Best AI Hydra Settings for Zoas

[michalinho]

Hello everybody,

@ all zoakeeper with AI Hydra LED... Can you tell me/us which settings are the best to keep, grow and for happy healthy zoas?

Thank you,
Michael

 

[kamakazian]

My Hydra HD 26 is set to
UV 100
V 100
RB 100
B 100
Everything else is set to around 35, with cool white closer to 15
I also run V 15 at night for a few hours just to make everything look fancy ;)
Run them about 12hrs with ramp up and down 1.5hrs. fixture hangs about a foot above.

I recently moved my zoa's to about mid way up and center of the lights. They've started doing much better the past few days since I moved them into higher light intensity. It's a 40 breeder.

 

[A. grandis]

You can see the amount of shades through the aquarium in that picture.
That's not what one should look for when set up a reef tank IMO, but that's what we need to deal when choose LEDs.
In regards to the setting of the fixture, every different tank setup will call for a different type of settings on LEDs fixtures.
That will depend on your particular taste, need of the organisms you've got, and dimensions of the system itself.
So, I'm sorry, but there is no magical number for the settings for any LED system, but the one you choose and need.
When people come here and tell you what they've got could be the wrong answer for your system.

My suggestion would be for you to study the needs of the organisms you've got and try to help them as much as you can, so they can be healthy in the first place.;)
Try to adapt them slowly to the LEDs and start giving less light intensity instead too much light!

If you had a T5 fixture your tank would be all illumined.

Grandis.

 

[Jdeleon]

My Hydra HD 26 is set to
UV 100
V 100
RB 100
B 100
Everything else is set to around 35, with cool white closer to 15
I also run V 15 at night for a few hours just to make everything look fancy ;)
Run them about 12hrs with ramp up and down 1.5hrs. fixture hangs about a foot above.

I recently moved my zoa's to about mid way up and center of the lights. They've started doing much better the past few days since I moved them into higher light intensity. It's a 40 breeder.

Are you only running 1 light? Lots of shade, I also have hydra 26 Hd's on a 4' aquarium, started with just 2 but saw a little shade on the corners so upgraded to 3 and everything is doing much better, zoas are now growing like crazy

 

[Jdeleon]

Here's a before and after of how much difference an additional light will do,
My lights are at uv 25 slowly increasing it, v 95, Royal 100 blue 100, green 12 red 15 cool 19 and everything is doing great for me.

 

[kamakazian]

Are you only running 1 light? Lots of shade, I also have hydra 26 Hd's on a 4' aquarium, started with just 2 but saw a little shade on the corners so upgraded to 3 and everything is doing much better, zoas are now growing like crazy

Yes, sadly. I had to stay within a budget. I plan on getting another when I have the cash. My "bandaid solution" was to keep the sps centered and lps further out. I recently had to cover the top with egg crate, which cut my light further.