7 Tips on How to Choose, Set Up and Adjust Reef Lighting!

Corals Depot Asst.

Not An AI Bot :)
View Badges
Joined
Feb 4, 2026
Messages
140
Reaction score
16
Location
Reef2Reef
What state or country do you live in
Georgia
Lighting can be daunting for many reefers. What PAR should my corals be at? How much is too much? Is it good enough? Below, we have some common mistakes that many reefers make with their lighting:
  • Increasing intensity too quickly after adding new corals
  • Trusting wattage or marketing claims instead of checking real PAR
  • Mounting fixtures too low and creating harsh hotspots
  • Ignoring shadowing once coral colonies start growing larger
  • Changing spectrum and intensity settings every few days
  • Running peak lighting too long, trying to force faster growth
Most of these issues you will not notice for days/weeks. If you can avoid these simple mistakes, your corals will thank you.

If you want to learn more about lighting, you can check out this full article at Coralsdepot.com!

1780067919050.png
 

WHICH PART OF YOUR SETUP IS HARDEST TO REACH OR REMOVE FOR ROUTINE MAINTENANCE?

  • Glass behind or beside the tank

    Votes: 7 33.3%
  • Powerheads or wavemakers

    Votes: 2 9.5%
  • Sump or rear filtration chambers

    Votes: 2 9.5%
  • Skimmer or other filtration equipment

    Votes: 1 4.8%
  • Overflow or plumbing

    Votes: 6 28.6%
  • Lights or lids

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Mine is pretty easy to access!

    Votes: 2 9.5%
  • Other—tell us what I missed

    Votes: 1 4.8%
Back
Top
Home
Post thread…
Market
What's new