You have too much light.....

[flyfisher2]

You need 3 XR30 for that tank...

Can you elaborate how you’re arriving at that conclusion?
The retailer, recommended I go with the three XR 15’s and later based on need for coverage add a fourth.

 

[rtparty]

Too much? You must be using an inferior light source. All my corals that are "getting too much light" sure don't seem to mind it. Got hammers, blastos, micromussa, frogspawn, and more sitting at 350 PAR. They've never looked better. That is what happens when you use a better quality light like halides.

Now I don't even worry about PAR. It only became necessary to have a PAR meter in the last little bit with everyone running LEDs.

 

[HeyLookItsCaps]

Too much? You must be using an inferior light source. All my corals that are "getting too much light" sure don't seem to mind it. Got hammers, blastos, micromussa, frogspawn, and more sitting at 350 PAR. They've never looked better. That is what happens when you use a better quality light like halides.

Now I don't even worry about PAR. It only became necessary to have a PAR meter in the last little bit with everyone running LEDs.

I rented a meter just out of curiosity. This is what I came out with on 2 hydra 26 and 4 T5s. Threw a third hydra in today just for better coverage. I don’t think it’s the “end all, be all” in reef keeping but I do like having a light “map” for placement

 

[markwayts]

Your corals just don't seem to do well and all your parameters are all in check? You have too much light.

Raise your lights or turn down the intensity.

Change my mind...

 

[markwayts]

Your corals just don't seem to do well and all your parameters are all in check? You have too much light.

Raise your lights or turn down the intensity.

Change my mind...

I have a mixed reef that has been running since 2007 with acropora that only uses the current pro lights. In peak daytime light my 55 gallon uses 100 watts of light.

 

[MnFish1]

Does anyone else feel that there are more variables than 'PAR' alone. i.e. - a high light intensity and a high alkalinity (lets say 11) can be problematic. Likewise, a high intensity and lower alkalinity (lets say 7-8) can be fine. Flow additionally plays a role.

 

[HeyLookItsCaps]

Does anyone else feel that there are more variables than 'PAR' alone. i.e. - a high light intensity and a high alkalinity (lets say 11) can be problematic. Likewise, a high intensity and lower alkalinity (lets say 7-8) can be fine. Flow additionally plays a role.

Ya know, I hadn’t considered it, I thought it was just dropping my alk a bunch that made my coral take off but I wouldn’t be surprised if they’re correlated

 

[MnFish1]

Ya know, I hadn’t considered it, I thought it was just dropping my alk a bunch that made my coral take off but I wouldn’t be surprised if they’re correlated

It is my recollection (I'm sure someone more expert in coral and lighting (@Dana Riddle) can fill us in - that when exposed to higher light - that more free radicals or toxins are produced - and thus more flow gets rid of these local 'toxins'

 

[Wasabiroot]

I said other, because "too much" is relative to each individual specimen. In addition, plenty of corals that are high light tolerant or obligate to higher light zones will still do fine in lower lighting schemes. In Eric Borneman's coral book he mentions par data for several acros and montis that are doing well in a tank and they're not much higher than 150-200. So while it's possible that for newer corals, softies, and low light loving coral like Cyphastrea, "too much" is really relative to that specimen's photosynthetic saturation point, which varies greatly from genus to genus and specimen to specimen.

 

[Montiman]

Does anyone else feel that there are more variables than 'PAR' alone. i.e. - a high light intensity and a high alkalinity (lets say 11) can be problematic. Likewise, a high intensity and lower alkalinity (lets say 7-8) can be fine. Flow additionally plays a role.

This is where I would disagree. I generally find that high light and high alkalinity need to go together. Dana Riddlea turbocharging photosynthesis comes to mind.

 

[MnFish1]

This is where I would disagree. I generally find that high light and high alkalinity need to go together. Dana Riddlea turbocharging photosynthesis comes to mind.

BUT - then you need high flow. But - I hope @Dana Riddle will pop in

 

[BiggestE22]

I have 2 xr30s over a 65g running at 25-27% and everything seems to do alright. I think Iight be too low but if it ain't broke don't fix

1xr30 blue over 40 gallon tank. Seems fine. At about 50% maybe too much flow at times mixed tank 2 MP40s at 60%

 

[Wasabiroot]

This is where I would disagree. I generally find that high light and high alkalinity need to go together. Dana Riddlea turbocharging photosynthesis comes to mind.

