Oceansize
Active Member
I have a 92 gallon bowfront corner tank. I have two Kessil 160's mounted above it, and I am using the Kessil controller. I am brand-new to reefkeeping, although this was a successful freshwater tank for a few years.
I just added my first three frags: one of each of the broad categories: an SPS, an LPS, and a Softie.
Based on lighting intensity needs, I put the SPS on live rock about halfway up the water column, the LPS a little below that, and the Softie very near the bottom, and I remain at the ready to adjust height levels to keep them looking healthy.
Alas, I have no idea if I've got my lights set up correctly. My current program is based on little things I've read here and there and advice I've gotten from two different people at my LFS. Unfortunately the people at my LFS speak broken English and therefore I'm never sure I heard them correctly. As mentioned, I have two Kessil 160's mounted above a 92-gallon bowfront corner tank, meaning it is not as long as a traditional tank of the same volume, therefore perhaps less need for a lot of spread, but perhaps more need for deeper penetration. Therefore one of my concerns is whether I have too much light and where I should set my intensity levels.
I would also like advice on color temperature programs for these lights, setting up the correct photoperiod, etc.
Right now my program runs for 12 hours, from 10:30 in the morning to 10:30 at night, but as you will see below, the intense period lasts for 5 hours. The room does get a fair amount of sunlight, but none of it is direct and the one window that lets in sunlight is clear across the living room. So the tank does get some light before the program turns on, but not that much. The polyps do not open at all until the Kessil's come on, so whatever sunlight is there prior to the program beginning does not appear to have much effect. I also don't have any nuisance algae which tells me my sunlight is not too bad.
In order to not surprise my animals too much when the lights come on, the first 10 minutes of the program starts at 25% color and 5% intensity and ramps up to 25% color and 25% Intensity. Then, for 1.5 hours the color increases from 25% to 35%, and the intensity increases from 25% to 75%. It then stays like this for 5 hours (noon to 5:00). From 5:00 to 9:30 the color decreases from 35% to 10% and the intensity decreases from 75% to 50%. Finally during the last hour the color decreases to 0% (for that deep deep blue) and the intensity drops from 50% to 0, shutting off at 10:30.
I realize finding the perfect program for a tank that has a variety of SPS, LPS, and Softie may be an impossible goal, but any advice based on your experience with the Kessil's would be greatly appreciated! Based on the numbers I've provided, do any of you see a potential for disaster?
Thanks in advance,
Barry
I just added my first three frags: one of each of the broad categories: an SPS, an LPS, and a Softie.
Based on lighting intensity needs, I put the SPS on live rock about halfway up the water column, the LPS a little below that, and the Softie very near the bottom, and I remain at the ready to adjust height levels to keep them looking healthy.
Alas, I have no idea if I've got my lights set up correctly. My current program is based on little things I've read here and there and advice I've gotten from two different people at my LFS. Unfortunately the people at my LFS speak broken English and therefore I'm never sure I heard them correctly. As mentioned, I have two Kessil 160's mounted above a 92-gallon bowfront corner tank, meaning it is not as long as a traditional tank of the same volume, therefore perhaps less need for a lot of spread, but perhaps more need for deeper penetration. Therefore one of my concerns is whether I have too much light and where I should set my intensity levels.
I would also like advice on color temperature programs for these lights, setting up the correct photoperiod, etc.
Right now my program runs for 12 hours, from 10:30 in the morning to 10:30 at night, but as you will see below, the intense period lasts for 5 hours. The room does get a fair amount of sunlight, but none of it is direct and the one window that lets in sunlight is clear across the living room. So the tank does get some light before the program turns on, but not that much. The polyps do not open at all until the Kessil's come on, so whatever sunlight is there prior to the program beginning does not appear to have much effect. I also don't have any nuisance algae which tells me my sunlight is not too bad.
In order to not surprise my animals too much when the lights come on, the first 10 minutes of the program starts at 25% color and 5% intensity and ramps up to 25% color and 25% Intensity. Then, for 1.5 hours the color increases from 25% to 35%, and the intensity increases from 25% to 75%. It then stays like this for 5 hours (noon to 5:00). From 5:00 to 9:30 the color decreases from 35% to 10% and the intensity decreases from 75% to 50%. Finally during the last hour the color decreases to 0% (for that deep deep blue) and the intensity drops from 50% to 0, shutting off at 10:30.
I realize finding the perfect program for a tank that has a variety of SPS, LPS, and Softie may be an impossible goal, but any advice based on your experience with the Kessil's would be greatly appreciated! Based on the numbers I've provided, do any of you see a potential for disaster?
Thanks in advance,
Barry
