HELP! - 2x Kessil A360WE's over my Red Sea Reefer 250

[Brian Goldstein]

Hello Reefers-

I really need some solid advice on lighting settings for my RSR 250. It is a mixed reef with mostly LPS and a few acros.

I currently have 2x Kessil A360's peaking at 90% intensity for 3 hours, then 75% for another 3 hours. Ramp up/down time is about 2 hours.

The tank is 35.5" long x 21" high x 20" deep. The lights are 6 1/2 inches above the waters surface and my highest light demanding corals (acropora, montipora) are about half way up the tank.

So far all of my corals look decent, but I think growth, coloration, polyp extension could be a lot better. I want to also mention my parameters are near perfect, so I think I've singled my issues down to lighting.

Do you think this is too much light? I keep getting mixed advice from people. Some people are telling me to never set these lights above 80%

Your advice is greatly appreciated.


-BG

 

[Crabs McJones]

A pair of kessils 6 1/2 inches off the waters surface with mostly lps and some sps, I would run the following schedule. 10 hour photoperiod with 2 hour ramp up and two hour ramp down with 6 hours at max intensity of 60% to 70%, I'd start at 60% and increase it by 5% a week. If you notice the corals responding negatively dial it back by 10% and that should be your sweet spot I know you said your paraneters are perfect but can you provide me with some numbers, and what you're doing for your daily alk and calcium consumption. Are you dosing 2 part, kalkwasser?? Thanks in advance

 

[Brian Goldstein]

Thanks so much for the reply. I have noticed my corals always look better when my lights are ramping down in the evening. I am going to turn the light intensity down to 60% and slowly increase.

I tested today and my calcium was at 400, alk at 7.4 ( a bit low). Nitrates and Phosphates pretty much inexistent. pH : 8.2

I was mainly doing frequent water changes to keep my parameters up, but ever since I added SPS I have been dosing Kalk in my ATO.

Thanks again!

-BG

 

[Eggpaul]

A pair of kessils 6 1/2 inches off the waters surface with mostly lps and some sps, I would run the following schedule. 10 hour photoperiod with 2 hour ramp up and two hour ramp down with 6 hours at max intensity of 60% to 70%, I'd start at 60% and increase it by 5% a week. If you notice the corals responding negatively dial it back by 10% and that should be your sweet spot I know you said your paraneters are perfect but can you provide me with some numbers, and what you're doing for your daily alk and calcium consumption. Are you dosing 2 part, kalkwasser?? Thanks in advance

I have 3 Kessil A360s 6 1/2 inches above my 150 gallon tank. Would you recommend the same photoperiod?

 

[Crabs McJones]

I have 3 Kessil A360s 6 1/2 inches above my 150 gallon tank. Would you recommend the same photoperiod?

What are the tank dimensions

 

[Eggpaul]

What are the tank dimensions

60 X 24 X 24. I need to double check, but right now my lights turn on at 8 am, they ramp up to 50% intensity at 12 pm, and stay that way until about 4 or 5 pm, and then ramp down until 9:30 pm. so that's a long photoperiod. My tank has been up since March 17. My LPS are doing great. I got some montiporas from divers den, and some are bleaching. My alk is 7.5, calcium is 480 (kind of high so I lowered dosing), and salinity is 1.025. Haven't changed my carbon and gfo in a while.

 

[Crabs McJones]

60 X 24 X 24. I need to double check, but right now my lights turn on at 8 am, they ramp up to 50% intensity at 12 pm, and stay that way until about 4 or 5 pm, and then ramp down until 9:30 pm. so that's a long photoperiod. My tank has been up since March 17. My LPS are doing great. I got some montiporas from divers den, and some are bleaching. My alk is 7.5, calcium is 480 (kind of high so I lowered dosing), and salinity is 1.025. Haven't changed my carbon and gfo in a while.

On a 60 you may want to consider a 4th to help with shadowing, or add t5 supplement to the 3 you have. But at 6.5 off the waters surface your schedule sounds pretty good. You can probably bump the intensity up, but do it slowly over the course of a few weeks. On my 40 breeder which is 17 inches tall, I had two ramping up to about 70% intensity and that got me 250+ par all over the tank. That is for sps corals, I'd you're doing softies and lps, the current schedule you are running now is good

 

[Eggpaul]

On a 60 you may want to consider a 4th to help with shadowing, or add t5 supplement to the 3 you have. But at 6.5 off the waters surface your schedule sounds pretty good. You can probably bump the intensity up, but do it slowly over the course of a few weeks. On my 40 breeder which is 17 inches tall, I had two ramping up to about 70% intensity and that got me 250+ par all over the tank. That is for sps corals, I'd you're doing softies and lps, the current schedule you are running now is good

Okay, I guess I would need a par meter to check all this, because I'm kind of walking in the dark without one? Some of my montipora are bleaching. Not sure if that is from too little light or too much light.

