Minimum PAR to grow SPS

[FloridaReefer2023]

Does anyone have a rough idea of the PAR needed to grow SPS? Also is there any SPS that doesn’t require very high PAR? Thanks!

 

[Reefer Matt Verified Media Partner]

Does anyone have a rough idea of the PAR needed to grow SPS? Also is there any SPS that doesn’t require very high PAR? Thanks!

I grow them from 150 to 300. None of them require anything above 200 imo.

 

[FloridaReefer2023]

I grow them from 150 to 300. None of them require anything above 200 imo.

Thank you!

 

[Reefer Matt Verified Media Partner]

Thank you!

Stand by for people to yell at me, though.
Just offering what my numbers are in my tanks.

 

[yanetterer]

My encrusting and plating montiporas are happy at about 200 PAR

 

[FloridaReefer2023]

Stand by for people to yell at me, though.
Just offering what my numbers are in my tanks.

I got your back Matt

 

[Reefer Matt Verified Media Partner]

I got your back Matt

Thanks!

 

[MrGisonni]

Agree with others. My monti digitata is growing nicely in between 150 and 200 par, my acros are growing, slowly.

 

[The_Skrimp]

Before upgrading my lights, my monties and birdsnest were doing just fine at around 150 Par. In fact my forest fire digi has much better colors with brighter green skin wheni have a frag of it sitting in the back at just over 100 par than it does directly under the light at around 200.

 

[revhtree Verified Admin]

What kind of SPS you looking to grow?

 

[Seansea]

Strictly depends on sps and where they hale from. Most stags come from shallow water that gets about 65k full bake sun many hours of day. Even in a low tide they may be exposed to waterless suns for a few hours. Others might come from a little deeper where light is less. This goes for all coral tho. Ricordea come from shallow water and many zoas do too so can be coral specific. But agrre with reefer matt. Around 200 will cover most at least to keep them alive albeit to grow them slowly.

Best advice figure out what you want to keep then target that

 

[nothing_fancy]

I would venture to say there's more to growth than lighting intensity. Taking a look at the colors of the sps can lead you in the right direction to necessary par IMO. I had the opportunity to chat with a seller who had some really great acid trip mille's that had outstanding yellows in them. The advice for par was to go way up, 400+ so long as phosphates were kept low, no greater than .05 That being said 200 is a safe range for most, but you might look deeper into what kinds of sps you plan to keep and judge placement accordingly. Personally I've found that some of the stuff I keep will go greener in lower light with po4 at or around .1. Sps with more orange and yellow have been good for me 350+ A good starter low light sps would be any kind of stylophora imo and that variety will grow like crazy and take over a good portion of your tank in a years time or less.

 

[X-37B]

Depends on the sps. A value of 200 will grow most any sps.
Some do well with more some less.

 

[Troylee]

200 is okay and stuff will grow.. get up around 500 and they explode.. even digis etc..

 

[PensacolaReefKeeper]

I go a monti well under 87 PAR Nicrew lights but they're right above my water...

 

[CoralB]

Imo I feel that every sps has its own sweet spot depending on what it is or what it’s used to before you get it . I like the 150 - 200 to start then if you want to experiment slowly increase small increments then sit back for a week or two watching to see how ell they are doing . Which brings me back to a common acclimation strategy that should be used always imo that insures new coral including SPS acclimate to higher par safely . While following that principle you shouldn’t have a issue.

 

[zachtos]

obviously depends. Encrusters/plating montis want less, like 100-200 PAR, and branching type colonies seem to always prefer 250+, some did best in 900 PAR under LED, while others would die at that level. Overall best results over 20 years has been ATI blue plus T5 at about 350-450 PAR even sheet of light. Every coral thrived, almost wish I never went LED and just used LED for night viewing.

 

[TWYOUNG]

Just started adding corals to my tank. Plan on starting out with zoas, softs, LPS, possibly SPS in future. These are my PAR readings with Radion XR Blues at 30%. Thoughts?

 

[Hooz]

I don't agree with them on everything, but BRS recommends 200-350 for SPS, and I guess I'd tend to agree with that. Some stuff colors up more, or changes color completely in higher PAR, but most everything will "grow" in that range.

I remember a while back when they PAR tested the big WWC SPS show tank. It surprised me how low the PAR actually was in there, considering what was growing and how it looked.

 

[Seansea]

Just started adding corals to my tank. Plan on starting out with zoas, softs, LPS, possibly SPS in future. These are my PAR readings with Radion XR Blues at 30%. Thoughts?

Ya good coverage there. Alot of spots to put just about anything