BeejReef
2500 Club Member
So, it's my first tank and my first lighting upgrade. Tank is nearing 8 mo old, has matured quite well, and I've preserved my upper floors for sps. The old AI Sol Whites just aren't punchy enough. Running 100 blue and as white as I can stand it, 50%, I barely touch 200 par on my uppermost scape.
I have questions regarding transitioning from a legacy, limited spectrum light to a more modern and powerful one, but I also know very little about lighting in general. I believe I have more than enough power and am more than willing to sacrifice raw par for diffuse even coverage. The canopy doesn't spill light. In the medium term, I have no desire to exceed 350 or 375 par anywhere on my rock and need to preserve some lower zones below 100.
I'm placing a 32" SB WifiExtreme about 11" above tank, probly just over a foot above waterline. Open top canopy and homemade diffuser. This is replacing two old AI Sol Whites (90 watts) that I was running at 100B, 50W. Tank is 3' long, 2' deep, 18" front to back.
It's a mixed reef that just touches 100 par @ sandbed, but only bc I have the whites well up. With blues only, it was like 40.
I'm concerned about shocking the corals. I don't think they've ever seen UV since I've had them.
Am thinking high 20's on blues and maybe 10sh on whites with a slow ramp up of 2-3% a week until the tank tells me to stop? Any insights on the moon lights/UV?
I have to have the tank lights on by 8a.m. so I can feed the fish before work. I like to be able to see the tank until at least 10 or 10:30p.m. I had been:
- ramping blues to full 8-9:30a.m.
- ramping whites to 50 9:30-11
- whites ramp down to 15% 5-6:30p.m., blues ramp down to 60%
- fade to black 9:30-10:30p.m.
NOT an expert on lighting. Is my photoperiod too long? Is it more a matter of duration or intensity? Is it acceptable to use moons and low blues to maintain view-ability late into the evening, provided the tank still gets a solid 9 hours of true darkness, or am I being greedy?
Acans, euphylia, galaxea, pipe organ, blasto, mushies/zoas, cyphastrea, gonis, leptoseris, chalice, and favias middle to lower... a few stick frags and an encrusting monti middle to top.
I have questions regarding transitioning from a legacy, limited spectrum light to a more modern and powerful one, but I also know very little about lighting in general. I believe I have more than enough power and am more than willing to sacrifice raw par for diffuse even coverage. The canopy doesn't spill light. In the medium term, I have no desire to exceed 350 or 375 par anywhere on my rock and need to preserve some lower zones below 100.
I'm placing a 32" SB WifiExtreme about 11" above tank, probly just over a foot above waterline. Open top canopy and homemade diffuser. This is replacing two old AI Sol Whites (90 watts) that I was running at 100B, 50W. Tank is 3' long, 2' deep, 18" front to back.
It's a mixed reef that just touches 100 par @ sandbed, but only bc I have the whites well up. With blues only, it was like 40.
I'm concerned about shocking the corals. I don't think they've ever seen UV since I've had them.
Am thinking high 20's on blues and maybe 10sh on whites with a slow ramp up of 2-3% a week until the tank tells me to stop? Any insights on the moon lights/UV?
I have to have the tank lights on by 8a.m. so I can feed the fish before work. I like to be able to see the tank until at least 10 or 10:30p.m. I had been:
- ramping blues to full 8-9:30a.m.
- ramping whites to 50 9:30-11
- whites ramp down to 15% 5-6:30p.m., blues ramp down to 60%
- fade to black 9:30-10:30p.m.
NOT an expert on lighting. Is my photoperiod too long? Is it more a matter of duration or intensity? Is it acceptable to use moons and low blues to maintain view-ability late into the evening, provided the tank still gets a solid 9 hours of true darkness, or am I being greedy?
Acans, euphylia, galaxea, pipe organ, blasto, mushies/zoas, cyphastrea, gonis, leptoseris, chalice, and favias middle to lower... a few stick frags and an encrusting monti middle to top.
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