Kessil intensity

[Fred Phipps]

hey reefers

I have a tall tank. 47 column - 30 inches tall by 20 by 18. I have a kessil A360 on it about 8" off the surface of the water.
I have been running it at 95-100% intensity but I feel like it might be overkill.

Any recommendations on what a suitable intensity should be? Tank is mostly soft corals, zoas/palys and a couple LPS.

 

[bif24701]

hey reefers

I have a tall tank. 47 column - 30 inches tall by 20 by 18. I have a kessil A360 on it about 8" off the surface of the water.
I have been running it at 95-100% intensity but I feel like it might be overkill.

Any recommendations on what a suitable intensity should be? Tank is mostly soft corals, zoas/palys and a couple LPS.

Look at your corals, what are they telling you?

Pale= too much light or too low nutrients

Brown= not enough light or too high nutrients

RTN/STN could be either

 

[mcarroll]

I have a kessil A360 on it about 8" off the surface of the water.

N or W?

 

[Fred Phipps]

N or W?

W. It was the only one they had in stock and I'm inpatient

 

[mcarroll]

I doubt you're overdoing it then.

Instead of guessing: Download a lux meter app for your smartphone to play with while you wait for your "LX-1010B" handheld to arrive from Ebazon.....$10-$20, delivered. Don't wait – don't go without!

When you get one of the lux meters going (test the app on a known quantity like a sunny day first to make sure it works right), tell us what reading you get for a peak from your light.

Going just by the numbers we have so far though.....

I'd even consider moving it closer to the surface by about 3-5 inches (around 4" off the water) so all of the light get into the tank vs some of it being blasted straight out into the room like it is now.

At 8" height your coverage diameter is almost four feet. Geometrically speaking, you're wasting more than half your coverage!

(The light isn't evenly spread across that diameter, so in reality it may be less than half....but still!)


BTW, why do you suspect that you're overdoing it? Did anything @bif24701 suggested ring a bell?

 

[Fred Phipps]

Ok thanks! I'll look into it. But isn't lux a lot different than par? I'll assume there is a formula I can look up to convert to an approximate measurement.

The issues I'm having is that some of my zoas stretch for the light but others, like my nuclear greens which are at the bottom in a corner, are open fully but they do this weird thing where they tuck their bodies (not the head) against the rock work. Almost like it's wrapping onto it. It's odd. I will take your recommendation to lower it a bit. I may also play with it and set it down to 80% and see what happens

 

[bif24701]

Do you have a local reef club? Does the club or anyone in it have a PAT meter you could borrow? With this light I've never heard of anyone killing corals in a tank of that size and you should lower the fixture as your display is very tall.

 

[WillReef4Food]

I have a 30" tall 300g lit with 4 360w and 8 t5. Here is what I have discovered on my journey. First, those 360s can give a ton of light. I killed a couple of frags before I got my settings down. They can be deceptive to our eye and seem dim but they are not. 8 inches is not a bad starting point, and is really a function of coverage. If you want more dimly lit corners, move the light down. I wouldn't go lower than 6 inches just to keep salt spray to a minimum.

Mine never get past 40% but I have t5. For just kessil, I would start at 65% peak and, as mentioned, watch the corals. Make changes in 1-2 week increments and acclimate new corals at the bottom and move them up after a few days to a week.
Do you have a spectral or some other type of controller to ramp up or down during the day?

 

[Fred Phipps]

I have had the light between 90-100% for atleast 6 months of not longer. My corals don't look bad but I'm starting to think I'm having a problem with too low nutrients as I'm not getting much growth.
I have it hooked up to an apex but the wire was funky so I just got a new one. Going to put it on tonight or tomorrow and run it at 80% and move the light closer to see if that helps with anything. Also going to decrease my photo period and feed more along with adding amino acids or something similar.

 

[mcarroll]

I have had the light between 90-100% for atleast 6 months of not longer. My corals don't look bad but I'm starting to think I'm having a problem with too low nutrients as I'm not getting much growth.
I have it hooked up to an apex but the wire was funky so I just got a new one. Going to put it on tonight or tomorrow and run it at 80% and move the light closer to see if that helps with anything. Also going to decrease my photo period and feed more along with adding amino acids or something similar.

Nutrients: Listen to your gut and verify for sure with a complete set of test results. A starvation situation...especially a lack of PO4...could add to any problem with the lights. Either N or P starvation is also a problem in its own right, even if your lights are just fine.

Controller: If you're running it at 90%+ for 12 hours a day, it's possible that could be too much light – I think something like 50% brighter than a sunrise/sunset system that only peaks a Kessil 360 at 90-100%. I'd still like a lux reading. It's fine if you can get a PAR meter btw, but don't wait for one. Get a lux meter on your phone "now-ish" and take a reading. Unless you plan to pony up for your very own PAR meter, I'd also get a handheld lux meter ordered....much better than the apps and very handy outside of the aquarium. Plus if you ever find a PAR meter to borrow you can use it to calibrate your lux meter.

Feeding: A recommendation on feeding is going to depend somewhat on your test results. Feeding may not be the best short term plan. (It will be the best long term plan, but you have to get there.) I'd stay away from amino's. KNO3 is better, if needed.

Lighting: Careful with lighting changes while you're in guesswork mode. I would not. Get the water tests and lux meter readings and you'll be prepared to move forward!

 

[bif24701]

Nutrients: Listen to your gut and verify for sure with a complete set of test results. A starvation situation...especially a lack of PO4...could add to any problem with the lights. Either N or P starvation is also a problem in its own right, even if your lights are just fine.

Controller: If you're running it at 90%+ for 12 hours a day, it's possible that could be too much light – I think something like 50% brighter than a sunrise/sunset system that only peaks a Kessil 360 at 90-100%. I'd still like a lux reading. It's fine if you can get a PAR meter btw, but don't wait for one. Get a lux meter on your phone "now-ish" and take a reading. Unless you plan to pony up for your very own PAR meter, I'd also get a handheld lux meter ordered....much better than the apps and very handy outside of the aquarium. Plus if you ever find a PAR meter to borrow you can use it to calibrate your lux meter.

Feeding: A recommendation on feeding is going to depend somewhat on your test results. Feeding may not be the best short term plan. (It will be the best long term plan, but you have to get there.) I'd stay away from amino's. KNO3 is better, if needed.

Lighting: Careful with lighting changes while you're in guesswork mode. I would not. Get the water tests and lux meter readings and you'll be prepared to move forward!

I agree, don't wait for one, get your hands on whatever you can as soon as you can, don't guess!

Lighting and nutrients go hand in hand and you can not assume. You need to know where your systems stands with all and ensure there is a balance so that your corals get what they need. Changes in color are a indicator something is off, find out what it is and correct it. Testing is the only way to do that. Guessing will result in dead corals because you will guess yourself when things don't improve and make more changes resulting in further problems.