Kessil/T5 hybrid schedule help - 4 ft mixed reef

[Reefer Dan]

I think I may have gotten a little too excited and purchased too much lighting? I have a mixed reef and wanted to do a little heavier on sps, but that hasn’t been going so well (pretty sure due to acro pests).
I have a Red Sea reefer 350 (4 ft tank) and Im trying to solidify my lighting schedule. I have three kessil 360x + 4x54w T5. I was finally able to rent a par meter. Any recommendations? Too high intensity? Considering lowering the LEDs and increasing length of T5. In the par photo, the left number is led at peak intensity, the right number is led + t5. (Attached photo)

Current lighting schedule:
T5: 14:00-18:00
Kessils see attached photo



�

	LED only (60%)		T5/60%	T5/35%
A	105		175	131
B	130		230	222
C	130		240	225
D	130		265	235
E	125		250	230
F	130		255	229
G	130		230	234
H	170		300	294
I	185		370	294
J	170		365	323
K	130		315	297
L	140		250	227
M	150		290	234
N	155		300	253
O	100		230	208
P	155		350	301
Q	120		250	226
R	145		320	304
S	165		360	330
T	160		360	330
U	150		300	256
V	130		250	227
W	105		240	202
X	130		240	202
Y	130		275	248
Z	55		120	99

 

[minus9]

When I used Kessil/T5, Kessil's were on a 12hr cycle with a 6hr peak and 3hr ramp up/down. I start the T5's with 4hrs then added 15 minutes each week until I hit 6hrs. I think the Kessil's were 70% intensity, but that will depend with your setup and corals.

 

[Reefer Dan]

When I used Kessil/T5, Kessil's were on a 12hr cycle with a 6hr peak and 3hr ramp up/down. I start the T5's with 4hrs then added 15 minutes each week until I hit 6hrs. I think the Kessil's were 70% intensity, but that will depend with your setup and corals.

I have been slowly trying to bump up the T5s to 6 hours by increasing them by 15 minutes/week. I was thinking about adjusting the kessils down to 45-50% from the 60% for a mixed reef, but it sounds like 60-70% is a good spot?

 

[SilvermistInc]

*Stares in 12 hour schedule*

 

[minus9]

I have been slowly trying to bump up the T5s to 6 hours by increasing them by 15 minutes/week. I was thinking about adjusting the kessils down to 45-50% from the 60% for a mixed reef, but it sounds like 60-70% is a good spot?

Depends, if your corals are showing signs of stress, then back down, but if they're happy, then continue on.

 

[Reefer Dan]

*Stares in 12 hour schedule*

I feel like a 12 hour schedule is pretty normal with LEDs?

Depends, if your corals are showing signs of stress, then back down, but if they're happy, then continue on.

ok, just to make sure I’m not far off base. PAR goals are:
SPS: 250-350
LPS:150-250
Softies: 100-150

is this far off base? If this is the case, the T5 with 35% kessil would get me fairly close to this with some very strategic softie placement?

 

[SilvermistInc]

I feel like a 12 hour schedule is pretty normal with LEDs?

ok, just to make sure I’m not far off base. PAR goals are:
SPS: 250-350
LPS:150-250
Softies: 100-150

is this far off base? If this is the case, the T5 with 35% kessil would get me fairly close to this with some very strategic softie placement?

12 hour schedule on a 4bulb T5 fixture. Then my other tanks with nicrews also get 12 hours. In general, everything is 12 hours

 

[SilvermistInc]

I feel like a 12 hour schedule is pretty normal with LEDs?

ok, just to make sure I’m not far off base. PAR goals are:
SPS: 250-350
LPS:150-250
Softies: 100-150

is this far off base? If this is the case, the T5 with 35% kessil would get me fairly close to this with some very strategic softie placement?

Dial it down by 50 par on each one and that's usually what's recommended. Hell, most softies can do fine in 50 and even some LPS. Acros are usually the guys that love 300+ par with stuff like montis or stylos preferring 200ish par.

 

[Bruce60]

I have a hybrid T5/LED (Radion) on a 5 foot long 150 going on 3 years. The two Radions are XR15's (I think G3) and I have four 48" mixed T5 bulbs. A tropical reef gets close to an even 12 hours of sun per day all year round, so I run my LED's for 12 hours with a ramp up and ramp down. The T5's run for 6 of those hours in the middle of the day. When I rented a PAR meter I was getting in the 300's at the tops of my reef most of the day and in the 200's lower down and on the sand.

 

[minus9]

As far as par based on coral groups, it all depends. Remember sarcophytons and sinularia grow right next to acropora, so to generalize corals (softie, LPS & sps) as distinct par requirements is an old way of looking at it. People need to look at individual corals and their requirements, not based on groups or types. Some acropora will do poorly in high light environments. I know this is nitpicking, but we also need to change the way we approach lighting.
A better way of looking at lighting, is using zones and placing those animals in those particular zones. T5’s at 6hrs during peak is great. Let the LEDs do the heavy lifting and ramp dusk/dawn. But you could easily flip their roles. I like T5’s as peak only, as you’ll get more life out of them before you need to change out bulbs.

 

[MIke Wood]

my tank is not 4 feet. i use a red sea reefled 90 paired with aquatic life hybrid non dimmable for my 40 nuvo. my redsea led runs for 9 hours with a 1.5 hour ramp up and down. 70% max on blues ( 63watts). my t5s come on for 4 hours a day. when they are on - i ramp by whites up on the red sea just to taste (15% or 1.5watts). also during my t5 on time i lower by blues to half (35%). so essentially i just swap spectrums. the par is the same with leds alone and leds with t5s. but there is much more of diffuse light look. i havent had to increase par because to be everything looks happy and healthy and colors seem great to me.

 

[thatmanMIKEson]

I have that same light set up with 2 recently added a.i prime 16's.

Here's my schedule, I started from a short low lighting and worked it up over a few months im sure my par numbers are way over what you have there plus the A.I primes.

 

[thatmanMIKEson]

The 2:30 -9:00 is the t5 schedule