Minimum PAR to grow SPS

[Troylee]

Just started adding corals to my tank. Plan on starting out with zoas, softs, LPS, possibly SPS in future. These are my PAR readings with Radion XR Blues at 30%. Thoughts?

That seems freakishly high for a radion at 30%.. I have G5’s and a g6 and get about 200 under the water line at 80% lol..

 

[Koh23]

Also, most important thing, not at start, but later, is spread.

As frags grow, blasting them with light only from above (aka led) is often just not....right.

Multiple led, angles, or t5 suplemment is the way to go in most cases.

Applies to all corals, uniform spread from various angles is always better than two hotspots directly above coral.

 

[RedoubtReef]

obviously depends. Encrusters/plating montis want less, like 100-200 PAR, and branching type colonies seem to always prefer 250+, some did best in 900 PAR under LED, while others would die at that level. Overall best results over 20 years has been ATI blue plus T5 at about 350-450 PAR even sheet of light. Every coral thrived, almost wish I never went LED and just used LED for night viewing.

It's not too late to come back to T5:beaming-face-with-smiling-eyes:

 

[X-37B]

That seems freakishly high for a radion at 30%.. I have G5’s and a g6 and get about 200 under the water line at 80% lol..

It is high unless the tanks 10-12" high.
My gen5 xr15 blues at 100/100 get 500 1" below the surface.
6" down 350
Bottom 12.5" 200

 

[leepink23]

200 is okay and stuff will grow.. get up around 500 and they explode.. even digis etc..

Yeap! My acros love 400+ par.

 

[Troylee]

It is high unless the tanks 10-12" high.
My gen5 xr15 blues at 100/100 get 500 1" below the surface.
6" down 350
Bottom 12.5" 200

My blues weren’t cutting it.. I use them as supplements to metal halides now lol..

 

[Hurricane Aquatics]

There are many, many variables when it comes to growing and keeping Acropora. If you just want to keep some Montipora or Birds Nest, you can get away with 200 par with decent water quality.

If you want to keep Acropora, PAR is only part of the equation. 225 to 250 would be the least I would recommend and this is assuming you have excellent, variable flow. You'll also need to have your nutrients worked out in how you're keeping them stable and at what level.

I run anywhere from 350 to 400 PAR using MH for 6 hours and 12 hours of LEDs, but at varying percentages to compliment the MH. If you want to bump up the PAR to this level, or higher, you'll need to have your Alk, Cal, Mag, Nitrates, Phosphates, and PH very stable and at the optimal levels. Flow is paramount and so are nutrients. The higher the PAR, the higher the nutrients and flow.

 

[Hugster78]

It's not too late to come back to T5:beaming-face-with-smiling-eyes:

Bingo!! I made the switch 2 years ago and never looked back.

 

[X-37B]

Bingo!! I made the switch 2 years ago and never looked back.

I am the opposite. I would run 1 led bar vs 2 T5's without ever going back to my T5 fixtures.
Leds have come a long way. Took me forever to even try them.

A few people told me the 16hds wont grow coral. I setup a 20g to try and 6 months later removed all halides.

Lighting is so good now its one thing I dont have to worry about anymore.

As I have always said, "Run What You Like".

 

[FloridaReefer2023]

What kind of SPS you looking to grow?

I’m not really sure? Something durable to begin with lol

 

[Hurricane Aquatics]

I’m not really sure? Something durable to begin with lol

You could start with some chalices and then move to montipora. Some people consider chalices SPS now. Sprung's Hollywood Stunner, Space Invaders, etc.

 

[FloridaReefer2023]

I would venture to say there's more to growth than lighting intensity. Taking a look at the colors of the sps can lead you in the right direction to necessary par IMO. I had the opportunity to chat with a seller who had some really great acid trip mille's that had outstanding yellows in them. The advice for par was to go way up, 400+ so long as phosphates were kept low, no greater than .05 That being said 200 is a safe range for most, but you might look deeper into what kinds of sps you plan to keep and judge placement accordingly. Personally I've found that some of the stuff I keep will go greener in lower light with po4 at or around .1. Sps with more orange and yellow have been good for me 350+ A good starter low light sps would be any kind of stylophora imo and that variety will grow like crazy and take over a good portion of your tank in a years time or less.

This is great- thank you

 

[TWYOUNG]

That seems freakishly high for a radion at 30%.. I have G5’s and a g6 and get about 200 under the water line at 80% lol..

That seems freakishly high for a radion at 30%.. I have G5’s and a g6 and get about 200 under the water line at 80% lol..

Possibly because I have three XR30's over a 5' tank. They're mounted at standard height with arms on each side and a rail.

 

[Troylee]

Possibly because I have three XR30's over a 5' tank. They're mounted at standard height with arms on each side and a rail.

How tall is your tank? 18?

 

[FrugalReeferJon]

There is a video on YouTube on the 'TheBioReef' channel where a study stated that SPS color and grow best with at least 400 PAR. I'm sure they can get by with less PAR but IMHO I believe growth rate will be somewhat slowed. With this said, I'm a light and flow junkie myself. The Stylo on my profile pic is getting around 400 PAR and the bottom of my tank is getting around 300 PAR.

 

[HudsonReefer2.0]

I grow them from 150 to 300. None of them require anything above 200 imo.

Agree. That PAR over 10-12 photoperiod using let’s say ab+, if led, at 90-100% schedule intensity will grow/color sps. From my experiences.