water service. Moving the coral down, and the light up was a good choice.

FlyPenFly · Sep 17, 2013

Wow, 12"??

That seems pretty far to me. I've always run it 6" or so.

mfinn · Sep 17, 2013

FlyPenFly said:
Wow, 12"??

That seems pretty far to me. I've always run it 6" or so.

These are very powerful fixtures.
I had my 6 x 24watt Sunpower fixture at 10" and acclimated the tank over a 4 week period.

David@ReefGeek · Sep 17, 2013

FlyPenFly said:
Wow, 12"??

That seems pretty far to me. I've always run it 6" or so.

I should have put 8" to 12" above the water surface. I know some people who run their fixtures at like 14-16" up and still have plenty of par for SPS.

mfinn said:
These are very powerful fixtures.
I had my 6 x 24watt Sunpower fixture at 10" and acclimated the tank over a 4 week period.

Exactly, 10" is good. But you still need to watch your corals. These fixtures are surprisingly powerful.

squillaempusa · Apr 8, 2015

FlyPenFly said:
Two questions:

Is this 24" 24watt ATI 8 Bulb Sunpower enough light for this setup

Do I need new reflectors? (see attached photos)

Bulb setup, front to back, all 3 week old ATI bulbs:
1. Blue+
2. Coral+
3. Purple
4. Actinic
5. Coral+
6. Blue+
7. Coral+
8. Blue+

Fixuture is about 7" above the water line.

I do not have a PAR meter handy nor can I get one.

Just moved my main tank from a 24x24x24 cube to a 32x24x20 (l x w x h) tank. Everything looks angry and is mucoused up right now, please forgive the wires everywhere and level. I'm still in the middle of the move.

I'm a bit worried though that the 8 bulb may not be delivering enough light for my SPS on the sides and my clams on the sand. I've been debating if I need to get something supplemental like BML strips or maybe a pair of Kessil A150s shooting from the sides.

I'm going to try to find a PAR meter but thought I'd ask here first for opinions.

Second Question
I purchased this fixture used and it seems during a ballast replacement, the original owner mangled some of the reflectors a bit. I've cleaned them up a bit and tried to fold it down again but they don't look too hot. Should I order a new set or am I being overly pessimistic and wasting money? (see attached photos).

so now that it's been over a year, how do you like the ATI? i'm thinking about getting the 6x24" dimmable. any recommendations on which color lamps to get for growing coral?

ATI North America · Apr 10, 2015

Squillaempusa did you have a specific question about FlypenFly's tank setup?

jackson6745 · Apr 10, 2015

Great looking tank, and that's more than enough light.

squillaempusa · Apr 10, 2015

ATI North America said:
Squillaempusa did you have a specific question about FlypenFly's tank setup?

yes, i just posted my question wrong, so it was hard to see at the bottom. i was asking how the original poster likes the fixture after all of this time, and if the bulb colors he/she chose were good for growing. since then, we ordered an ATI dimmable 6x24 fixture. now i just need to ask around and figure out which lamps/tubes to put it there for growth and some color. growth is more important for me right now. we plan on growing softies, zoas, SPS, and LPS, for fragging, and then move to a frag tank eventually. if you can give me some examples, that'd be great. thanks.

ATI North America · Apr 10, 2015

squillaempusa said:
yes, i just posted my question wrong, so it was hard to see at the bottom. i was asking how the original poster likes the fixture after all of this time, and if the bulb colors he/she chose were good for growing. since then, we ordered an ATI dimmable 6x24 fixture. now i just need to ask around and figure out which lamps/tubes to put it there for growth and some color. growth is more important for me right now. we plan on growing softies, zoas, SPS, and LPS, for fragging, and then move to a frag tank eventually. if you can give me some examples, that'd be great. thanks.

Sorry about that, you are correct I did not see the question at the very bottom.

All ATI lamps are designed for growth, I think you will have excellent success with any choice. With that said here are some customer favorite combinations from our FAQ page:

Here's a some of our customer's favorite combinations. We have found most folks prefer a bluer look to their tank as it helps to bring our more colors in their corals. Please remember that bulb choice is ultimately a matter of personal preference and what works for one, may not work for another.
16K - 20K - Bluish white with a noticable blue and red under-tone
[TABLE="width: 100%"]
[TR]
[TD="width: 25%, align: left"]4-Bulb combination

3 ATI Blue Plus
1 ATI Purple Plus

[/TD]
[TD="width: 25%, align: left"]6-Bulb combination

4 ATI Blue Plus
1 ATI Coral Plus
1 ATI Purple Plus

[/TD]
[TD="width: 25%, align: left"]8-Bulb combination

5 ATI Blue Plus
2 ATI Coral Plus
1 ATI Purple Plus

[/TD]
[TD="width: 25%, align: left"]10-Bulb combination

6 ATI Blue Plus
3 ATI Coral Plus
1 ATI Purple Plus

[/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]
12K - 16K - Cool white with a noticable blue and red under-tone
[TABLE="width: 100%"]
[TR]
[TD="width: 25%, align: left"]4-Bulb combination

