Share your reef lighting combos!!!

[HB AL]

5 Kessil 160's, it works for me.

 

[Zeal]

@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

Don't get me wrong my coral is growing. I was just thinking maybe there's something better. The only thing I changed in the preset was red and greens to 10% and that basically killed any algae growth in my tank

 

[Zeal]

5 Kessil 160's, it works for me.

#Humblebrag

 

[hart24601]

My old tank. Hydra 26s, no fancy schedule. Here is par map.

 

[Jack Ravensbergen]

Philips Coral Care fullspectrum 180 Watts
Januari 2016
June 2018

 

[sbchandler]

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

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:

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!!!

I think people are missing the point of your post...

So, I'm fairly new at this. My husband had reef tanks back when Metal Halides were all the rage. He built his own light with 3 Metal Halides some T5 10,000K and Actinic. So now we have color choices: Pink, Cyan, Purple, Blue and Cold White. Everything I can find talks about RGBW which is anything but helpful in this situation. I was having a major hair algae problem. After much reading and little knowledge about lighting beyond the rainbow color spectrum in terms of wave lengths, I settled on the following on a 32 gal Biocube.:

During the full daytime the settings are:
Pink: 0%
Cyan: 10%
Blue: 100%
Purple: 20%
Cold White: 100%

The color in the water looks much better and the corals seem to really like it and are thriving. But I'm not so sure about the anemone. It just doesn't seem to be really happy.

I know part of that is related to the location it has decided to attach itself, in a shaded area under a large quantity of Green Star Polyps. When it stretches out for light it seems irritated by the GSP. I keep thinking it will move if it is unhappy and yet, it remains in place.

I was trying to mimic the 10K and Actinic combo. Hence the 100% Blue and Cold White. It is my understanding that red and green encourage algae growth so I wanted to keep pink and cyan at a minimum. The one that puzzled me was purple. I couldn't decide if purple should be more or less.

Having said all that - would I be better off to turn down the white a bit and turn up the purple? I can't even remember how I originally set it.

I've made several other changes in the tank which have helped immensely. For example, I replaced the basket that came with the setup with an In-Tank filter box and refugium setup. I went this route because when we had the refugium on the big tank it worked better than any other filter. I also replaced the protein skimmer made by Coralife with an HOB skimmer. Then, I replaced the pump on the far right with one more powerful in order to increase circulation and eliminate dead spots.

So - any suggestions?

 

[RichtheReefer21]

Alot has changed since I posted this. Mainly me just upgrading to lights and using the schedules that are proven by others to get the spectrum and intensities I aim for.

You have a great topic for a thread by itself. You should create one in the lighting form and see if u get bites. This thread wont get much attention to help u I'm afraid.

Cant hurt? Good luck, wish I could help more but I took the lazy route and hopped in the led herd and moved on.

 

[DaneGer21]

60x36x24 tank.

48” Aquatic Life with 4-26hds, running AB+, with 2-blue+, and two actinic.
14.5” AWL
Directly under a fixture I’ve measured a par of around 365 at 6-8” BWL which covers the top of my arch.

 

[ReefRy]

48x18x20

Orphek OR2 UV
Orphek OR2 Custom
Fluval 3.0 for ramp up/down, moonlight and sleep function until Orphek comes out with an app for the OR2.

 

[ReeferMaddness843]

48x24x16 Deep Blue 80 gallon tank
8 bulb t5 (removed center two bulbs and added an Orphek OR120UV and an Orphek OR120 Blue) 4x ati blue+ and 2x ati coral+ (Pic of fixture was when used 2x purple+ in place of the coral+. But too purple. Lol)
Photos with IPhone 7 and TruVu lense clip.

 

[Jet915]

I retrofitted 4 t5s into my canopy, i just added the 4th to go along with 2 led strips..

 

[Bpb]

I’ve used many lights. Started the hobby with an aquatic life 4 bulb t5ho fixture. It’s no longer in production but that was a pretty decent light. Individual reflectors, on board programming, moonlight leds, and powerful fans. I enjoyed using it.

I’ve also used an 8 bulb ATI Sunpower, Ocean Revive LEDS, Build my LEDs back when they were in business, 250 watt radium MH, and 250 watt XM10k halides.

As of 3/2019 I loaded up 2x250 watt Hamilton 14k halides in coralvue lumem bright 3 mini pendants, using Hamilton m58 mag ballasts, as well as a pair of SBreef blue led strips for morning and evening viewing. I do not run them during the main photoperiod for two reasons. The halides provide more than enough par, probably too much. Second to improve led life by not subjecting them to the heat the mh would add. These images are just the mh alone. This works for me because, well, it works. Turn them on, turn them off, and they grow the spit out of some sps. Bulbs are cheap enough to replace as needed
Tank is 48”x18”x24” 90 gallon
MH on for 6 hours a day.

 

[Dlealrious]

Display 3x Orphek v4 and 2 or60 blue plus. 12 hrs ramp up to peak 100% 2 hours then 100%b 90%w 80% others for 4 hours then ramp down. Ors only run for 6 hours
Frag 50 50 coral plus blue plus for 10 hours