Could use some advice on new Hydra 26 hd schedule

[Kenyon]

Hey guys, I switched to the hydra 26 from my ocean revive t247 for my IM lagoon 25 gallon reef..
I am currently only keeping high end zoanthids and feel like I cant get settings right to please everything.
It seems like some of my zoas are getting too much light and some arent getting enough and I am tired of moving everything around. I would really appreciate some advice based on my current lighting schedule.
My schedule is as follows, with the two hour ramp, lights come on at 11am and reach full intensity at 1pm which is UV-35, V-45, RY-45, B-25, G-15, DR-15, Cw-16 and then green and red drops to 6% at 6pm and whites turn off at 6pm as well. So at 6pm I basically run a 20k spectrum and the light then begins to ramp at 8:30pm and turns off at 10:30pm

My issue with this light is that is really difficult to tell how bright it is and I haven't found that happy medium yet and my zoas always seem much happier when the whites tun off and the blues come on.

If you have any advice or could share your settings it would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks, Kenyon

 

[GoVols]

Do you have the 26-"HD"?

 

[Kenyon]

Yes

 

[GoVols]

Yes

@jsker
Do you have any incite for Kenyon?

Thanks, Freddie

 

[jsker]

I have a mixed reef and I am using these settings

how high are your lights off the water

 

[Coral Newbie]

I have a mixed reef and I am using these settings

how high are your lights off the water

Why do you fluctuate up and down so much? And I was told only to run 8hrs did the guy at my store give me bad advice?

 

[GoVols]

@jsker
Thanks for the help!

If I'm not mistaken, reefers have found it is better for corals to have that fluctuation pattern with the hydra's but you know way more about that than myself.

Freddie

 

[GoVols]

If anybody else would like to help out Kenyon also, then please feel free.
The Hydra's are just not in my wheel house.

Regards, GoVols

 

[jsker]

Why do you fluctuate up and down so much? And I was told only to run 8hrs did the guy at my store give me bad advice?

Each of our systems are different and handle different amounts of lights. I have found that the Hydra's are very intense and running my white above 30% strated to burn my arco tips. I back off on the intensity and the arcos have healed.
The reason for the shift in intensity is to give the coral a good dose of light but also let the corals recover.

My zoa are down low and tucked away.