reefer 200 xl - which light would you use?

[Charlie’s Frags]

charlie.. my acros kinda lost color and browned a bit.. now I am not sure if this can happen due to too intense light? I am absolutely unsure.. the AI Signature schedules are all completely different though..

So, my question is.. do I have to crank that stuff up when it browned or is it due too to much light and I need to lower it? Im a bit confused

Brown comes from stress, usually water chemistry or pests. Too much light usually causes a pale or bleaching reaction.
Is this a new tank? Recently upgraded?

 

[chipchipbro]

Brown comes from stress, usually water chemistry or pests. Too much light usually causes a pale or bleaching reaction.
Is this a new tank? Recently upgraded?

well yes, tank is 2months old and was an upgrade to my former 20g tank.

The corals were all improving in the 20g and then the change/upgrade-move

now they lost color and look a bit pale/browinsh.. Not sure if I just have to keep the light high and check in a few weeks when nothing bleaches..

So as long as nothing bleaches it should be fine huh?

 

[Charlie’s Frags]

well yes, tank is 2months old and was an upgrade to my former 20g tank.

The corals were all improving in the 20g and then the change/upgrade-move

now they lost color and look a bit pale/browinsh.. Not sure if I just have to keep the light high and check in a few weeks when nothing bleaches..

So as long as nothing bleaches it should be fine huh?

You should be fine with those lighting settings or go back to what you had them at before. I doubt it was the change in settings. Most likely it’s from all the changes over the last 2 months.

 

[chipchipbro]

I have the same tank and use a G5 XR30 Blue. All channels are set to 100% with the overall intensity set at 60% based on the PAR measurements shown in a BRS video.

I don’t have the link to the video on hand but you can find it easily. If you’re considering any Radion for that footprint (i.e. XL200), it’s worth watching the video, at least as a starting point. BRS sought to eliminate hotspots while achieving PAR in the 250 to 375-ish range over a 24” cube, if memory serves.

Edit: My guess is a single XR15 is going to result in hotspots and shading long term, but I admittedly have not tried this. It may work temporarily with small frags.

@Charlie’s Frags uses two XR15s over a similarly sized tank. He has the G6s, though.

Hey Rick

so I have the XR30 G5 Blue over my Reefer 200XL. I downloaded the POTO preset and I am unsure as it seems pretty intense.

I did turn it down to 80% but ai believe it could be pretty strong par still.

Did you ever measure PAR yourselfs?
White 60%, Red/Green 10%, Cyan 45% and rest 100% (Peak phase for 6hrs)

Not sure but my Goinios and the Toxic Green Softie arent opening anymore :‘)

 

[Rick5]

Hey Rick

so I have the XR30 G5 Blue over my Reefer 200XL. I downloaded the POTO preset and I am unsure as it seems pretty intense.

I did turn it down to 80% but ai believe it could be pretty strong par still.

Did you ever measure PAR yourselfs?
White 60%, Red/Green 10%, Cyan 45% and rest 100% (Peak phase for 6hrs)

Not sure but my Goinios and the Toxic Green Softie arent opening anymore :‘)

I did test PAR. When I tested it, I think I was running something like all channels at 100% with the exception of red, green and cyan. I believe the latter channels were at 5-15%. That produced more PAR than we probably need for most SPS (i.e. 550-ish at the top of the rock work, mid-300s at the middle and between 260-ish to 300-ish at the bottom). At some point, I raised everything to 100% and I've been running the fixture at 100% for something like 4-5 months. Frankly, it's probably more light (PAR) than I need at that level as well, particularly at the top, but I decided I didn't want to make another lighting adjustment, so I just stuck with it. My acquascape is kind of shaped like a pyramid. It's worth noting that the tank won't grow coralline anywhere with the exception of spots on the back glass, which is weird (also potentially suggesting it's too much light for such a small water volume - although I know others run higher PAR with LED).

When it comes time to replace the fixture, I'm gravitating away from that brand.

Edit: By the way, what are you running for flow? I'm running 1 x Nero 5 (at 100% random) and the smaller Tunze wavebox. I'm going to replace the wavebox with a Tunze powerhead so I can lower the Nero and hopefully avoid bald spots along the sandbed.

 

[chipchipbro]

I did test PAR. When I tested it, I think I was running something like all channels at 100% with the exception of red, green and cyan. I believe the latter channels were at 5-15%. That produced more PAR than we probably need for most SPS (i.e. 550-ish at the top of the rock work, mid-300s at the middle and between 260-ish to 300-ish at the bottom). At some point, I raised everything to 100% and I've been running the fixture at 100% for something like 4-5 months. Frankly, it's probably more light (PAR) than I need at that level as well, particularly at the top, but I decided I didn't want to make another lighting adjustment, so I just stuck with it. My acquascape is kind of shaped like a pyramid. It's worth noting that the tank won't grow coralline anywhere with the exception of spots on the back glass, which is weird (also potentially suggesting it's too much light for such a small water volume - although I know others run higher PAR with LED).

When it comes time to replace the fixture, I'm gravitating away from that brand.

Edit: By the way, what are you running for flow? I'm running 1 x Nero 5 (at 100% random) and the smaller Tunze wavebox. I'm going to replace the wavebox with a Tunze powerhead so I can lower the Nero and hopefully avoid bald spots along the sandbed.