2 ATI Blue Plus
2 ATI Coral Plus

[/TD]
[TD="width: 25%, align: left"]6-Bulb combination

3 ATI Blue Plus
2 ATI Coral Plus
1 ATI Purple Plus

[/TD]
[TD="width: 25%, align: left"]8-Bulb combination

4 ATI Blue Plus
3 ATI Coral Plus
1 ATI Purple Plus

[/TD]
[TD="width: 25%, align: left"]10-Bulb combination

5 ATI Blue Plus
4 ATI Coral Plus
1 ATI Purple Plus

[/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]
10K - 14K - Crisp white with just a hint of blue
[TABLE="width: 100%"]
[TR]
[TD="width: 25%, align: left"]4-Bulb combination

2 ATI Blue Plus
1 ATI Aquablue Special
1 ATI Purple Plus

[/TD]
[TD="width: 25%, align: left"]6-Bulb combination

3 ATI Blue Plus
2 ATI Aquablue Special
1 ATI Purple Plus

[/TD]
[TD="width: 25%, align: left"]8-Bulb combination

4 ATI Blue Plus
2 ATI Aquablue Special
2 ATI Purple Plus

[/TD]
[TD="width: 25%, align: left"]10-Bulb combination

5 ATI Blue Plus
3 ATI Aquablue Special
2 ATI Purple Plus

[/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]

sc50964 · Apr 10, 2015

Nice looking tank! First one with black sand that I like. I think the current light combo works coz all the coral colors are vivid.

ATI North America · Apr 10, 2015

For what it is worth I once had a tank with black sand and I could never keep the alkalinity up. I can't say for certain it was the cause, but when I removed the sand it fixed the problem.

sc50964 · Apr 10, 2015

ATI North America said:
For what it is worth I once had a tank with black sand and I could never keep the alkalinity up. I can't say for certain it was the cause, but when I removed the sand it fixed the problem.

How low did it get? It's normal to be around 8.0. If not then just aerate the water a bit more then it will be fine.

ATI North America · Apr 10, 2015

It went down to about 6dKH, even with Magnesium at 1400-1500 it would drop overnight after dosing. I believe aeration (specifically reducing CO2) would only effect pH not alkalinity.

sc50964 · Apr 10, 2015

ATI North America said:
It went down to about 6dKH, even with Magnesium at 1400-1500 it would drop overnight after dosing. I believe aeration (specifically reducing CO2) would only effect pH not alkalinity.

Sorry for the ph and kh mixed up, but a good level ph would typical hold up a good level kh as well. I used to have a tough time with either having too low of ph or too low of kh. After increasing water aeration, the two seem to go hand in hand. With weekly 10% WC, I haven't had a need to worry about them.

squillaempusa · Apr 10, 2015

ATI North America said:
Sorry about that, you are correct I did not see the question at the very bottom.

All ATI lamps are designed for growth, I think you will have excellent success with any choice. With that said here are some customer favorite combinations from our FAQ page:

Here's a some of our customer's favorite combinations. We have found most folks prefer a bluer look to their tank as it helps to bring our more colors in their corals. Please remember that bulb choice is ultimately a matter of personal preference and what works for one, may not work for another.
16K - 20K - Bluish white with a noticable blue and red under-tone
[TABLE="width: 100%"]
[TR]
[TD="width: 25%, align: left"]4-Bulb combination

3 ATI Blue Plus

1 ATI Purple Plus

[/TD]
[TD="width: 25%, align: left"]6-Bulb combination

4 ATI Blue Plus

1 ATI Coral Plus

1 ATI Purple Plus

[/TD]
[TD="width: 25%, align: left"]8-Bulb combination

5 ATI Blue Plus

2 ATI Coral Plus

1 ATI Purple Plus

[/TD]
[TD="width: 25%, align: left"]10-Bulb combination

6 ATI Blue Plus

3 ATI Coral Plus

1 ATI Purple Plus

[/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]

12K - 16K - Cool white with a noticable blue and red under-tone
[TABLE="width: 100%"]
[TR]
[TD="width: 25%, align: left"]4-Bulb combination

2 ATI Blue Plus

2 ATI Coral Plus

[/TD]
[TD="width: 25%, align: left"]6-Bulb combination

3 ATI Blue Plus

2 ATI Coral Plus

1 ATI Purple Plus

[/TD]
[TD="width: 25%, align: left"]8-Bulb combination

4 ATI Blue Plus

3 ATI Coral Plus

1 ATI Purple Plus

[/TD]
[TD="width: 25%, align: left"]10-Bulb combination

5 ATI Blue Plus

4 ATI Coral Plus

1 ATI Purple Plus

[/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]

10K - 14K - Crisp white with just a hint of blue
[TABLE="width: 100%"]
[TR]
[TD="width: 25%, align: left"]4-Bulb combination

2 ATI Blue Plus

1 ATI Aquablue Special

1 ATI Purple Plus

[/TD]
[TD="width: 25%, align: left"]6-Bulb combination

3 ATI Blue Plus

2 ATI Aquablue Special

1 ATI Purple Plus

[/TD]
[TD="width: 25%, align: left"]8-Bulb combination

4 ATI Blue Plus

2 ATI Aquablue Special

2 ATI Purple Plus

[/TD]
[TD="width: 25%, align: left"]10-Bulb combination

5 ATI Blue Plus

3 ATI Aquablue Special

2 ATI Purple Plus

[/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]

thank you for all of that info. i will be using it. out of curiosity, could i use all blue plus (5), and one purple if i wanted, for growing? i wouldn't do that, but i am wondering if that's all that's needed.