AP9X PAR Values in a 100 Gallon

PigDaddyF15E · Dec 3, 2021

I have 2 x AP9X installed on my IM 100 EXT. Lights are 13 inches in from the sides and 10" off the water (BRSTV recommended).
Here is a pic of the tank with settings and par values. Measured with an MQ-510

I'm leaning towards setting C or D which is in between the two BRS recommended. I think it gives me below 150 down near the bottom and above 300 on the upper areas. Probably won't be using the upper most area...particularly on the right...as that can get exposed when doing water changes.

minus9 · Dec 4, 2021

Looks good. I would let the corals tell you where you need to set your intensity. Also, corals are completely fine exposed to air during water changes. Most water changes only last minutes and corals on shallow reefs are exposed for hours, so I wouldn’t worry about it. Just saying.

PigDaddyF15E · Dec 4, 2021

minus9 said:
Looks good. I would let the corals tell you where you need to set your intensity. Also, corals are completely fine exposed to air during water changes. Most water changes only last minutes and corals on shallow reefs are exposed for hours, so I wouldn’t worry about it. Just saying

Thanks for the reply. I just wanted to make sure I was at least in the range of the "recommended" PAR values. I guess more importantly I wanted to make sure I wasn't too low.

Right now I've got some GSP (2 weeks) on the lower left rock island which is 80 PAR and it seems to be doing just fine. I have some Xenia (2 weeks) not pictured on an island behind the rocks on the right. It's currently getting 100 PAR and seems to be OK. It's fully open and pulsing but not really stretched out like I've seen it in the LFS.

minus9 · Dec 4, 2021

The Xenia could’ve been in lower light at the LFS, but I wouldn’t worry. Are you using violet or the red and green channels? I used a little red and green during peak hours, but didn’t really see the difference at the levels I was using, so I don’t use them anymore. The violet channel is the secret weapon, but if you haven’t used it before, slowly bring it up over time. Mine is set at 100% during peak hours. Looks like you’re taking your time, so keep it up and enjoy!

PigDaddyF15E · Dec 4, 2021

minus9 said:
The Xenia could’ve been in lower light at the LFS, but I wouldn’t worry. Are you using violet or the red and green channels? I used a little red and green during peak hours, but didn’t really see the difference at the levels I was using, so I don’t use them anymore. The violet channel is the secret weapon, but if you haven’t used it before, slowly bring it up over time. Mine is set at 100% during peak hours. Looks like you’re taking your time, so keep it up and enjoy!

I'm using the BRS recommended which is Violet = Intensity (20 Intensity means set 20 in the VI)...and it looks like Red is 1/5th of Intensity/VI channel (so 20 VI = 4 in Red channel). It's listed in the pic in the OP as A-D.

minus9 · Dec 4, 2021

PigDaddyF15E said:
I'm using the BRS recommended which is Violet = Intensity (20 Intensity means set 20 in the VI)...and it looks like Red is 1/5th of Intensity/VI channel (so 20 VI = 4 in Red channel). It's listed in the pic in the OP as A-D.

Once you get corals in there, then slowly raise the violet channel up, especially if you're going to have sps. Nothing will bring out the blues and purples like violet.