Help please with PAR ratings. Thank you.

[peterhos]

Hi All Could you please tell me if the attached PAR numbers for a new LED TMC ilumenaire+ 900 are good for SPS corals? Where in the tank might sps best go? (A Red Sea reefer g2 250).Do the numbers suggest keeping only LFS near the bottom? Are the lights too strong for new corals? TMC suggest running all 3 channels at 90%. I am good at keeping paraneters stable. If only I understood the lighting!

Thanks for any comments.

 

[death-by-reef]

i wont pretend to know anything about this but i would guess based on the diagram put your corals that need the most light in the top middle of the tank. The least i could do was give this thread a bump

 

[peterhos]

Thank you. I guess those PAR numbers are theoretical. To help with placing SPS corals, is there anywhere a list of different corals and their light needs? Or is all all trial and error?

 

[Hurricane Aquatics]

I wouldn't run it at 90% right away. Start about 70% and see how it goes for a month.

As a general guide:

SPS - 200 to 350 PAR.
LPS - 75 to 150 (200 doesn't hurt them from my experience)
Softies - You could grow Softies under a desk lamp......

LEDs are strong penetrators. Depending on the SPS you're going to keep, based on the PAR chart above, I would start your light about 65 to 70 percent overall intensity.

Yes, it should do just fine for SPS.

 

[peterhos]

Thanks all. Last question. Is it easy to tell whether a new coral is struggling due to water parameters or too much light?

 

[Hurricane Aquatics]

I wouldn't say it's easy to tell, but there are signs yes. Get good water testers like Hanna and then buy another quality brand as a second opinion. Then you will rule out water quality. Also, a must, is to use RO/DI unless you live in the Swiss alps .

SPS will bleach if they have too much light.
SPS will brown if they don't have enough.

Of course they'll also turn green if too much and a host of other things. They are not for beginners.