New Hybrid Lights and New Par meter......

[Carz]

So I decided to add the T5 hybrid lights to my 250. I am really amazed at the difference that it has made. The light is so different and there really is no shadows and just looks so much better overall. I can remember when I got my Kessils and thought I now controlled the world of saltwater lighting. I also purchased a par meter and I was blown away by the results. I was getting no where near what I thought I was getting with my lights. The par meter is a must have tool.

 

[Reefer40b]

Good job, now as long as you got the flow down and parameters, your coral will thrive! Happy reefing!

 

[kasso187]

Whats your exact light setup and what are your PAR numbers? Interested because I have a Reefer 170 with T5 hybrid and an A360WE.

 

[Carz]

I got the Aquatic Life 61". I am running two coral blue and two actinic bulbs. I have 3 kessil 360w that are set to about 55%. I am getting a par reading of 428 just below the water surface and about 180 towards the bottom. I do have the lights hanging about 12" above the water for now. I plan on going down to 10" over a few weeks. I just want everything to adjust .

 

[Makers Marc]

I got the Aquatic Life 61". I am running two coral blue and two actinic bulbs. I have 3 kessil 360w that are set to about 55%. I am getting a par reading of 428 just below the water surface and about 180 towards the bottom. I do have the lights hanging about 12" above the water for now. I plan on going down to 10" over a few weeks. I just want everything to adjust .

I am this close to buying the 61" aquaticlife for my 180g, which has 2xap700s only so far.. Did you use the new wall brackets or wire hanging kit?

Did you modify it or buy end caps to hide the wires?

 

[Carz]

I hung it from the ceiling. I did not get the end caps. I wanted to see how it looks when I have it set in its final position. I do have the wires tucked on the side and really does not bother me and I am pretty picky.

 

[Makers Marc]

I hung it from the ceiling. I did not get the end caps. I wanted to see how it looks when I have it set in its final position. I do have the wires tucked on the side and really does not bother me and I am pretty picky.

Throw up some pics when u get a sec

 

[Carz]

I can get some Pics later, but here is my current light schedule with PAR results. I am using the BioTek Marine Par meter which seems to work pretty darn good. Again the fixture is hanging 12" above the water now and I plan on lowering it slowly to about 10" over 2 weeks. This is a newer tank set up (upgrade) and my sps corals are at a friends house for now. I can see results of the corals in my tank now opening a bit more and the colors are poping out as well. Not sure if this a result from the added T5 Light fixture or correcting the PAR from what I was getting. I measured the PAR prior to the T5's and I think I was getting 260 at the top. I should have recorded the readings but they were way lower than what was needed and expected. I did kinda ramp up the kessils just a bit when I first installed the new fixture and when I had it set about 10" above the water, I was getting PAR readings over 450 at 6" deep. This is how I am judging my final fixture height and I will just adjust the lights from there. In my head it all works out.