My LED lighting question...

[Mstanker]

I have a Reef Radiance pro 180. This LED light is 180w over a 40g breeder tank. I max my white lights out at 30% and my blue out at 50%, the light are hanging above the tank 12inches, putting the sand bed at 25 inches. That being said:

1: What would upping the whites and blues % wise increase? Growth...and what ever else you all can think about. With increasing lights!!

 

[Mstanker]

No one knows??

 

[luxauterna]

I have the reef radiance lumentek pro 240 . I am still trying to figure out what the best percentage is for my tank. I have my whites maxing at 35% white and 55% blue at 9 inches about the water surface. I am still battling a problem with sps bleaching and minimal PE. I would say judge it off of what you are seeing with your corals. IF your corals are looking good color wise, PE, and if they are growing than I wouldn't mess with it. You can always try and up it a very small percentage to see if there are any changes.

 

[trido]

I have my 120 watt evergrows 16" above my 30" deep 210 SPS tank at 75%

 

[Mstanker]

I have two ricordiae.branching torch.hammer.blastomussa they are looking good to me but not a lot of growth after 3 months. I might try increase the whites by 3 or 5 because I want. To get some sps in my tank soon

 

[luxauterna]

Keep us posted as to how it goes! That slight increase might not show much change, especially right away. With those types of coral, it might not be the lighting. How are the water params?

 

[Mstanker]

The water is good.

 

[luxauterna]

cool. Well hopefully you see some increase in growth with the increase in light intensity! I am definitely interested to see how your lumentek goes

 

[NanaReefer]

I too have the 180 over a 40B. 11 1/2" off water surface. I just recently lowered my whites from 30% max to 20% max. Blues stand at 50% max. Whites for 5hrs & blues for 8hrs.
All my LPS corals are doing well. I turned the whites down because my LPS were looking washed out, all are on the SB.
My one and only SPS Birds Nest shows great PE but is no where near the color purple that it's supposed to be. Whether it's from to much/little light I honestly cannot say. My parameters have been pretty stable. Aside from Alk being on the low end, which I have recently adjusted.

 

[Mstanker]

If you moved the lights up 3inces above the water, would that be the same as lowing the % of the lights?

 

[luxauterna]

IMO it would essentially have the same function.

 

[luxauterna]

What ratio the distance vs. intensity is, I have no idea. That is why a PAR meter would be beneficial. I wish I had one.

 

[Mstanker]

ya i would like a par meter but the money to get one it not even in the question. $100-400 dollars. LOL i can spend that on corals!!!!

 

[swk]

Par meters aren't that useful with these lights. I've bleached a green slimer at 250 and now it's at 350 under t5 and looks great. Go figure

 

[Mstanker]

Just lowered my lights to 12inches and upped the % by 2 through 4hrs

 

[NanaReefer]

Here is my growth under the Pro180. @30/50% max. Ramping 10min/8hrs.
I'm having Alk issues so don't mind the lack of PE on a few branches

You say your parameters are good. But that really doesn't help us help you. We need the actual numbers

4/21/14

Today

5/16/14

Today

 

[Mstanker]

Nice, growth I change my lighting to 35% white to see if that helps. Also i thought i posted my para but seem it didnt save to the page.
PARA:
nitrate-0
nitrite -0
ammonia-0
ph-8.2
temp-80
cal -450
mag-1500
alk-9.4
phosphate-0

 

[NanaReefer]

Those parm's look good. Are they stable? No major swings of any kind? Are your corals looking healthy other then showing no growth? If so, you really need to stop worrying so much

More often then not coral growth happens in spurts. LPS & softies will benefit from higher nutrient water. LPS also benefit greatly from target feeding small meaty foods. Low to medium lighting & flow.

However, SPS prefer most pristine water conditions, high lighting & flow. They also benefit from feedings of much smaller (micron sized) foods.

Your tank is still very young. Give it time to mature. Remember nothing good happens fast.

 

[Mstanker]

Only thing I'm basing growth from other ppl picture they post with time/date on them of corals growth in 4 months compiared to my growth in 4 months. As for the major swings not really cal will go from like 425-to 450 back and forth. Ill have to post a picture of my log i keep and stop worrying haha. Thanks again.

 

[NanaReefer]

Can't go by what you see in others pic. More times then not only half of what they're actually doing is being shown/posted. Personally I go by THAT corals requirements.

The pics I posted is what your referring to. But I've posted nothing else of what I'm doing. It isn't ALL about lights. My Birds Nest is actually and slowly on it's way out See the white areas? Slow Tissue Necrosis. (STN) Cause totally unknown....