Lighting spectrum for mixed reef tank

[NicolasRoc]

Hi everyone.

My tank is a red sea reefer 525 XL (139 gallons).
I got 3 x AI Hydras 32 HD lighting the tank.

The tank is 7 months old and currently has about 20 different LPS corals in it (hammers, torches, forgspawns,..), some chalice, some zoas, some montiporas and a red bubble tip anemone.
My current spectrum on my 3 hydra 32 HD is the BRS recommended spectrum for LPS tanks (UV: 66%, violet: 66%, Royal: 72%, Blue: 72%, Green: 6%, deep red: 6%, Cool white: 36%). These settings are recommended for 120 gallon tank with only 2 Hydra 32 HD. I have 3 hydra 32 HD but kept the same settings, knowing that this makes my PAR higher than the BRS recommended one.

All my corals have been doing very well so I guess the spectrum is good.

Now that my tank parameters are stabilizing, and that I am starting to dose 2-part slowly, I feel like I can slowly introduce SPS to my tank. But that means ramping up the lights as well I guess. right?
I am thinking of ramping my 3 Hydras to the BRS recommended settings for 120 gallons SPS dominated tanks (+20% compared to the LPS settings).
Except that the BRS recommendation is to have 4 Hydras 32 HD and I have only 3. Therefore if I keep their recommended spectrum with 3 hydras instead of 4 I should be getting a PAR below the BRS PAR. And that would be good because I am not going for a SPS dominated tank, I am going for a mixed reef tank.

My questions to you experts are:
- Do you agree I need to ramp up my spectrum for SPS?
- Do you suggest I do it slowly (+1% every day for 20 days) or is that still to fast?
- My LPS are all located in the bottom third of the tank. Can I realistically have both SPS and LPS in the same tank?
- Anyone here with 3 hydra 32 HD have a mixed reef tank, and willing to share their lighting schedule with me?

Thanks !!

 

[Ron Reefman]

My questions to you experts are:
- Do you agree I need to ramp up my spectrum for SPS?
- Do you suggest I do it slowly (+1% every day for 20 days) or is that still to fast?
- My LPS are all located in the bottom third of the tank. Can I realistically have both SPS and LPS in the same tank?
- Anyone here with 3 hydra 32 HD have a mixed reef tank, and willing to share their lighting schedule with me?

Thanks !!

You probably don't NEED to ramp them up, but it probably wouldn't hurt to do it. Corals a fairly adaptable to changes in light... although sps less so than LPS or softies.

1% a day seems OK. Or you could do 5% every week. If you want to go slower, do %5 every 2 weeks. There is no need to be THAT gradual (i.e. 1% a day)

LPS and SPS in the same tank, absolutely.

Sorry, I use Photon V2+ fixtures. But I do run a fairly mixed reef. 50% zoas, 30% lps and 20% sps and with lots of Rock Flower Anemones (30+).

 

[NicolasRoc]

Thanks a lot