My first solid LED experience after MH with SPS

[kevensquint]

Hi, so since I'm old and for probably as many years as some of you are alive I was using MH, usually supplemented by VHO ( it's like a fat T5) then T5's. My SPS tanks would always grow from 1-2" frags to softball sized colonies by year 1.5 to 2. I've finally dropped MH in favor of Ecotech G6's alternating with kessil 360X's and banked by ATI blue +'s. The ATI's are on for 3 hrs per day. Results are good. But honestly growth is probably 1/2 as fast or less than with MH. Stags are the only corals with white speed growth tips. All the other corals just seem to slowly increase in size while maintaining the deep vivid colors. That's actually nice. But it feels like it will take forever to grow out this tank. Has anyone found a way to get those fast growing white tips all over the tank with LED's? I would imagine add-in more white spectrum, but then I'm wondering if I'd be juggling between increasing growth or overshooting on intensity and just bleaching the corals. It was such an easy task with the old 8-10hrs on photo period without spectrum and intensity adjustments.

 

[KandAReefs]

I think WWC posts the setup they use for the ecotech on there site. Getting the lights setup is by far the hardest part but once you do there is little you will ever have to do afterwards. Part of the slow growth is likely the corals adjusting to the new lights. I would not try to compare growth in the first year of the changeover. I biggest thing I had to watch when I made the change over was the temp of the tank as I did not realize how much I was relying on the lights to heat the tank lol. For me I was happy with the changeover not having to change bulbs ( not as easy to find anymore) has been great and my power bill likes it as well.

 

[kevensquint]

There's no changeover. This is a year and a half old set up with the lights as described above. So I have reached the stability point where in the past I'd be well into fragging by now. The change was for my initial set up of this particular tank by going with mainly LED instead of MH

 

[PeterErc]

Thanks for your feedback with LED. This is another good thread for the voice of MH.

Is it time to sell the LED and go back? or are you happy enough?

 

[kevensquint]

I have plenty of MH gear ready to use. I see nice tanks without ever using MH. However an article I read recently that might have been written by Mike Paletta ( I'm not 100% if it was him). Said: we never see big colonies anymore like in the old days..... I agree that many tanks look like colorful gardens of baseball sized colonies and in my experience that's small...I'm not about to sell at a huge loss $3000 of LED's tho. I might increase the ATI's photo period in relation to my LEDs.
instead. I've included a pic of my last MH/T5 tank from a few years ago at about the 18 month mark. Grown from frags
This tank is 25" tall as a colony size reference

 

[rtparty]

We don’t see large colonies because no one keeps a tank that long or stays in the hobby long enough.

Go look at Robert Brilliantes (spelling?) tank. He had a table well over 24” wide after a couple years. Same with ReefBum. His 225 peninsula has very large colonies all under LEDs.

Growth in my tank is annoyingly fast under LEDs. My growth actually took off after I left halide and went to LEDs. I suspect it was mostly a stability and maturity thing. But growth really took off once I started carbon dosing again. My system isn’t even 2 years old and I’m resetting it in the next month. Flow is already tough in a peninsula. With all the growth I’ve got, it’s blocking flow something fierce.

 

[PeterErc]

Ahh nice, you don’t see that often anymore either. A tank full of stags, beautiful.
T5 can get ya there as well, so ramping up can’t hurt.

 

[jackson6745]

What size tank and how many xr30 or xr15? All the guys with fast growth and full led have a lot of led coverage it seems.

 

[bobnicaragua]

I would run those T5 for 8 hours a day. Great looking old tank!

 

[PeterErc]

We don’t see large colonies because no one keeps a tank that long or stays in the hobby long enough.

Go look at Robert Brilliantes (spelling?) tank. He had a table well over 24” wide after a couple years. Same with ReefBum. His 225 peninsula has very large colonies all under LEDs.

Growth in my tank is annoyingly fast under LEDs. My growth actually took off after I left halide and went to LEDs. I suspect it was mostly a stability and maturity thing. But growth really took off once I started carbon dosing again. My system isn’t even 2 years old and I’m resetting it in the next month. Flow is already tough in a peninsula. With all the growth I’ve got, it’s blocking flow something fierce.

There’s also not a lot of large colonies because it is acceptable to frag a frag. A good size frag is now called a mini colony IMO

 

[kevensquint]

What size tank and how many xr30 or xr15? All the guys with fast growth and full led have a lot of led coverage it seems.