I feel like this makes sense. I come from the freshwater planted world with CO2 injection. High light is a recipe for heavy algae unless you up the nutrient and CO2 intake of the plants, or lower the photoperiod. Granted, the photosaturation of plants and corals are likely different enough that this comparison only goes so far, but ultimately we're talking about chloroplasts in the cell either way

 

[LPS Bum]

Dead wrong.

3w leds are stronger then you think, I went from metal halides and VHO and at 40% with my new leds I had no growth at all, so I upped the intensity after a month, then after 3 months. Then after 4 years or more of no growth I lowered it to 10% and poof coral is growing like weeds again. I thought leds sucked and were not bright enough. I was dead wrong, just like you. Difference is, I dont want people to make my mistake. I never had bleaching or anything that would indicate high intensity, just lack of growth and slow decline in tanks health. I tried your way for 5 years it sucked and its bad advise. Now Ive got happy coral again at 10% intensity. Look at the chart above, par is the most abused word in these forums, that and par meters. Those are sucker terms to get you to buy more crap you dont need.

Dead wrong huh?

I'm not really interested in arguing with you, but if you read my post, and then read your post, you'll see that I never wrote what you seem to think I wrote. There's really no way to argue that LEDs (even the 3 watt LEDs that you mention) put out more light intensity than the afternoon sun at the equator. By anyone measurable metric you choose, the sun is far more powerful than any LED on the market.

Not really sure how you can argue with that, but to each his own.

 

[alain Bouchard]

You can always try the other way too. Increasing intensity is not always the correct answer. Everything I have colored up, reducing intensity. So many different possibilities, dont rule out the possible correct answer. remember reefs have cloudy weeks and months in nature, and guess what they still grow
fine in lower light conditions. By the way nice tank you have!!!!

I totally agree. Have a nice growing myagi tort on top of tank at around 400par that has only the tip coloring pinkish and body and very pale pink. Broke a tip of it by accident a few months back, it fell at the bottoms, and have some beautiful colors now, with all the body being green and the tips blue. It has around only 120-150 par.

 

[ronronearr]

I have the Fluval Evo 13g cube and it came with its own light. It was super-intense blue/white lights. My vivirlas were growing slowly but were overall doing well. I reas on these forums that changing the light and spectrum would help my red corals grow more. So I ended up spending some money on the API Aquailluminations 16 light and now my corals expand so much more and are more vibrant appearing. I think the previous light was too close and too intense. Now we get programmable rise and fall of the intensity which approximates real life. I’m really happy with lower intensity lighting and it seems my corals are too!

 

[Wasabiroot]

Too much? You must be using an inferior light source. All my corals that are "getting too much light" sure don't seem to mind it. Got hammers, blastos, micromussa, frogspawn, and more sitting at 350 PAR. They've never looked better. That is what happens when you use a better quality light like halides.

Now I don't even worry about PAR. It only became necessary to have a PAR meter in the last little bit with everyone running LEDs.

You say that like nobody ever bleached corals before LEDs came along. Not that I'm questioning your husbandry or results.

 

[acropora4u]

i went back to metal halides. set it up and forget about it...

 

[MnFish1]

i went back to metal halides. set it up and forget about it...

Just this point alone - suggests that PAR alone - is a single issue with coral bleaching. Since you can't really adjust the light levels with halides. Of course you can put corals that do better in lower light closer to the bottom, etc - but...

 

[Montiman]

I have seen plenty of people bleach corals with too much light. But I also find I get some of the most attractive sps colors with super intense greater than 400 par.

While I mainly use leds now. I remember corals being 6 inches from the surface directly below 400w halides without an issue. But for some reason everyones leds bleach everything.

One of the reasons I use Kessils now is that it seems much much harder to bleach corals. I currently have 3 360s and 2 ap 9x over my 180 all at 100% I tried lowering them to 70% 3 weeks ago and since then the alk consumption has gone down. The corals just seem to like bright light but this is also from someone who likes shallow water sps. There are certainly corals that do better under lower light.