PAR in the Wild at Depth

[Dennis Cartier]

Boy, that came out of left field. I don't know that individual, but apparently I share a province with them. I am guessing they frequent, umm different forums that have a different view of manners. Canada sends it's apologies

Now, that discussion about PAR at depths, I could go for more of that!

 

[k2-]

With my new build and migration i will have equipment and some of the small size tank free - Will run this experiment in california sun light. But very interesting read as i was border line feeling guilty of "giving too much light to my acro's" but boy how wrong i was.

Obviously not taking this thread away from its original purpose (par values) - Spectrum also seem to be a little different on the natural lights vs well known LED's which are completely missing out the peaks at 490 nm - 510nm


As very well covered here

Imitating Natural Light Quality, Intensity, and Dosage in a Reef Aquarium – Do We Really Want To?

When it comes to reef aquariums, Mother Nature has always been the de facto benchmark aquarists aspire towards. Dana investigates in great detail the quality and quantity of light over natural reefs in order to lay the groundwork to answer the age-old question: what is the best light for...

reefs.com

 

[jda]

I grew corals one summer under the Missouri sun and the growth and color was amazing. 2300 PAR, or so.

 

[k2-]

With right heating and power it should be doable year round in Sunny LA. Only thing i would like to avoid is 90 degrees days however they are rare and very short term in coastal parts.

Got few broken pieces of my acros and a power head and atleast for next 8 weeks we are in business. Will report.

I grew corals one summer under the Missouri sun and the growth and color was amazing. 2300 PAR, or so.

 

[jda]

I plumbed it into my larger system since the sun will really heat up a pool when it is already 90+ degrees. My largest issue was birds wanting to take a bath or flop around... and you have to strain out insects and leaves and stuff that the wind blows in. Netting over the top helps a lot, but it won't get everything.

 

[k2-]

Ok so my simple experiment is setup . Experiment is up and running

Heater is preset at 69 and water flow is on

Will top off daily upto water line and do 20% water change weekly or more
Setup is on top of my NSW reservoir for a quick water change regularly.


2 frags + 1 rock
1) montipora
2) A frag of another acro (will post mother colony for identification of both)
3) Added 1 rock from existing established aquarium with encrusted red montipora and 2 anemone


Parameters:
Water is NSW collected near la shores. Didn't check parameters of water as this water is exactly same as my weekly water changes and everything grows well in my aquarium environment and been using this water for almost more than 6 months.

Success criteria -
1) Weight of rock with monti increases or stays constant
2) Weight and size of corals increases

Day 0 readings :
Live rock with monti weight - 1288 Grams
PAR - Missing right now
Temp - Missing right now
Combined weight of 2 frag plus and initial picture - To be updated

Missing data right now - combined weight of 2 acros with frag pics and an initial picture




Notes for enhancement :
--> Dont have my ASM yet it arrives this week so first i will hook up to this experiment just to keep an eye on PAR values.
--> Dont have a spare PM1 temp probe will probably buy today to keep record of temperature (already have a backup PM1 module)





As a experimenter I should not have any bias but would be praying for the result are positive.

 

[PeterErc]

University of South Florida
farms coral above ground outdoors.
There was a reefer who had Solatubes installed in his house over his reef. He grew Acropora fast and brown. He had a tank slapped full of giant frags at the local swaps. Taking with him he didn’t care much about the color, was more about the growth for him.
Other farmers grow or have grown outdoors. For instance Morgan, ReefGardener is growing outdoors in S.Fl.. She said “It's really like a real farm where you have to adapt and adjust to what does well and give up on the stuff that doesn't, otherwise it can be very frustrating. Most of the rainbow acros just stay brown or don't do well.” From the pics you can see what does well, does well.
With that being said, sure there are other options for growing coral inside our homes. Most use the standard lighting system over a tank. Who knows large arrays of different lights further away and closer with giant reflectors directing light to the tank etc etc etc, may or may or may not grow coral better than in the oceans. Then if it does grow better will the colors be to our liking? And will our loved ones lock us in the insane asylum for setting up such elaborate lighting systems.
I know, being off the wall, however we are limited to the best we can do with what equipment and knowledge is available to us. Whether we choose to accept the knowledge is another battle. Hell, I already know everything and it’s all wrong, just ask my wife.