 

[Crabs McJones]

Okay, I guess I would need a par meter to check all this, because I'm kind of walking in the dark without one? Some of my montipora are bleaching. Not sure if that is from too little light or too much light.

Possibly, but remember, lighting is only part of the equation, water parameters play a big role as well. Sps have a very small window, to clean of water and they get upset, to dirty water and they get upset. Also your elements, major minor and trace.

 

[Esage]

I run a 10 hour schedule with 8 hours at max intensity. My max is 80% for 8 hours this is over a 16" deep tank. The tank is LPS and Zoa's and the light is 8 inches off the water

 

[Eggpaul]

Maybe I need to increase the intensity much more for mine. It peaks at 50% , I don't think the montiporas are getting enough light.

 

[Esage]

Maybe I need to increase the intensity much more for mine. It peaks at 50% , I don't think the montiporas are getting enough light.

How deep is your tank

 

[Eggpaul]

24 inches deep. I have some montiporas lower in the tank, and some higher. Thinking the ones lower in the tank are getting less than 100 par, after watching the BRS video. I have 3 kessils . I know some will say I need 4, but I don't feel like getting a 4th right now.

 

[Daniel Elliott]

Hello Reefers-

I really need some solid advice on lighting settings for my RSR 250. It is a mixed reef with mostly LPS and a few acros.

I currently have 2x Kessil A360's peaking at 90% intensity for 3 hours, then 75% for another 3 hours. Ramp up/down time is about 2 hours.

The tank is 35.5" long x 21" high x 20" deep. The lights are 6 1/2 inches above the waters surface and my highest light demanding corals (acropora, montipora) are about half way up the tank.

So far all of my corals look decent, but I think growth, coloration, polyp extension could be a lot better. I want to also mention my parameters are near perfect, so I think I've singled my issues down to lighting.

Do you think this is too much light? I keep getting mixed advice from people. Some people are telling me to never set these lights above 80%

Your advice is greatly appreciated.


-BG

Exact same setup as yours, RSR250 and 2 kessil 360’s. Mine our 7in above the surface and I have a mixed Reef tank. Lights on a total of 8 hours 1 hour ramp up and 1 hour ramp down. 6 hours 100% intensity. No issues and great growth.

 

[Eggpaul]

Wow, so my kessil's at 50% intensity are too low I guess right? for a 24 inch deep tank.

 

[Daniel Elliott]

Wow, so my kessil's at 50% intensity are too low I guess right? for a 24 inch deep tank.

I would think so. I’ve had great success with my lights being set on this and never have messed with it. I buy coral from multiple sources that use T5’s and LEDs or both, no issues transitioning to my light schedule.

 

[Daniel Waters]

I really need some solid advice on lighting settings for my RSR 250. It is a mixed reef with mostly LPS and a few acros.

I currently have 2x Kessil A360's peaking at 90% intensity for 3 hours, then 75% for another 3 hours. Ramp up/down time is about 2 hours.

The tank is 35.5" long x 21" high x 20" deep. The lights are 6 1/2 inches above the waters surface and my highest light demanding corals (acropora, montipora) are about half way up the tank.

Do you think this is too much light? I keep getting mixed advice from people. Some people are telling me to never set these lights above 80%

Your advice is greatly appreciated.

-BG

Without measuring par yourself, I would reference the video on BRS that has par measurements for the Kessil A360W. Link below. The video goes into par with 2 units on a similar sized tank. For your LPS and montipora, you most likely have plenty of light. Acropora might be questionable depending on your placement in my opinion.

Light intensity is just one of many factors that could be at play here. Water parameters, stability, and flow can all play a huge role. Even the color you run your kessils at can be a factor. A 100% intensity at 30% color is a lot different than say a 100% intensity at 60% color (probably around a 15% to 20% difference in par from measurements I've taken). With the kessils when you increase your color, it essentially increases the output of the various white LEDs in the fixture. I've found some corals can be more sensitive to intensity from white leds versus say deep blues.

Just throwing out other ideas.

 

[Dana Riddle]

I just tested the 360W. Maximum intensity is at 100% Intensity and 60% Color. Here are some PAR readings at 18" depth with surface agitation ("shimmer".) These are peak readings - PAR is much lower when light is not focused by the surface's lensing effect, but did not fall below 100 until about 20 inches from the side of the aquarium (in other words, almost to the center brace.) Lighting should be OK if water surface agitation has waves of up to 1/4" in height.