Are my lights set too dim?

[chris_pull]

Hi everyone,

I'm running what is essentially a reef breeder photon (in the UK they are slightly different; they are bought directly from China and have cooler whites and some 400 nm diodes in addition to the 420s in the violet channel). The lights are as long as my tank and I've mounted them pretty high to get good coverage (about 13 inches). Using a Seneye, I found I was getting about 75-150 par in all areas of the tank. However, a lot of my coral seem like they are after more light – all of my zoa are stretched out, SPS isn't growing and LPS are not as colourful as they once were. My alk consumption is also tiny and nothing is growing much. I spoke to someone on instagram who told me his Seneye was off by about 50-60 PAR, so now I am worried my Seneye is broken (which I got second hand and doesn't actually work for some functions, such as pH, which just drifts ever down after calibration). I am also running my lights very low, with max intensity of 6% – when I look on reef breeders website under their very broad recommendations, a tank of a similar depth should be set to 30% or so.

Would you try raising them up more? We don't really have access to PAR meter rentals here in the UK so I'm unsure how to go about finding the right PAR if a Seneye can't really be trusted (or at least my one can't).

For reference, my tank is a 40 gallon long, 18 inches high and I have the 32" "photon".

Thanks!

 

[unchaotic]

If nothing is suffering too badly, I would start slowly raising the power. You're basically going to go through an acclimation process. I've read to move things up by 5% once a week until you get to where you think you want to be. If you do it nice and slow like this you should be able to see how your corals react.

 

[outhouse]

Your symptoms sound like to much light. Im running 8% B and 1%W and my growth and color is amazing in a 210g tank 30" deep with cheap lights. Remember those chinese 3w leds are strong, and your tank shallow.

But having a screen over your tank and such a low intensity, im leaning towards not enough. but id use caution.

LPS are not as colourful as they once were

not enough light, and they still color up, too much light they lose color

SPS isn't growing

Could be anything, in a mixed tank I keep them up top in higher par areas so I know lighting is not an issue

all of my zoa are stretched out

Thats a good thing

 

[outhouse]

 

[outhouse]

 

[chris_pull]

If nothing is suffering too badly, I would start slowly raising the power. You're basically going to go through an acclimation process. I've read to move things up by 5% once a week until you get to where you think you want to be. If you do it nice and slow like this you should be able to see how your corals react.

I have an acclimatisation setting on the lights too, so I can raise them by as much as a want for as long as I want for a very gradual increase in PAR. I measured again yesterday with my seneye and I need to get them up to about 12%, if the seneye is to be trusted.

Your symptoms sound like to much light. Im running 8% B and 1%W and my growth and color is amazing in a 210g tank 30" deep with cheap lights. Remember those chinese 3w leds are strong, and your tank shallow.

But having a screen over your tank and such a low intensity, im leaning towards not enough. but id use caution.


not enough light, and they still color up, too much light they lose color

Could be anything, in a mixed tank I keep them up top in higher par areas so I know lighting is not an issue

Thats a good thing

Hmmm...Based on what others with similar tank dimensions are setting theirs at, I'm about 50% too low. And regarding the zoa, when I say they're stretched out, some are almost 2 inches long, whereas in my old tank, with different lights set much higher, they were flat against the rock.

Also, how did you rotate the photo? I don't seem to have the option!

 

[DeniableArc]

Hi everyone,

I'm running what is essentially a reef breeder photon (in the UK they are slightly different; they are bought directly from China and have cooler whites and some 400 nm diodes in addition to the 420s in the violet channel). The lights are as long as my tank and I've mounted them pretty high to get good coverage (about 13 inches). Using a Seneye, I found I was getting about 75-150 par in all areas of the tank. However, a lot of my coral seem like they are after more light – all of my zoa are stretched out, SPS isn't growing and LPS are not as colourful as they once were. My alk consumption is also tiny and nothing is growing much. I spoke to someone on instagram who told me his Seneye was off by about 50-60 PAR, so now I am worried my Seneye is broken (which I got second hand and doesn't actually work for some functions, such as pH, which just drifts ever down after calibration). I am also running my lights very low, with max intensity of 6% – when I look on reef breeders website under their very broad recommendations, a tank of a similar depth should be set to 30% or so.

Would you try raising them up more? We don't really have access to PAR meter rentals here in the UK so I'm unsure how to go about finding the right PAR if a Seneye can't really be trusted (or at least my one can't).

For reference, my tank is a 40 gallon long, 18 inches high and I have the 32" "photon".

Thanks!

Could very well be the lighting but the fact the zoas are stretched but not open makes me think Water parameters. Where’s your N-P at and alk cal mag?

 

[chris_pull]

Could very well be the lighting but the fact the zoas are stretched but not open makes me think Water parameters. Where’s your N-P at and alk cal mag?

Sorry, this photo was taken before lights on and whilst it was still quite dark. The polyps are open normally but just very stretched out.

 

[outhouse]

I have an acclimatisation setting on the lights too, so I can raise them by as much as a want for as long as I want for a very gradual increase in PAR. I measured again yesterday with my seneye and I need to get them up to about 12%, if the seneye is to be trusted.


Hmmm...Based on what others with similar tank dimensions are setting theirs at, I'm about 50% too low. And regarding the zoa, when I say they're stretched out, some are almost 2 inches long, whereas in my old tank, with different lights set much higher, they were flat against the rock.

Also, how did you rotate the photo? I don't seem to have the option!

I saved to desktop, rotated with windows stock photo edit and re downloaded