Led lighting

[100gallonreefer]

I am currently running an aqua illumination prime over a biocube 29. My question is if there is any good overall Kelvin # for corals? I have some sps,lps,zoas, and one leather. I have placed light loving corals higher and others lower. Using the easy set up on light is fine for ramping but it's still confusing trying to figure out what intensity all the channels should be at for coral health.
Tank has been set up for 9 months. Water parameters are cal 400/kh 11/mag 1300. Am, nitrite 0,nitrate 5. I run carbon,gfo, and poly filter in an" in tank" filter modification set up in back of tank(just trying to cover all or most of the bases. I also add biokit reef every 15 days.
I run light at 50% for blues and uv,30% green,5% red and 25% white now.
Thanks for any help, Tim

 

[saltyphish]

I usually start around 40% and work my way up over time. Pay attention to the coral response as the light increases. They will tell you when enough is enough. Go slow. I changed mine by about 5% every 2 weeks. I also have a 29 biocube but with a rapidled retro kit. Go to fast and they will bleach on you.

 

[100gallonreefer]

Thanks for advice. That's been my concern- going too fast. Montis, hammers,and zoas have slow growth but the few across and stylos have been stagnant .

 

[MasterBacon]

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1477764189220183/ is a AI Prime group with great programs. I just added a second to mine.

 

[100gallonreefer]

Cool,that should be enough light. I put mine dead center. It's a good site ,Thanks.

 

[MasterBacon]

Np. Inside the hood, I didn't like the small spread. Limited cause it's in the restaurant. 2 really make it pop

 

[100gallonreefer]

1 light in center is small spread. All will be going into new 100 gallon soon then I will probably mount prime above tank for better coverage.

 

[Jaag]

I usually start around 40% and work my way up over time. Pay attention to the coral response as the light increases. They will tell you when enough is enough. Go slow. I changed mine by about 5% every 2 weeks. I also have a 29 biocube but with a rapidled retro kit. Go to fast and they will bleach on you.

When you say enough is enough you just mean they are going to bleach or what do you mean by that?

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

You may want to look into a lux meter. or par meter, make sure your not over or under lighting.

measure at the surface of the water.
100,000 lux in the sun and sky is 2000 par. (divide by 50)
so if you set your light at 30,000 lux at the waters surface it would be 600 par approx.

that said an increase of 2000 lux is an increase or of 40 par.

id be cautious of the stony corals(esp montis, as it will zap a small tank of cal and alk, Ill assume or hope your dosing. the montis IMO IME will grow under most light and lower flow, the acros need higher flow to absorb the cal alk.

as far as color goes, go by eye, what looks good. Id bet all op and lower white will bring you in the 16 to 20 k range as native id bet that light at full tilt is 14 or 16k.

fwiw most say photosynthesis shuts down at 400 par. limiting growth but higher pars increases color. these studies were in stony shallower water corals however

 

[madweazl]

You may want to look into a lux meter. or par meter, make sure your not over or under lighting.

measure at the surface of the water.
100,000 lux in the sun and sky is 2000 par. (divide by 50)
so if you set your light at 30,000 lux at the waters surface it would be 600 par approx.

that said an increase of 2000 lux is an increase or of 40 par.

id be cautious of the stony corals(esp montis, as it will zap a small tank of cal and alk, Ill assume or hope your dosing. the montis IMO IME will grow under most light and lower flow, the acros need higher flow to absorb the cal alk.

as far as color goes, go by eye, what looks good. Id bet all op and lower white will bring you in the 16 to 20 k range as native id bet that light at full tilt is 14 or 16k.

fwiw most say photosynthesis shuts down at 400 par. limiting growth but higher pars increases color. these studies were in stony shallower water corals however

I dont know that I'd put much faith in the LUX numbers. I have the little red meter and read 52,500 LUX an inch above the water surface (roughly 3.75" below the light) with them at 55% intensity. Based on actual PAR measurements of these lights I just dont think that is realistic (roughly 1000 PAR based on your conversion numbers).

 

[100gallonreefer]

I dose two little fishes two part daily. I've always thought 16-20000k looked better but wasn't sure if corals needed more white light

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

I dont know that I'd put much faith in the LUX numbers. I have the little red meter and read 52,500 LUX an inch above the water surface (roughly 3.75" below the light) with them at 55% intensity. Based on actual PAR measurements of these lights I just dont think that is realistic (roughly 1000 PAR based on your conversion numbers).

What par measurement do you get.

There's very little parlux data out there now. and also one should note changing the color does change the par. Making par lux difficult. but so does mixed tubes.

I use 50 as a pretty safe average.
T5 and halide id do at 40, t5 blue, and blue halide at 50, and most led at 60. the numbers stay pretty close. those are numbers from D riddle and Apogee.
D riddle gave led a 70 btw. but that was also some years ago.
and as most animals have a very wide range of light its pretty useful still.
I have xena at 40,000 lux and acro too. on the other side of that the mushrooms on the bottom stay pretty mad unless theyre in the shade.

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

I dose two little fishes two part daily. I've always thought 16-20000k looked better but wasn't sure if corals needed more white light

ive had mixed results with colors. some changes color, some didnt budge. And fwiw, they do come from different depths, so color and intensity are different.

 

[madweazl]

What par measurement do you get.

There's very little parlux data out there now. and also one should note changing the color does change the par. Making par lux difficult. but so does mixed tubes.

I use 50 as a pretty safe average.
T5 and halide id do at 40, t5 blue, and blue halide at 50, and most led at 60. the numbers stay pretty close. those are numbers from D riddle and Apogee.
D riddle gave led a 70 btw. but that was also some years ago.
and as most animals have a very wide range of light its pretty useful still.
I have xena at 40,000 lux and acro too. on the other side of that the mushrooms on the bottom stay pretty mad unless theyre in the shade.

I dont have a PAR meter to do a direct comparison. This comment is purely based off of measurements that I have read which tend to place the Kessils at the lower end of the intensity food chain.

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

I dont have a PAR meter to do a direct comparison. This comment is purely based off of measurements that I have read which tend to place the Kessils at the lower end of the intensity food chain.

yea and the just dont publish Par data like others do.:mad: it all user data. and tank par maps if I can find them.
And Kessil output varies from unit to unit.

fwiw a manufacturers Par map is a "black box" map, a user tank map is influenced by colors of rock background, proximity to rock and color of sand.
So when I bought my maxspect I lux metered it at the same distances from the light and I compared the results to the blackbox map provided by the manufacturer

 

[100gallonreefer]

I don't have a par meter either. I appreciate all the input and it just goes to show that there are no set rules for lighting and ill just tread slowly.

 

[madweazl]

yea and the just dont publish Par data like others do.:mad: it all user data. and tank par maps if I can find them.
And Kessil output varies from unit to unit.

fwiw a manufacturers Par map is a "black box" map, a user tank map is influenced by colors of rock background, proximity to rock and color of sand.
So when I bought my maxspect I lux metered it at the same distances from the light and I compared the results to the blackbox map provided by the manufacturer

The data I trusted most was actually done by BRS; they compared a number of different LEDs and at 6" below the surface they measured ~185 PAR from the Kessil. I have the WE and there is supposed to be an intensity boost with the "E" series of roughly 15%.

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

The data I trusted most was actually done by BRS; they compared a number of different LEDs and at 6" below the surface they measured ~185 PAR from the Kessil.

if you take that data and use a lux meter you will make your own lux par conversion number.