LED lighting has always been a mystery to me. Changes I've made to my 525XL in the past have always led to LPS fading and eventually death. I felt like I was throwing darts looking for settings that worked. The recent BRS video regarding PAR, lighting overlap and height above the water surface was very helpful. $70 bucks seems pricey for the par meter rental especially when that money could be used elsewhere. However, similar to my Berghia post when you do the cost/benefit analysis, to prevent future coral losses the rental makes sense.
Critical variables:
- RedSea Reefer 525XL
- Clearview Classic screen top
- Hydra 26HD's mounted 11" off water surface (Height and lateral movement of the lights is not changeable)
- Measurements varied dramatically due to water movement on the surface. I did my best to capture a reading with all pumps on. I then went through and took all readings again without the return or MP40QD's running. The values below are the average of the two numbers. For the most part they were less than 10% of each other.
- Corals: Easy SPS - Montipora, Pocillapora. LPS - Acans, frogspawn, hammers, goni's, elegance, duncans, blastos. Softies - Palys, Zoas, and the big leather (which surprise surprise seems to LOVE PAR).
Here are the PAR results and the corresponding settings on the Hydras. Based on the PAR numbers it looks like my last dart was pretty much on target ~100-150. I am however concerned that I do not have the correct spectrum settings. The lights are currently running at 39w which is about 45%. Opinions and recommendations are welcomed!
Critical variables:
- RedSea Reefer 525XL
- Clearview Classic screen top
- Hydra 26HD's mounted 11" off water surface (Height and lateral movement of the lights is not changeable)
- Measurements varied dramatically due to water movement on the surface. I did my best to capture a reading with all pumps on. I then went through and took all readings again without the return or MP40QD's running. The values below are the average of the two numbers. For the most part they were less than 10% of each other.
- Corals: Easy SPS - Montipora, Pocillapora. LPS - Acans, frogspawn, hammers, goni's, elegance, duncans, blastos. Softies - Palys, Zoas, and the big leather (which surprise surprise seems to LOVE PAR).
Here are the PAR results and the corresponding settings on the Hydras. Based on the PAR numbers it looks like my last dart was pretty much on target ~100-150. I am however concerned that I do not have the correct spectrum settings. The lights are currently running at 39w which is about 45%. Opinions and recommendations are welcomed!
