How to Acclimate Corals to LED Lighting

[revhtree Verified Admin]

If you have acclimated corals or converted an established aquarium with corals to Led lighting then I would like to get your input!

What are some tips, tricks, and methods you have learned? Also what are some things NOT to do?

Thank you!

 

[stacy_vennes]

when i switched over to led i started with my coral on the bottom with the light dimmed low then 2 days later i moved them to the middle with the lights dimmed a little higher. Then with the coral still in the middle after another 2 days i put the lights up to normal and let the coral get use to the light and i started moving them around in the tank from high lights to low light depending on how they acted/looked till the coral was happy. Only issue i have is with Sps coral i love them but they dont love my lights :(. If they say high lights, i put them up high in my tank but then they start to bleach out. I out them down low they still want to bleach out???. So i love sps but have none lol. I check my levels weekly with my red sea kit and just for 2nd opinion i take it to a store and have them check too. Everytime the water is wonderfull quality lol. My lights are 150W EVO led dimmable, I have 2 of them. Any suggestions on how to keep sps?

 

[stacy_vennes]

Sometimes i put them in my frag tank which also has led light. leave them in there for awhile with the lights down the slowly turn the lights up They are also evo lights. sps does good in there but when i put them in my big tank....dead. and the frag tank and my main tank are drilled into each other so its the same water and filteration system.

 

[Jay6363]

Following had similar experiences myself
Went from and radion gen 1 to a pro. Double checked water against my testing at Lfs great quality. I acclimate slow and when they get there final home bleach!!!

However some of my sps that is high seem to love the LEDs. My problem is my newer corals.

Sent Via the R2R Forum APP

 

[lakeviewink]

Ugh. I've learned that it takes weeks upon weeks to acclimate SPS frags from a different system to my lights.

I have 120* optics and I still find that the lights are just way more intense than they seem. Like the above posters say, some of my sticks love the LEDs, like the Tyree Blue Matrix, ORA ice tort, PC rainbow, but others, like milliporas, Hillers Aquamarine Jewel, pink lemonade, don't need much from the LEDs.

Even with technically no optics I still ramp up to 60% max blues, 40% max colors and uv for only 3-4 hrs peak times. These are 24" ReefBreeders Photon controllable fixtures 7" off the top of the water.

There are so many variables though. 50% if one fixture should be equal to 50% a different fixture of the same kind but I find even that is not true. Not all drivers are set exactly the same from the factory or retailers. Diodes from different bins sometimes give off different par, lumens, etc.

I love em regardless

 

[mfinn]

I went with gen 1 Radions on both my tanks and I am very gratefull they have a acclimation program. Made it easy to start out at a low intensity ( 35%) and over a 4-5 week period go to a max. of 65%.
IMO slow acclimation and a low starting point is very important.

 

[SPS Samurai]

I found the best way for me was to use black fiberglass screens to cover the top. Im finding it quite interesting to see the tank with L.E.D.'s in close proximity to the coral.
https://www.reef2reef.com/forums/nano-reefs/100883-yodle-pico.html

 

[Mr. Microscope]

If you're starting with a new LED unit from something else, start with 25-40% (depending on how intense your previous lighting was), then move up 5%/week. Seriously, LED's can be super intense PAR monsters and going much faster than this can really blaze your corals.

 

[mike007]

I switched from halides to Orpheck pr 156 leds. At first i raised them to abot 24 inches above water and only ran them 4 hours and increased 30 minutes each week. Lowered about a inch at a time untill they were 12 inches above water and 8 hours a day. Everything responded okay without any problems at all.