 

[k2-]

Update from the Experiment - Water temp reached 86 degree and i can see the corals are having hard time (both frags have bleached) and anenome is squeezed to minute size, not that much worse for my red monti.

I have removed heater (probably malfunctioned).

- but i will give them one full week time to call it a win or loose.


Thanks I know from my personal experience

1) My single mushroom is doing very well under refugium light (missing most of the other spectrum - and been there from past 1 year) and also have had smaller mushrooms spawning
2) There was a post in R2R where someone had reflector setup on his reef growing awesome acros under natural light


So seems like there is no right way , I have heard from someone - they do grow under sun light but stay brown (i believe grower was from California - a well known one).

 

[Shooter6]

I plumbed it into my larger system since the sun will really heat up a pool when it is already 90+ degrees. My largest issue was birds wanting to take a bath or flop around... and you have to strain out insects and leaves and stuff that the wind blows in. Netting over the top helps a lot, but it won't get everything.

Look up o2many fish on YouTube. He has 2 large tanks outside plumbed into a main system. He grows sps outside year round, and is in the LA are as well

 

[k2-]

Look up o2many fish on YouTube. He has 2 large tanks outside plumbed into a main system. He grows sps outside year round, and is in the LA are as well

Checked out - but he is talking about light in one of the videos - still needs light for outside ? Well I am on it and if it’s successful I am converting my 1000 gallon pond into a reef pond

 

[k2-]

AhhhA SEE IT NOW ! incredible

 

[jda]

The corals that I grew looked yellowish in the tub outside, but once you brought them in and put them under bluer light, they were amazing. The sun is wonderful at rendering good color in coral, but not so great at showing it off. I had a pink stylo out there that shined under the sun, but most other things did look better under the halides inside.

The growth was astonishing.

 

[k2-]

Alright i will keep trying ! Some more iterations to come.

 

[jda]

If you cannot plumb this into a larger system to handle some of the heat, you might need a chiller. Around me, you can usually find used ones for cheap. Afternoon shade can help a lot too.

 

[k2-]

If you cannot plumb this into a larger system to handle some of the heat, you might need a chiller. Around me, you can usually find used ones for cheap. Afternoon shade can help a lot too.

it was a busted up heater causing the issue - The setup is in shade so not hoping direct sun heating the water. Weather recently have been much more favorable High 60s and may be early 80's on the coastal.

 

[A. grandis]

You need to control temperature with the outside tanks!!! It's a must for success. Get a chiller and a heater if you need!!! Have a good skimmer and make sure you have stable water parameters to avoid dead corals. Get some tangs to keep the algae in check! The bigger the tank the better! The bigger the tank the better!!! Did I mention the bigger the tank the better?? They can all become bright colorful under sunlight. The stability will dictate that too. Water changes are also important. Nutrient control will help coloration. The worse nightmare is the rain. Place a glass at least about 2 or 3 feet over the system to keep the rain out!! Make sure you have a ATO for the system!! We tend to forget about the tank outside and that is why many times they don't do as good as our indoor tanks!! Check the tank every day at let once!!! Watch for the wild life around!

 

[k2-]

My current experiment failed and mainly due to temp control (dang to my busted heater) - But you are right it seems doable and i will take this offer and convert one of my large cans into one after i finish my 240 build which should free up alot of the corals i might not have a space in the new setup (or dont want to move like pocilopora).

 

[A. grandis]

All of the details I've mentioned need to be addressed for any outside coral tank to work in the long run. The longer you have the system, the more dedication you will need to have towads that system in terms of daily observations and monitoring. You also need to be ready for any emergencies, like tropical storms and things like that. It's an amazing experiece and it will be very rewarding. One of the biggest mistakes is to have a plastic container instead of an aquarium. You will be much happier to enjoy those corals and fishes if you get a nice glass tank! And the light will come from all sides instead of the top only!

 

[k2-]

Alight now i know where my 150 thats getting free i going next. Thanks.