PAR lighting recommendations

[omeqa]

Hello all. I need tips/advice on my lighting. I am running a 12” AI grow blade on a 15G nano cube. I just measured my PAR with the apogee SQ-520. I measuredred 4 lighting settings two were templates from AI Blade Grow.

1. SPS Grow template: Schedule is preset to 9hrs.

2. HelloReef: mainly white lighting. Meant for nems and soft corals . Set to run for 9hrs.

3. YouTuber:TreasureCorals (Dimitri Tumanov): Love the blue lighting. blue lighting. Set to run for 12 hours.

4. My own settings: I modified the SPS template from Mobius and bumped up the blues and lowered the whites. Set to run for 10 hours.

I currently have Duncan’s, Derasa clam, torch, Zoa, blastos, BTA, and a toadstool.

Any suggestions are appreciated. I plan to have LPS and some SPS, and another clam (max or crocea) once my water quality is more stable.

 

[Lelegance]

Around 350 on the top and 50-100 on the bottom would be ideal for a sps/lps tank. For lps, some are much happier in lower light, while others prefer more intense so make sure there is a good range of spots you can imagine they could go.

 

[RichReef]

150 in the center of the tank on the sand bed. Everything else can be what it's going to be.

 

[BrightReefer]

Are you running those templates at 100% intensity? I settled on the treasure coral template in my Fluval evo 13.5 but everything seem to hid. So it’s at 45% now.

 

[omeqa]

Are you running those templates at 100% intensity? I settled on the treasure coral template in my Fluval evo 13.5 but everything seem to hid. So it’s at 45% now.

I was but with Dimitri’s template, I believe it is under 50% if not 60%. I just added a glow light and am running Dimitri’s template for this as well, which is at about 20%. I ran it at 100%… and made my maxima clam unhappy that it dropped its foot:(. I bleached a torch and made my GSP close up for 4 days and 3 days after I dropped the intensity. I had no idea UV was going to be that strong.

 

[DanyL]

For acros I would aim to have at least 450.
While I’m not using the same lights as you, my PAR readings range from ~300 across the bottom up to ~1000 at the top, with the mid ranging between 450 to 700.

 

[omeqa]

For acros I would aim to have at least 450.
While I’m not using the same lights as you, my PAR readings range from ~300 across the bottom up to ~1000 at the top, with the mid ranging between 450 to 700.

I have some bubble gum digi, a monti, and a polenta yellow tip under the 270 par levels. They’ve been in their spots for about 3 weeks now. So far, they’re doing great! With the monti even spreading on the plug. I can increase the % of the lighting to bump it up a bit more, but I’m going to hold off on doing that unless I see some problems.

 

[WhatCouldGoWrong71]

It’s amazing what coral can take par wise, IF you slowly acclimate them to it. The only thing I have had an issue with was a flower pot. I’m now at 93%, those par numbers are at 75%. For perspective, I have 8 xr30, 4 halides and T5s. I’m now also up to A 14 hour photo period that includes 20 minute ramp up, ramp down and a 15 minute transition. I do 7 hours of full spectrum, halides and T5. Then I transition to a blue period for the remainder and T5s stay on for the first 3 hours. You can add about 150-200 par to the numbers below depending where you. Are (half my XR30s are blue and half are pro, pro puts out much more par, plus these have the high intensity lenses). I’m sharing this as, while I have over 100 sps pieces in this tank, I have a bunch of LPS and some softies. Everything bakes under my lights. Everything. But I think flow is more important than par. But, the more flow, the more par, the more nutrients the tad higher you can also go with Dkh. Then, rinse and repeat. Took me 5 months to acclimate. This photo period (full spectrum/blue) is from a video I saw Josh do at wwc). It just happens to work for me too.

 

[DanyL]

I have some bubble gum digi, a monti, and a polenta yellow tip under the 270 par levels. They’ve been in their spots for about 3 weeks now. So far, they’re doing great! With the monti even spreading on the plug. I can increase the % of the lighting to bump it up a bit more, but I’m going to hold off on doing that unless I see some problems.

Montis (including the Buble gum which is a Montipora digitata) will thrive at around 200 PAR, and will do just fine with even less than that.

Acroporas are a bit different though.
Most of them will survive at around 250-300, however color wise and growth rates differ between species, some will do fine others don’t. 450 to me is the perfect “wildcard” number for acros, because even corals like Spathulatas that love extremely high PAR (800+) will do fine and look good under it.

So nothing is really set in stone here, but rather just a recommendation based on personal experience.

 

[liddojunior]

Do you have the stand that holds it flush?

Even the metal stand that elevates a little adds more spread so you can get more even spread and higher settings. It looks like the park changes in front and back of the tank. Since the top rock is like 600 and then same height another spot is 350.

But this looks good! I would say more LPS for sure and can do acan and zoa gardens. Elevating the light can do great at removing hot spots and getting more even par

 

[Science/G]

Those numbers are fine for the corals you mentioned, and the clams.