3 G6 XR15's / 2 kessil 360x's / banked by 2 ATI T5 blue +'s.
The reef runs only down the middle of the tank since it's peninsula.
And it's a shallow 20" deep. I have more than enough light. But if since someone mentioned Reefbum and another guy have big colonies and fast growth I'm assuming mine are not dialed in optimally ATM

 

[air_run]

3 G6 XR15's / 2 kessil 360x's / banked by 2 ATI T5 blue +'s.
The reef runs only down the middle of the tank since it's peninsula.
And it's a shallow 20" deep. I have more than enough light. But if since someone mentioned Reefbum and another guy have big colonies and fast growth I'm assuming mine are not dialed in optimally ATM

Check out @SunnyX tank below:

Build Thread - Rimless Reef 4.0

Update 10/20/2023 Well, the system has preformed beyond expectations and grown corals quicker than what I would have imagined. You can read about the "Bacteria-Powered Reef" in the latest issue of Reef Hobbyist Magazine. Original Post: It feels good to be back! Well, I’ve been back...

www.reef2reef.com

His tank only runs on the Ecotech Radions. You can download his schedule in the first post. I'll link here it as well. I would give that a try as far as dialing in your settings and go from there.

Radion Mobius schedule: http://reefsite.com/radion-mobius-schedule/

 

[jackson6745]

3 G6 XR15's / 2 kessil 360x's / banked by 2 ATI T5 blue +'s.
The reef runs only down the middle of the tank since it's peninsula.
And it's a shallow 20" deep. I have more than enough light. But if since someone mentioned Reefbum and another guy have big colonies and fast growth I'm assuming mine are not dialed in optimally ATM

I still don’t know the size of your tank but looking at it, it’s no where near covered like reefbums tank. Keep that in mind. The most densely packed sps tanks with full led lighting have a lot more fixtures. Usually xr-30s or similar that are 1’ apart. Not fully necessary for most guys but if you want to have results like the best tanks, I would assume to copy the lighting.

 

[reef_ranch]

This is an accidental frag of a stag grown under LEDs It started as a typical 2” frag 6 years prior. It is 2/3s of the colony.

 

[KandAReefs]

There's no changeover. This is a year and a half old set up with the lights as described above. So I have reached the stability point where in the past I'd be well into fragging by now. The change was for my initial set up of this particular tank by going with mainly LED instead of MH

Ok I miss understood your post. I was under the impression you just recently switched the lights.

 

[jackson6745]

This is an accidental frag of a stag grown under LEDs It started as a typical 2” frag 6 years prior. It is 2/3s of the colony.

That is beautiful

 

[VintageReefer]

Do you have a current tank shot?

 

[bobnicaragua]

Reefbum keeps his PH high, which drives faster growth. Your lights may not be dialed in perfectly, but I bet you are barking up the wrong tree.

 

[jda]

The best acropora growers of not just stags and MBP&S use a lot of white light with the panels way up high. They also do not use Radions.

ReefBum had, or has, MH still. Are we confusing his tanks where they might have grown out under the MH while one still is? I don't think that putting Mitras on a tank grown under MH is what the OP is talking about. He talks about the differences in growing corals under the Spectras and MH vs the Mitras - and there are plenty - in his podcasts.

In the end, the Radions are going to be different. Not better or worse, but different. If you want the MH look, results and everything then you have to use them. If you want the Radions, then just be Ok with the differences and find some zen and stuff.

 

[rtparty]

The best acropora growers of not just stags and MBP&S use a lot of white light with the panels way up high. They also do not use Radions.

ReefBum had, or has, MH still. Are we confusing his tanks where they might have grown out under the MH while one still is? I don't think that putting Mitras on a tank grown under MH is what the OP is talking about. He talks about the differences in growing corals under the Spectras and MH vs the Mitras - and there are plenty - in his podcasts.

In the end, the Radions are going to be different. Not better or worse, but different. If you want the MH look, results and everything then you have to use them. If you want the Radions, then just be Ok with the differences and find some zen and stuff.

Keith ditched his halides a while back on the 187. His peninsula started all with frags and grown 100% under his Mitras. He’s never had halides on that system.

If you can’t grow SPS under Radions, you’re doing something wrong.