Help

[Jasonnew2reefing]

This is a stupid question but here it goes.. what light to corals need? Actinic or white lights? I have soft corals doing fine but every sps coral is not doing well

 

[recess62]

There is more to corals not growing well than lighting. Could you provide some additional info. Such as your tank parameters, tank size, etc

 

[Jasonnew2reefing]

Well it's a120 gal 48x24x24.. My parameters are all in "the norm" I have current USA pro's led light fixtures x2 4'bars.. I'm running a refugium with chaeto and carbon.. And have a reef octopus classic protein skimmer

 

[recess62]

You are gonna need to be more specific with your parameters. What type of test kits? Have there been any changes to your parameters in particular with your Alk? How do you have your lights programmed ? I am not sure "actinic" lighting applies to LED lights since with LEDs you tune the spectrum specifically for your needs i.e. growth vs color pop From what I have read corals need a full spectrum of lighting with the blues being most important. I am also trying to figure out the best spectrum setting to run my LEDs at. Hopefully others will chime in

 

[jsker]

Were do you have your light set now? Blues should be run at 100% violet at 50% white 46% Yellows guessing but 30% indigo at 10%, I had the orbit marine and switched up the the Hyda 26 HD's and wow what a difference. also look at your trace elements to color up your corals

Another factor can be your phosphate are running high. If you have allot of algae the nitrates are also running high. Do you test for No3 and Po4's ?

 

[Jasonnew2reefing]

I do have some algae issues

 

[stevo01]

OP asked about lighting, not chemistry.


Let's start with what is actinic lighting and what it means to us, as it is more than just a word :)

"Actinic lights are also common in the reef aquarium industry. They are used to promote coral and invertebrate growth. They are also used to accentuate the fluorescence of fluorescent fish.

Actinic lighting is also used to limit algae growth in the aquarium.[5] Since algae (like many other plants), flourish in shallower warm water, algae cannot effectively photosynthesize from blue and violet light, thus actinic light minimizes its photosynthetic benefit.

Actinic lighting is also a great alternative to black lights as it provides a "night environment" for the fish, while still allowing enough light for coral and other marine life to grow. Aesthetically, they make fluorescent coral "pop" to the eye, but in some cases also to promote the growth of deeper-water coral that is specialized in photosynthesis using blue light." - quoted out of wiki

My experience

- Red light will encourage algae growth, and I think play a small role if any in coral growth, but to make full spectrum I believe it needs to be involved.
- White light is vital but IMO can be run low. I run my white LED's at a max of 5% in the program.
- Blue light is vital and you won't have healthy coral without it. I run my blue LED's at 100% for the entire light cycle with small ramp up and ramp down.
- I have had excellent growth in all my corals.

I've tested what ONLY blue light does to my coral. It's not good for LPS/SPS. Poor polyp extension in acan for sure. Add some white light and they look happier than a clam :)

Water chemistry is an entire different subject and belongs in another thread IMO. I would be happy to share my lighting program with you any time. Good luck sir!

 

[Jasonnew2reefing]

Would running bio pellets help..I got a reactor that I had some gfo n and it didn't seem to help with the algae

 

[stevo01]

Would running bio pellets help..I got a reactor that I had some gfo n and it didn't seem to help with the algae

Test your phosphate levels before treating for it.

 

[stevo01]

Implementing controls without testing at best has lucky results. It's like closing your eyes and throwing a dart.

 

[stevo01]

This is a stupid question but here it goes.. what light to corals need? Actinic or white lights? I have soft corals doing fine but every sps coral is not doing well

NOT a stupid question :)

 

[Jasonnew2reefing]

I'm currently running my blue spectrum at 100% and whites At about 45-50% during the day..

 

[Jasonnew2reefing]

My currents USA LEDs don't give me the option to adjust the individual colors.. Just channel one and channel two

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

Hi Jason. You have a pretty new tank yea?
I could still be some of the ugly phase.

Im looking for my favorite reef lighting article for you.

 

[jsker]

Would running bio pellets help..I got a reactor that I had some gfo n and it didn't seem to help with the algae

Like @saltyfilmfolks stated, your tank is in the newer stages and the parameters are still not balanced. If you decided to run bio pellets start with a quarter dose and build up to not strip the system of nitrates. I would say if is more a phosphate and lighting issues.

