Looking for lighting advice

[cypike]

Yesterday I purchased two clown fish for my 40 gallon breeder, they seem to be doing well and are exploring the tank today. I have an AI Prime HD light that I want to start up, but I don’t want to blast their tiny eyes with the surface of the sun. What settings should I be setting my light to, to ensure a nice transition for the little guys?

I’m looking for advice on percentages and ramp up/down time

 

[mike550]

Yesterday I purchased two clown fish for my 40 gallon breeder, they seem to be doing well and are exploring the tank today. I have an AI Prime HD light that I want to start up, but I don’t want to blast their tiny eyes with the surface of the sun. What settings should I be setting my light to, to ensure a nice transition for the little guys?

I’m looking for advice on percentages and ramp up/down

If you’re just starting your tank and have no corals your lighting isn’t too important. Although I suppose too much light will help algae grow (?)

If you’re looking for lighting profiles AI has their signature series that you can download. World Wide Coral has them as well. BRS has a video on the AI Prime with settings as well. But keep in mind that all of these profiles are meant for keeping coral. So you have much more flexibility

 

[cypike]

If you’re just starting your tank and have no corals your lighting isn’t too important. Although I suppose too much light will help algae grow (?)

If you’re looking for lighting profiles AI has their signature series that you can download. World Wide Coral has them as well. BRS has a video on the AI Prime with settings as well. But keep in mind that all of these profiles are meant for keeping coral. So you have much more flexibility

Ok I am going to be keeping corals eventually but just wanted some light in the meantime

 

[cypike]

Is this too much/little for only fish?

 

[CoastalTownLayabout]

That's too much mate. Reduce the left four channels down to 10%, zero green, less than 5% red and cool white. Increase slowly, 2% weekly if you're impatient, fortnightly if you're patient.

You want a low energy environment at this stage. Your dry rock is a blank canvas for opportunistic r type species. They will relish the light energy and capitalise on the low diversity ecological niches in your new system.

 

[cypike]

That's too much mate. Reduce the left four channels down to 10%, zero green, less than 5% red and cool white. Increase slowly, 2% weekly if you're impatient, fortnightly if you're patient.

You want a low energy environment at this stage. Your dry rock is a blank canvas for opportunistic r type species. They will relish the light energy and capitalise on the low diversity ecological niches in your new system.

Alright I’ll slow it down.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Yesterday I purchased two clown fish for my 40 gallon breeder, they seem to be doing well and are exploring the tank today. I have an AI Prime HD light that I want to start up, but I don’t want to blast their tiny eyes with the surface of the sun. What settings should I be setting my light to, to ensure a nice transition for the little guys?

I’m looking for advice on percentages and ramp up/down time

For prime, start with:

Blue 40
white 8
green 3
red 3
violet 35
UV 30

After 3-4 days increase 3% every other day but use these targets:

blue 80
white 18
red 4
green 4
UV 80
purple 75

 

[cypike]

better?

 

[CoastalTownLayabout]

Yep, ramping up from here will give you time to think about what coral you might get in the future. Research the lower light, easy care types to start with. Try to plan gradual, appropriate stocking with increase in system energy. Avoid impulse buys that shift you onto a reactive course.

Now would be a good time to add some small pieces of quality live rock to encourage micro fauna.

 

[cypike]

Yep, ramping up from here will give you time to think about what coral you might get in the future. Research the lower light, easy care types to start with. Try to plan gradual, appropriate stocking with increase in system energy. Avoid impulse buys that shift you onto a reactive course.

Now would be a good time to add some small pieces of quality live rock to encourage micro fauna.

Will do, I don’t think I want to add live rock though as I don’t want to introduce the stuff that comes along with it. But by the time my lights are at full strength, should I be able to introduce my first “easy” coral?

 

[CoastalTownLayabout]

You can add easy low light corals well before your lights are at ‘full strength’. The prime is a reasonably powerful little light so if you intend on keeping softies / LPS only it’s unlikely you’ll ever need to max it out. It takes discipline not to rush things so just observe how your tank changes over next month and take it from there.

 

[cypike]

You can add easy low light corals well before your lights are at ‘full strength’. The prime is a reasonably powerful little light so if you intend on keeping softies / LPS only it’s unlikely you’ll ever need to max it out. It takes discipline not to rush things so just observe how your tank changes over next month and take it from there.

I like soft corals anyways so I think I’d probably just stick with them. I won’t rush into anything. I probably do too much research and then confuse myself.

 

[vetteguy53081]

better?

Yes- you can do 3% daily and white every other day

 

[Zero_Cool]

Yep, ramping up from here will give you time to think about what coral you might get in the future. Research the lower light, easy care types to start with. Try to plan gradual, appropriate stocking with increase in system energy. Avoid impulse buys that shift you onto a reactive course.

Now would be a good time to add some small pieces of quality live rock to encourage micro fauna.

Excellent advice.

 

[cypike]

I’ve been raising lighting up the past couple weeks now, just wanted to make sure I’m on the right path. Not seeing much in the way of algae yet, but I’m sure it’s coming. When would be a good time to add easy corals?

 

[CoastalTownLayabout]

You’re about 2 months in now right? You could add one or two ‘canary’ corals now. Still going with the soft coral theme? What were you thinking of starting out with?

 

[cypike]

You’re about 2 months in now right? You could add one or two ‘canary’ corals now. Still going with the soft coral theme? What were you thinking of starting out with?

Yeah I think I'm about 6-7 weeks in. I was thinking of starting out with some zoanthids or a hammer or torch or something.

 

[Spare time]

PS for light settings, just go with what's visually pleasing and start there. It's a myth that white or red will give you more algae. Green is also fine to run at whatever you'd like.

 

[cypike]

PS for light settings, just go with what's visually pleasing and start there. It's a myth that white or red will give you more algae. Green is also fine to run at whatever you'd like.

lol ok will do, I didn't figure that white light would cause much of anything but I'm new to this.

 

[CoastalTownLayabout]

I’d stay away from the hammer and torch corals for a little while. You do know they aren’t soft corals yeah? Easy zoas would be a better option, try and get a good established plug of them rather than two freshly fragged polyps.