Increasing PAR for SPS

[JGK17]

I recently rented a par meter and found out my par is lower than I expected (average par ~179). I would like to get my average par to a minimum of 200 par as quick as possible without bleaching my corals. How much par can I increase weekly without bleaching coral? Is increasing par by 20-25 per week safe to start with? (20/ 179 is about an 11% increase in par) Thanks in advance!

 

[SpSDrew]

Slower the better but corals are pretty adaptable. I have no clue what par the corals I got today were grown under. Might be over 100 par difference but they are good to handling adjustments on their own. At worst, it would not hurt to raise it 10-25% each month until you are where you want to be. I have always found that the higher the par I go, I have to increase my nutrients as well to keep things happy.

 

[thatmanMIKEson]

I recently rented a par meter and found out my par is lower than I expected (average par ~179). I would like to get my average par to a minimum of 200 par as quick as possible without bleaching my corals. How much par can I increase weekly without bleaching coral? Is increasing par by 20-25 per week safe to start with? (20/ 179 is about an 11% increase in par) Thanks in advance!

what kind of lighting are we talking, what do you have that you can just increase par? are you adding more lights or just turning up what you have?

 

[JGK17]

what kind of lighting are we talking, what do you have that you can just increase par? are you adding more lights or just turning up what you have?

I’m running three XR15’s. I would be increasing the intensity from the following
CURRENT. NEW
Left: 50% 50%
Middle: 30%. 50%
Right : 50% 50%

Here are some pics showing the par in the tank:

Pic 1 - 50/ 50/ 50 intensity
Pic 2 - 50/ 30/ 50 intensity
pic 3 - Shows the difference in par between the current & new intensity settings for the XR15s

 

[Hurricane Aquatics]

Any reason you want to increase? If your tank is established and your SPS are doing good, then no real reason to increase. Not saying you shouldn't as a bit higher par will definitely help.

If you're at 170 par, you could increase to 200 no problem as long ylas your flow is very good and your nutrient levels are good. I would leave it at that for 30 days and then increase a bit more if you desire.

 

[Dburr1014]

I’m running three XR15’s. I would be increasing the intensity from the following
CURRENT. NEW
Left: 50% 50%
Middle: 30%. 50%
Right : 50% 50%

Here are some pics showing the par in the tank:

Pic 1 - 50/ 50/ 50 intensity
Pic 2 - 50/ 30/ 50 intensity
pic 3 - Shows the difference in par between the current & new intensity settings for the XR15s

Pics looks the same. I think cameras really have a hard time picking up intensity.

I have done 10% weekly with absolutely no problems. Easily break that up in two or three adjustments over the coarse of the week.
This is for a healthy tank, no current problems otherwise.

 

[chipchipbro]

I mean... you have time.. go slowly... maybe 1% each day..
maybe use the acclimation mode and forget it

 

[Waters]

LEDs have to be increased much slower than other forms of light. I have always done roughly 2-3% per week using LEDs.

 

[bobnicaragua]

That’s not much of an increase, and still on the low side for acros. My tank is LED/T5 hybrid. Avg par is around 300. Some colonies are getting well over 400.

I would also consider adding supplemental T5 or LED bars for better coverage .

 

[Reefer Matt Verified Media Partner]

Imo, if you know what percent power will get you to the par you want, then a gradual increase in a few weeks should do for that small of a bump. The other thing to consider with par is flow. With higher par, flow should also be adjusted, but may not need to here. It's a guessing game on the flow part, and also what the coral can handle on par increases. When I ramped up my par from 150 to 250, I did so over a period of a few months. I let the coral tell me if I was going too fast by no polyp extension and fading. Then I would adjust back down for a few weeks and go slower next time. Hope this is helpful and not confusing.

 

[Hooz]

Since you already figured out your PAR increase (11%), I'd set the lights where you want them, then use acclimation mode with the 11% reduction, and set it to run for 3 weeks. At least that's how I'd do it with my AI lights. I'm sure the Radions are similar.

 

[fodsod]

I had a similar experience recently. I bought a par meter and was way off on my par estimations across the entire tank.

I'm currently increasing my par (Reefbreeders Photon 48-v2 pro lighting). I'm taking my time and going up approximately 5% weekly and watching my SPS/acros closely for any issues.

I have also been slightly increasing my flow also with the lighting bump. I'll stop once I get the par readings I want or the coral tell me that's enough.