You have the right person @saltyfilmfolks for lighting issues. Sps like clean water and light:)

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

@jsker thanks. I blushed:oops:

Light is a bit complicated but at the same time sooo easy in practice.
This is a pretty easy to read primer. some of the data is a bit dated but its a good start.
http://www.reeftank123.com/lighting/lighting.html

This article is a bit more in depth.
http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2013/12/lighting

In short: corals like a specific spectrum that replicates the light at the depth they are grown . Different corals like different light intensity and some color.
Corals are pretty adaptable to an extent. Some corals do like high light(not just sps) some do like low light(some sps do;) like a lepto)
the trick for all of us to learn what likes what, and some will adapt to the in between. Good stable water parameters help with that.

Look at this page and youll see what i mean. Notice the high and low numbers for the most part match closely from tank to tank by species. Mainly Acropora are high light (thus the SPS high light thing) but notice the other species that do like high light.
https://www.google.com/search?tbm=i...0ahUKEwjn6_Kalp3PAhUT0IMKHeUiBcgQ9C8ICQ&dpr=1

If your head and eyes dont hurt too much after reading those articles, go scrub the algae off with a tooth brush or pot scrubber like mine. Its probably the best thing you can do. Nutrients are only one factor in nuisance algae. IMO Mainly its the introduction of the algae. some of these thing can live off of nothing.

well talk about lux meters and how to know how much light you have when you feel better and put up a FTS pic of your tank and coral.;)

 

[stevo01]

@jsker IMO Mainly its the introduction of the algae. some of these thing can live off of nothing.

The post as a whole is awesome, but I really liked this statement! Bryopsis seems to require very little to thrive.

I think If we all made coral dipping a best practice with a documented cookie cutter method to remove pests and algae we wouldn't be dealing with an algae like Bryopsis and GHA. If I had simply dipped one small paly frag with H2O2 I probably wouldn't even know what Bryopsis is right now. This is going in a different direction from lighting tho. I just wanted to support Salty's statement :)

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

The post as a whole is awesome, but I really liked this statement! Bryopsis seems to require very little to thrive.

I think If we all made coral dipping a best practice with a documented cookie cutter method to remove pests and algae we wouldn't be dealing with an algae like Bryopsis and GHA. If I had simply dipped one small paly frag with H2O2 I probably wouldn't even know what Bryopsis is right now. This is going in a different direction from lighting tho. I just wanted to support Salty's statement :)

Thanks. Really it's from the old schoolers.
It's also something we actually hear a lot. Mostly when we talk about corals.
Organisms in the sea have evolved ways to survive In nutrient poor conditions. David Attenborough

 

[skybears]

@jsker thanks. I blushed:oops:

Light is a bit complicated but at the same time sooo easy in practice.
This is a pretty easy to read primer. some of the data is a bit dated but its a good start.
http://www.reeftank123.com/lighting/lighting.html

This article is a bit more in depth.
http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2013/12/lighting

In short: corals like a specific spectrum that replicates the light at the depth they are grown . Different corals like different light intensity and some color.
Corals are pretty adaptable to an extent. Some corals do like high light(not just sps) some do like low light(some sps do;) like a lepto)
the trick for all of us to learn what likes what, and some will adapt to the in between. Good stable water parameters help with that.

Look at this page and youll see what i mean. Notice the high and low numbers for the most part match closely from tank to tank by species. Mainly Acropora are high light (thus the SPS high light thing) but notice the other species that do like high light.
https://www.google.com/search?tbm=i...0ahUKEwjn6_Kalp3PAhUT0IMKHeUiBcgQ9C8ICQ&dpr=1

If your head and eyes dont hurt too much after reading those articles, go scrub the algae off with a tooth brush or pot scrubber like mine. Its probably the best thing you can do. Nutrients are only one factor in nuisance algae. IMO Mainly its the introduction of the algae. some of these thing can live off of nothing.

well talk about lux meters and how to know how much light you have when you feel better and put up a FTS pic of your tank and coral.;)

Amazing threads thank you for posting those I learned a little bit again thank you