Hydra 26 settings for Zoa & Mushroom Tank

[shawy2510]

Hi guys,
I have a Hydra 26 for my new tank & wondered what settings you all recommend for a Zoa & mushroom tank. The tank is 120l & the light sits 30-35cm above the tank.

Any suggestions would be great.

 

[TheEngineer]

There's a lady in my local club who runs what is essentially the SPS AB+ color scheme, but adapted to the Hydra 26. She gets really good growth.

Maybe she can share the setting? @Ento-Reefer ?

 

[Ento-Reefer]

Hi there. I have 4 AI hydra 26 on my 180g. I was using these settings that BRS adapted from the Radion AB+ settings.

UV-119% Violet-116% Royal Blue-79% Blue-80% Green-4% Deep Red-4% Cool White-19%. If you do a search for BRS AI Prime settings you should find their video on this.

I have gradually added a little more white and less UV for the last few hours of my peak lighting just because I prefer a whiter light. My lights are 13" AWL and I am getting 150 par on the sand bed and 300-320 in the highest parts of my rock work. Do you have access to a par meter? I have a mixed reef and using the par meter really helped me map out the lighting zones in my tank. Most mushrooms and zoas will do great anywhere from 50=150 par. I have some doing really well in 200+, but they have acclimated to the higher levels over time.

Do you like a bluer look? If so those settings will be a good place to start. You can set a 30 day acclimation with a 20-30% reduction to acclimate your corals if you have been using lower settings. If you prefer a whiter look you could try upping the white setting a little. AI has some settings on there web site- AI Signature Series:

http://www.aquaillumination.com/signature/

You can actually upload the settings and try them out and see if you like them. I think the key is to find some settings you like and then gradually acclimate your corals to them.