Thanks for the answer!
So hopefully my setting is enough for my sps.. my scape is pretty deep.. maybe reached only from bottom to the mid of the tank.
But its only frags so, therefore I might be ok with 75% right?

 

[Rick5]

Thanks for the answer!
So hopefully my setting is enough for my sps.. my scape is pretty deep.. maybe reached only from bottom to the mid of the tank.
But its only frags so, therefore I might be ok with 75% right?

I’d leave it there and see how things progress.

If I still had a PAR meter, I’d test it for you.

 

[chipchipbro]

I’d leave it there and see how things progress.

If I still had a PAR meter, I’d test it for you.

well yeah will do so.
Thanks for your helping hand man, appreciate it.

Some corals just browned out a little and I dont know if they need more light.
po4 and no3 are pretty good

but the new xr30 is installed for maybe 4-5 weeks now. (acros were brown before tbh; but not all thats the interesting thing)

 

[Rick5]

well yeah will do so.
Thanks for your helping hand man, appreciate it.

Some corals just browned out a little and I dont know if they need more light.
po4 and no3 are pretty good

but the new xr30 is installed for maybe 4-5 weeks now. (acros were brown before tbh; but not all thats the interesting thing)

I’ll take brown over pale any day of the week. I’d give it a month or two to see how they respond.

I made the mistake of letting nutrients swing too much. I really like the tank dimensions, but I didn’t stock it appropriately right out of the gate, hence the swing.

 

[chipchipbro]

I’ll take brown over pale any day of the week. I’d give it a month or two to see how they respond.

I made the mistake of letting nutrients swing too much. I really like the tank dimensions, but I didn’t stock it appropriately right out of the gate, hence the swing.

Well yeah...
I did bring down my no3 from 40 to now 12 in maybe 2 months now?
I started to dose carbon..

The crazy thing is, that only some of the corals are browned.. but yeah we will see..
i mean even if they just have 200 par they still should color up nicely, right?

 

[Charlie’s Frags]

Well yeah...
I did bring down my no3 from 40 to now 12 in maybe 2 months now?
I started to dose carbon..

The crazy thing is, that only some of the corals are browned.. but yeah we will see..
i mean even if they just have 200 par they still should color up nicely, right?

Brown means stressed. Not too much no3/po4 or low light or too much light etc. The carbon dosing isn’t helping. Doing a 75%-90% water change is a better way to bring down no3.

 

[chipchipbro]

Brown means stressed. Not too much no3/po4 or low light or too much light etc. The carbon dosing isn’t helping. Doing a 75%-90% water change is a better way to bring down no3.

yeah I see that..
well, po4 is 0.1 and no3 is now 12

The browned out SSC has now started to get the pink/red tips back at some tips.. but just a little bit.
Well, I mean I gotta wait and see I guess.

I just leave the light be for now.. 75% with the POTO spectrum settings.

 

[chipchipbro]

I did test PAR. When I tested it, I think I was running something like all channels at 100% with the exception of red, green and cyan. I believe the latter channels were at 5-15%. That produced more PAR than we probably need for most SPS (i.e. 550-ish at the top of the rock work, mid-300s at the middle and between 260-ish to 300-ish at the bottom). At some point, I raised everything to 100% and I've been running the fixture at 100% for something like 4-5 months. Frankly, it's probably more light (PAR) than I need at that level as well, particularly at the top, but I decided I didn't want to make another lighting adjustment, so I just stuck with it. My acquascape is kind of shaped like a pyramid. It's worth noting that the tank won't grow coralline anywhere with the exception of spots on the back glass, which is weird (also potentially suggesting it's too much light for such a small water volume - although I know others run higher PAR with LED).

When it comes time to replace the fixture, I'm gravitating away from that brand.

Edit: By the way, what are you running for flow? I'm running 1 x Nero 5 (at 100% random) and the smaller Tunze wavebox. I'm going to replace the wavebox with a Tunze powerhead so I can lower the Nero and hopefully avoid bald spots along the sandbed.

Regarding flow:
I use 3 Jebao powerheads (mlw / alw20) 2 on each side on the backwall and 1 from left to right..

All around 80% in different modus

Maybe its too much? I dont know

 

[Rick5]

Regarding flow:
I use 3 Jebao powerheads (mlw / alw20) 2 on each side on the backwall and 1 from left to right..

All around 80% in different modus

Maybe its too much? I dont know

Isn't that just over 6,000 GPH?

 

[chipchipbro]

Isn't that just over 6,000 GPH?

yes I switched to cross flow and things are looking way better now!

 

[Acros]

yes I switched to cross flow and things are looking way better now!

What does the cross flow setting do? Do all jebao pumps work with that setting?

 

[chipchipbro]

What does the cross flow setting do? Do all jebao pumps work with that setting?

Well, you can pair the jebaos.
One is the master and the other the slave pump. They then work in crossflow mode where one pump pumps and the other not until they switch. Its pretty cool though.
For the price the jebaos are crazy nice imo

 

[Acros]

Well, you can pair the jebaos.
One is the master and the other the slave pump. They then work in crossflow mode where one pump pumps and the other not until they switch. Its pretty cool though.
For the price the jebaos are crazy nice imo

My SLW and MCP pumps just stop working when I change them to cross flow mode. They were not linked up when I tried it. I will try it again after linking them.