56 gallon column reef build opinions please

Joeschlimm

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So I picked up a marineland 56 column on black Friday last year with a stand for 150, couldn't pass that up. Since, I have drilled the back with 2 returns, eshopps eclipse medium over flow with a herbie. Plumbed it through my living room floor to a homemade 20 gallon long sump in my basement. Running a quiet one 6000 return pump, coralife 65 skimmer (upgraded to bubble magus curve 5 but hasn't been delivered yet), orbit loop system with 2, 24" ic lights, 2, 660 gph eflux dc wave pumps, 1, 1050 gph dc wave pump, 200 water finnex hmo heater, brs ro/di. I have about 120lbs of live rock, I know that sounds like a lot, 2 clowns, 1 dansel, 2 snails, emerald crab, 1 coral banded shrimp, nice zoa colony, 2 birds nest, 1 monti, 1 kryptonite candy cane, 1 pink favia, 1 atomic hammer, and 1 pink and green duncan. Everything seems great so far under these lights and flow so far but it's only been up for a couple months. I'm curious if anyone has put a par meter under these lights... I'm getting mixed opinions on their power. Attaching pics of my build and where it is now. Thanks in advance for your feed back.

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Sierra_Bravo

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I can't provide the PAR measurements tonight, but it's widely reported that the Marine IC's will do great for softies and LPS, along with some montipora and other SPS that don't mind lower light levels. SPS that require high light levels like acropora they seem to have a hard time supporting based on what I've read from members that have them.

I have the 18-24" Orbit IC fixture over my 20g quarantine tank. Lights are off now but I have a PAR meter and can give you a measurement in the morning when I wake up the purple tang that's currently in there - if I remember, that is. . . :)
 
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Joeschlimm

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That would be great, thanks. I am running 2, 24 inch marine ic fixtures on a tank That is 24" deep so I am looking for par measurements anywhere from 0 to 24 inches. So please let me know your par reading at about 6" down because I think my highest rock and coral are right about there. And also your par at 12" because I think that is probably the bottom of your 20 gallon. Hopefully I can pick up some par reading from deeper tanks later. None of the lfs around here rent par meters and I don't want to drop the cash to buy one and use it once... So all info is helpful.
 

Sierra_Bravo

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Light is mounted on the accessory arm, so its 4" above the water. Measurement taken full intensity,; all colors at 100%. PAR meter is an Apogee MQ-210 on the electric light mode.

At the water's surface: 480 PAR

3" below the water: 170 PAR

12" below the water: 90 PAR

It was interesting to me that the light falls off that quickly. I expected it to penetrate a little better than that.
 
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Joeschlimm

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Thanks for checking. I thought it would be a little stronger as well. Im running 2 of the marine ic. So hopefully mine is running stronger than your measurements. Anyone else out there have some readings?
 
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