Lighting Question

[thegeb2909]

Anyone using the current orbit marine LED lighting system, what do you keep your blues and whites on for corals % wise..

 

[Danieltanay]

I use them and for corals i keep the blues on 100% and whites at 10% and my corals love it!

 

[thegeb2909]

Awesome, thanks I know they say to much white causes the algae to go nuts. I hadn't been able to find a happy medium haha

 

[NanaReefer]

I've learned a ton about lighting my corals by reading Orphek's explanation.
https://orphek.com/about/kelvin-lux-lumens-par-pur/

 

[mcarroll]

Indeed, get yourself a [HASHTAG]#lux[/HASHTAG] [HASHTAG]#meter[/HASHTAG] for $free for your smartphone's camera NOW and take some measurements at the waterline. See what you get for an absolute peak reading and how much area is covered by (e.g.) 90% of that peak level and how much is covered by 50% of peak. Easy and gives you a solid idea of what's going on light-wise.

While that $free app is downloading, order yourself a $15 handheld lux meter (look for the "LX-1010B" or one similar; all the usual resellers) - much better and less risky that waving your smartphone around over your tank. :) ;)

Most "brightly lit" tanks seem to come in around 50,000 lux, but that's not necessarily your target.

Most corals do well from around 20,000 up to as much as 80,000 lux, but more is not better since more adds actually adds up to more stress for them. So really, somewhere around 40,000-50,000 is a safe middle ground, but there's no reason you can't do as well or better with the same corals at 20,000 lux, or even lower. I run two stony coral tanks, both do well - one gets a peak of about 50,000 lux, the other gets about 14,000 lux. (Not a typo.)

So the moral is just that "more is not better" and "use a meter to set up your lights". :) :) :)

P.S. Direct sunlight at sea level = 100,000 lux = 2000 PAR = 1000 watts per square meter.

 

[Danieltanay]

The more i turn on the white lights usually the more algae i see grow.

 

[NanaReefer]

Indeed, get yourself a [HASHTAG]#lux[/HASHTAG] [HASHTAG]#meter[/HASHTAG] for $free for your smartphone's camera NOW and take some measurements at the waterline. See what you get for an absolute peak reading and how much area is covered by (e.g.) 90% of that peak level and how much is covered by 50% of peak. Easy and gives you a solid idea of what's going on light-wise.

While that $free app is downloading, order yourself a $15 handheld lux meter (look for the "LX-1010B" or one similar; all the usual resellers) - much better and less risky that waving your smartphone around over your tank. :) ;)

Most "brightly lit" tanks seem to come in around 50,000 lux, but that's not necessarily your target.

Most corals do well from around 20,000 up to as much as 80,000 lux, but more is not better since more adds actually adds up to more stress for them. So really, somewhere around 40,000-50,000 is a safe middle ground, but there's no reason you can't do as well or better with the same corals at 20,000 lux, or even lower. I run two stony coral tanks, both do well - one gets a peak of about 50,000 lux, the other gets about 14,000 lux. (Not a typo.)

So the moral is just that "more is not better" and "use a meter to set up your lights". :) :) :)

P.S. Direct sunlight at sea level = 100,000 lux = 2000 PAR = 1000 watts per square meter.

Pretty much what Orphek says [emoji6]

 

[thegeb2909]

I use them and for corals i keep the blues on 100% and whites at 10% and my corals love it!

What type corals??

 

[mcarroll]

The more i turn on the white lights usually the more algae i see grow.

Can you tell us some [HASHTAG]#lux[/HASHTAG] readings from the water surface of your tank?

 

[thegeb2909]

Can you tell us some [HASHTAG]#lux[/HASHTAG] readings from the water surface of your tank?

I'm 12.5k with one setting and my other setting is 6.9k

 

[Danieltanay]

What type corals??

I have lots of zoanthids, acans, favias, and a candy cane

 

[mcarroll]

I'm 12.5k with one setting and my other setting is 6.9k

That's fairly low light, but may not be too low....depending.

If that's causing algae to grow, then you probably need to have a look at nitrate and phosphate levels in the tank.

New lights can often tip the balance toward algae just because there's more light than there used to be.

 

[thegeb2909]

That's fairly low light, but may not be too low....depending.

If that's causing algae to grow, then you probably need to have a look at nitrate and phosphate levels in the tank.

New lights can often tip the balance toward algae just because there's more light than there used to be.

It's a 30gal cube, no more algae my cycle froze, tank drained and started over