Viparspectra light intensity.

[Jdsenior]

I got bored with freshwater and decided to take the plunge into the marine world. I have a 30 gallon octagon tank at 22"high that I wanted to use. I already have equipment like a hang on canister, hang on Marineland power filter,protein skimmer, and a Viparspectra 165w led reef light. My question is what do you think my height and light intensity should be for a tank like that if I wanted to do corals and maybe a fish or two?

 

[blaxsun]

LED height is really personal preference, but most LEDs will sit about 8" off the top of the tank. I would probably go with one of the default lighting schedules to start with. The only way to really determine if your LEDs are providing enough light is with a PAR meter (sometimes you can rent these from a LFS).

 

[Jdsenior]

Hi there. Thanks for the advice. I've been reading a ton on this site about saltwater tanks and it seems I've come to the right place for questions. Thanks!

 

[stovenut]

I use 2 viparspectra 300s on a 6' 135g reef. I have the blues at 100 and the whites at 30. (Blues for 7 hours 3pm to 10pm, whites for only 4 hrs, 4pm to 8pm.) Try to hang them 12"-16" off the water line if possible. Mine are only 8" off the water and I had to order 120degree lenses in order to spread/disperse the led lights intensity out wider.

 

[Jdsenior]

Are Viparspectra decent lights? The reviews on Amazon were good, so I won mine on an Ebay bid for $110 (new). It seems pretty easy to operate, although my model doesn't have a ramp up time or moonlight led. I also have to figure out a hanging system cause I'm not crazy about drilling into my roof so I gotta find something for my unusual octagon tank. Maybe DIY because the ones online are fairly expensive.

 

[DrMMI]

Been running them on my two tanks for two years now. 8 inches off the water level on my 90 gallon and 260 gallon. I'm getting 80-180 par at the sandbed.

 

[Jdsenior]

Awesome tank! Very colorful.

 

[BostonOne]

I use 2 viparspectra 300s on a 6' 135g reef. I have the blues at 100 and the whites at 30. (Blues for 7 hours 3pm to 10pm, whites for only 4 hrs, 4pm to 8pm.) Try to hang them 12"-16" off the water line if possible. Mine are only 8" off the water and I had to order 120degree lenses in order to spread/disperse the led lights intensity out wider.

I have a 90 gallon with 2 viperspectras I think they’re 165 , 5 inches off the water should I raise the lights up more ? I have the blues come on at 10 am then the whits kick on at 11:00 am till 8:00 pm then the blues till 9:00 stay on.