Confused about Light Settings - RB PhotonV2 48"

[Fishfinder]

My personal recommendation is to set your lights with a good PAR reading and a color that is pleasing to your eye. Don't touch it after that. Then adjust your nutrients and alk until you get results.

If you want we can start a conversation and keep it updating every couple weeks while we both dial everything in. Hopefully find a sweet spot for both of us

 

[Fishfinder]

Does anyone on this thread have any thoughts about switching up the lighting layout.... in terms of right now the LED is sandwiched between the T5's. What if the T5's were next to each other in the front and LED in the back angled to the front? The overflow boxes in the back create a lighting dead zone for the back T5 fixture.

I would keep T5's on each side. I have a fixture I'm building that is T5-RB-T5-RB-T5 back to front.

 

[AngryOwl]

If you want we can start a conversation and keep it updating every couple weeks while we both dial everything in. Hopefully find a sweet spot for both of us

I think that would be cool to track our progress and might keep myself more accountable for whats going on in the tank lol The problem I saw that makes things confusing is some people use 100% blue channels, low white and no red/green. Then others use 50% everything, or 75% etc. I'm just trying to find the set it and forget it!

I would keep T5's on each side. I have a fixture I'm building that is T5-RB-T5-RB-T5 back to front.

Big fixture man, but from your sig you have a big system in the works. The reason I mention changing the layout is because I really feel like the back T5's add nothing to the tank or only 1 bulb is actually having any effect. I can send some pictures later.

 

[Fishfinder]

Hahahaha you have to accountable for whats happening. Ya if I used 100% feel like id fry everything. Idk maybe it will work. I know Battlecorals uses 100% on all channels but his lights are hung very high. @Velcro was using reef breeders with great results. Hopefully he can post his settings??

 

[AngryOwl]

Hahahaha you have to accountable for whats happening. Ya if I used 100% feel like id fry everything. Idk maybe it will work. I know Battlecorals uses 100% on all channels but his lights are hung very high. @Velcro was using reef breeders with great results. Hopefully he can post his settings??

I just looked back in my photos of some of the corals that are still surviving in my tank... wow what a difference... They were wayyyyyy better before. I'll post some comparison photos later. I'm embarrassed though ;Hilarious

 

[Fishfinder]

I just looked back in my photos of some of the corals that are still surviving in my tank... wow what a difference... They were wayyyyyy better before. I'll post some comparison photos later. I'm embarrassed though ;Hilarious

Don't be embarrassed. both of those progress pics I showed you. Are dead now, they died last week with all my acros.

 

[AngryOwl]

Don't be embarrassed. both of those progress pics I showed you. Are dead now, they died last week with all my acros.

Ouch

Just read this whole post from @jason2459 https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/r...installation-testing-and-review.292314/page-1

Gotta say it has me more confused lol he went pretty low on the settings and you can see there were results.

I'm thinking I will change the schedule to what I posted at the beginning and document the corals weekly.

 

[Fishfinder]

Ya I read that full thing just now. I'm tired lol. It looks like about 24% but 2 sets of lights have to double the intensity for 1 set. So that's about 45-50%

I'm gonna stay at around 55-60%. Get my nutrients back up and see what happens. I want my growth back

 

[AngryOwl]

Here is an example of the corals... this is the coral referenced in the original post that fell.

Far left is Feb 9th, middle April 22nd and right yesterday under more white lighting.... this is depressing...

 

[AngryOwl]

Quality of my recent pictures shows bad on here, like I said I'll get some good ones tonight...

 

[Fishfinder]

Ouch man, gonna need SPS experts to chime in. Not sure what is causing that

 

[Fishfinder]

@DSC reef any ideas for the deterioration of that frag?

 

[AngryOwl]

Ouch man, gonna need SPS experts to chime in. Not sure what is causing that

Yup, so sad! I find it really strange how great it was doing after it fell and was put in the front of the tank on the sand. My assumption is it got more spread from the T5 in the front. Really strange... I'm interested to see what changing my light %'s will do for it over the course of 2 weeks.

 

[DSC reef]

@DSC reef any ideas for the deterioration of that frag?

The last photo looks like a bit of algae growth. Most likely a nutrient issue combined with spectrum/intensity.

 

[AngryOwl]

The last photo looks like a bit of algae growth. Most likely a nutrient issue combined with spectrum/intensity.

I'll grab you some updated nitrates and phosphates reading. I use hannah ulr phosphorus, what's the conversion?

I dont think there is algae on the frag, just bad quality and lighting making it look more brown. The specs are the polyps trying their hardest ;Hilarious

 

[Velcro]

Hahahaha you have to accountable for whats happening. Ya if I used 100% feel like id fry everything. Idk maybe it will work. I know Battlecorals uses 100% on all channels but his lights are hung very high. @Velcro was using reef breeders with great results. Hopefully he can post his settings??

I had two 24”fixtures hung 20” above a 30x30x24” cube. Worked my way up to 100% blue channels and 70% w/g/r.

This was 350-450 par in the middle of the tank. I was able to go that high because I was running 20 ppm nitrate and .05-.1 phosphate. If you’re ULN I would shoot for 250 par.

 

[AngryOwl]

Just finished testing and changing the light settings.
Tested Alk, NO3, and phosphorus
Alk - 9.5
NO3 - 20ppm
Phosphorus - 178ppb = .54 ppm PO4 (phosphate)

Posting pictures below now.

 

[AngryOwl]

new frags I got this past Saturday.

 

[AngryOwl]

So the cool thing about taking these pictures is seeing the growth where I thought there was none.

Here is what I adjusted the lights to. Will see over the next 2 weeks if anything changes.... New corals will remain on the sand bed in the rack until I figure it out...

 

[Fishfinder]

@AngryOwl check out what Velcro posted above. He was running crazy high light. But his nutrients matched.

I personally can't get above 60% without problems