Good photo period ?

[Bintis]

My 5 gallon Nano has been established for 3 months and is doing very well. I upgraded to a AI PRIME 16 HD LED fixture a month ago. I greatly lowered the percentage of white light that I previously had it set at, and it appears the corals are really responding well to it. My intensity percentages are as follows:

UV 20 %
P 30 %
RB 65 %
B 65 %
G 3 %
R 0 %
ML 0 %
CW 10 %

2 hour ramp up at 9 am
2 hour ramp down at 6 p
11 am to 6 pm Peak

Corals are responding well, but I’ve read they really only need 4 to 5 hours for actual photosynthesis. I’m curious if I cut Peak time to just 4 hours or perhaps 5, and extend ramp up to 3 hours I may run the risk of not seeing as good results as I have. Or on the other hand seeing better results than what I currently have going.

Thanks

 

[T-J]

My lights are at peak for 10 hours a day.

 

[Bintis]

My lights are at peak for 10 hours a day.

How big is your tank ?

 

[shakacuz]

if your corals are responding well, change nothing.

if it ain't broke, don't fix it!

 

[Bintis]

if your corals are responding well, change nothing.

if it ain't broke, don't fix it!

That’s the way I feel in my gut. Just curious.

 

[outhouse]

5 to 6 peak is all they need, ramp up and down is for your pleasure

 

[T-J]

How big is your tank ?

120g. 4 Radion XR-15 Pro Gen 5's. Running AB+ schedule.

 

[Bintis]

120g. 4 Radion XR-15 Pro Gen 5's. Running AB+ schedule.

Nice. Maybe a silly question, but on a tank that large I’m assuming you have way more corals than I do in my puny 5 gallon. With an abundance of corals as opposed to a much smaller amount tank size wise, do the corals need more peak light ? Maybe a silly question.

 

[Nano sapiens]

Nice. Maybe a silly question, but on a tank that large I’m assuming you have way more corals than I do in my puny 5 gallon. With an abundance of corals as opposed to a much smaller amount tank size wise, do the corals need more peak light ? Maybe a silly question.

Not a silly question at all. Food for thought...

Looking at both ends of the tank size spectrum, those with large reef aquaria and those with smaller ones really have different objectives (at least when the tanks mature). In a large tank there's lots of room for coral growth for a relatively long time, so lighting is set to maximize this (9-12 hours total, 5-7 peak). In a small nano that is successful those setting can be used to initially grow out the corals, but in a short period of time the typical aquarist will get tired of constantly pruning!

For my mature 12g nano mixed reef where I am interested in coral health, coloration and slower growth, I have used an 8 hour total, 3 hour peak, 2 hr ramp up/ramp down (and White/Red channels on a 1 hour delay) for years. The only caveat is that Acropora will struggle with this reduced lighting schedule, but most don't have Acros in a 5 g.

Luckily for us corals are quite light adaptable (if given lots of time to adjust), so you can adjust the lighting intensity and duration (within certain known limits) to suit your situation/goals.

 

[Bintis]

Not a silly question at all. Food for thought...

Looking at both ends of the tank size spectrum, those with large reef aquaria and those with smaller ones really have different objectives (at least when the tanks mature). In a large tank there's lots of room for coral growth for a relatively long time, so lighting is set to maximize this (9-12 hours total, 5-7 peak). In a small nano that is successful those setting can be used to initially grow out the corals, but in a short period of time the typical aquarist will get tired of constantly pruning!

For my mature 12g nano mixed reef where I am interested in coral health, coloration and slower growth, I have used an 8 hour total, 3 hour peak, 2 hr ramp up/ramp down (and White/Red channels on a 1 hour delay) for years. The only caveat is that Acropora will struggle with this reduced lighting schedule, but most don't have Acros in a 5 g.

Luckily for us corals are quite light adaptable (if given lots of time to adjust), so you can adjust the lighting intensity and duration (within certain known limits) to suit your situation/goals.

Terrific info and explanation. Thank you for the response ! I only have softies and lps in my 5 g tank currently. I feel pretty certain acros would not do so well in my set up. Not enough heavy flow. I have a 10 gallon nuvo nano which is up and cycled. I’ve toyed with putting a few acros in there, but am a bit gun shy. Been out of the hobby for well over 10 years, so slowly trying to acclimate myself to how the hobby has advanced on so many levels. Slow and steady wins the race.