Share your reef lighting combos!!!

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RichtheReefer21

RichtheReefer21

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If there is one thing that seems to always be at the forefront of tank configuration controversy... lighting.

Figured I'd throw this out and see what works for everyone in their different style reef tanks. It seems 2 completely different settings on the same light can work equally well for 2 different tanks and owners. Amazing if u ask me.

I'm aware that each tank is unique and individual based on depth, what light u use, elevation of the fixture, which coral you have etc...

So throw what works for you out here! This should create a great learning thread for beginners and strike up some controversary over what the some of the most productive custom light programs there are out there...

Here what I run currently:
FLUVALSEA MARINE 3.0 LED
Tank is 48×20×12
Strip light sits directly atop the tank
13 weeks in

20180614_213032.jpg


All coral is happy and open daily. Mixed tank. SPS and Acro up middle high, LPS/Softies middle low and bottom.

Heres my settings I currently run daily:

Screenshot_20180614-212815_FluvalSmart.jpg


SHARE WHAT WORKS FOR YOU!!! Hopefully this thread will help those unsure about what to run on their setups to help boost growth and propagation and also let some veterans see what works well for others and try new settings out!!

Annnnnd.. gooooo!!!
 
Kessil AP700 with the Aquatic Life T5 Hybrid 4 bulb fixture running two ATI Blue+ and two ATI Actinic. Kessils kick on at deep ocean blue and 10% intensity, ramp up to 30% intensity and ocean blue 4 over an hour whereas the t5s then kick on. Stay that way for 8 hours and then the T5s turn off. The kessils ramp down to 0 over the next hour :)
 
96x24x24 with 3x250w HQI and 2x150w HQI on the ends - on/off for 9 hours with a light timer. 72x28x28 with 3x250W 20k Radiums and 2x 72" VHO Super Actinics - MH On/off for 5 hours and VHOs on/off for 12 hours both with a light timer. I keep acropora and clams, but I do have a single montipora and some utter chaos and rasta zoas that I cannot get out.
 
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jda said:
96x24x24 with 3x250w HQI and 2x150w HQI on the ends - on/off for 9 hours with a light timer. 72x28x28 with 3x250W 20k Radiums and 2x 72" VHO Super Actinics - MH On/off for 5 hours and VHOs on/off for 12 hours both with a light timer. I keep acropora and clams, but I do have a single montipora and some utter chaos and rasta zoas that I cannot get out.
Click to expand...

Zoas won't come out, or ur monti? Or both?
 
The Utter Chaos and Rastas are a infestation that I cannot fully get rid of. I cannot get them out of the tank. They grow like wildfire and take up some room where I would like to put a few more SPS frags. It seems like there is always some remnant left behind that grows back. It freaks people out when I post that I kalk over 50-100 utter chaos at a time.
 
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jda said:
The Utter Chaos and Rastas are a infestation that I cannot fully get rid of. I cannot get them out of the tank. They grow like wildfire and take up some room where I would like to put a few more SPS frags. It seems like there is always some remnant left behind that grows back. It freaks people out when I post that I kalk over 50-100 utter chaos at a time.
Click to expand...

I'm going to take one for the team here and say that you can just ship me the rock that has these zoas on them and I'll take them off your hands for free. I'll also (overnight) ship you some fully cured, covered in coraline rock for free in exchange. :)
 
That is the bad part... one particular rock is about a 40 pounder that I have had for about 30 years from the Great Barrier Reef... and it is buried. It is not going anywhere. Most of the rest is Marshall Island... also not getting out of my hands.

They look kinda cool in closeups, but I still hate them. They grow like weeds under the Halides with NSW water parameters (acropora water parameters).

 
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jda said:
That is the bad part... one particular rock is about a 40 pounder that I have had for about 30 years from the Great Barrier Reef... and it is buried. It is not going anywhere. Most of the rest is Marshall Island... also not getting out of my hands.

They look kinda cool in closeups, but I still hate them. They grow like weeds under the Halides with NSW water parameters (acropora water parameters).

Click to expand...

I would love to take a decent frag of each off ur hands. :rolleyes:
 
ReefBot Lab, Automated Water Tester
It seems like I may be fighting a losing battle trying to grow a mixed tank with this lower-grade light?

Seems everyone with successful tanks has T5 or super expensive lighting

Anyone out there ever heard of real success with a light like mine? (First post up top)
 
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Also... I ramp up for 2 hrs and run for 7 hours with 2 hrs ramp down. I keep the light below full % since it sits right on top and isn't elevated. Sh is old I shorten the mid day run time and increase % or what suggestions do you all have for me?
 
I just started with two 48 inch orbit led strips and they did fine with softies and some lps for my 100 gallon but I want to grow some sps so i retrofitted two 48 inch T5's on my canopy. Ive had a few plating montis that are growing well for last 3 months and just added a few sps frags so jury is still out if thats good enough.

20180614_130531.jpg
 
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I have a Radeon XR15W Pro Gen 3 running at SPS PHX PH14 Coral Lab cycle. Turns on at 9Am turns off at 6PM. Wondering if there might be a different template I could use....
 
Zeal said:
I have a Radeon XR15W Pro Gen 3 running at SPS PHX PH14 Coral Lab cycle. Turns on at 9Am turns off at 6PM. Wondering if there might be a different template I could use....
Click to expand...

Thats what I wanna know... what settings and schedules work the best? So I can try different configs for my light to get the most from my coral
 
Deltec
@Zeal and @RichtheReefer21

Radions have several presets that will work. The SPS AB+ program is very popular. If you're not happy with your coral growth or color or whatever, I would suspect lighting is probably far down on the list of likely culprits (with the caveat that you are currently providing proper intensity and photo period). Pick a schedule and leave it alone. You don't need to be changing spectrum around all the time. Your corals don't like that.

With that being said, the SPS AB+ program runs the UV, violets, and blue channels at 100% and the white, green, and red channels at 24%. I would contend that you can adjust the white, green, and red channels to where you like the look of the tank visually and that the spectrum will be fine for corals. Just be careful about increasing the white channels too high, though. Keeping your white channels under 40% is probably a good general guideline. The red and green channels are typically not as much of a concern, as there aren't that many of those diodes in the radion units. Of course, most people do ramp ups / downs, so you have a large portion of time where you are just running your UV, violet, and blue channels and no white, green, or red channels. That's okay
 

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