Radion XR15 Gen 4 Pro AB+ preset too white

[MBX]

Hi guys, I have a question regarding the AB+ preset on the radions. When I choose it on my 20g nuvo, I think the light is very white/pink. And when I see other tanks running the same preset, the coloration is alot more blue. Is it just me, or am I doing something wrong? I can't stand my tank when running the AB+ preset, because all colors gets washed out.

BR.

 

[Bpb]

You can always just turn the white red and green down to almost nothing. Are you comparing your visual experience of your tank against photos and videos of others tanks? Or have you seen other radions in person that run a true AB+ that look significantly bluer?

 

[MBX]

Hi Bpb,

Yeah, but then i would not be running the exact preset. I am comparing to images i found of other tanks. While i'm well aware that photos isn't always a valid representation of LED colors, i find it impossible to believe that the tanks are as white as mine are.

 

[Sump Crab]

Blue is exaggerated in photos

 

[Tuffyyyyy]

Poster above is correct, phones especially exaggerate blue lighting. You can set your light to change to a bluer spectrum during your viewing hours. I.e. I have T5 that runs while I’m at work and shuts off before I get home. This helps with growth but I don’t really like the appearance of the T5 lighting.

 

[Naturalreef]

MBX, When I ran AB+ with my G4 pro is was more white than I preferred too. It also varied with how dirty the tank was. After a water change, I noticed it looked more blue. Might just be me. I changed over to WWC lighting schedule since I like more blue and they have great growth and coloration with it. I just lowered from 12:40 min to 9 hour run time with slightly higher intensity.

 

[Zach W]

MBX, When I ran AB+ with my G4 pro is was more white than I preferred too. It also varied with how dirty the tank was. After a water change, I noticed it looked more blue. Might just be me. I changed over to WWC lighting schedule since I like more blue and they have great growth and coloration with it. I just lowered from 12:40 min to 9 hour run time with slightly higher intensity.

Out of curiosity what is the WWC lighting schedule, or how can I find it? Thanks!

 

[Zach W]

I am running AB+ on my nuvo 20 and its definitely dependent from person to person on what you like, but that being said I dont get a "pink" vibe from the program at all. You for sure programmed the light correctly?

 

[Bpb]

Hi Bpb,

Yeah, but then i would not be running the exact preset. I am comparing to images i found of other tanks. While i'm well aware that photos isn't always a valid representation of LED colors, i find it impossible to believe that the tanks are as white as mine are.

Level of blue or whiteness is so subjective and up to both personal preference and what your brain is trained to receive at that moment. If I’m indoors in the dark for a while, my tank will look downright yellow. Like a planted tank. If I go out in the sun for a while and come inside, it will appear blue just based on shifting perspective.

The above May not be relevant to this discussion, but I will then post a couple questions. What is your typical daily schedule? Because if you work or are routinely away from home for a while each day, I would recommend setting the ab+ program to fire for 4-6 hours while you’re away. Or even turn those white red and greens up HIGHER, for a short period of time you won’t be viewing the tank, and just run your blue and violet channels when you’re home.

Reason being, you will experience color degradation over time running only blue lighting. Even at 20+ feet deep there are trace amounts of red and green which help develop pigments. If you snuff those out entirely in conquest of super blue, you will not be doing your corals any favors.

second question/suggestion. Find someone. Another hobbyist, or an lfs. Someone with radions in your area you can go see the ab+ on. Simply to verify your lights are somehow not malfunctioning. I doubt they are, but just to be sure. I personally find the ab+ program way too blue for my taste. But I prefer the look of all channels maxed out. That is the ideal appearance to me. So my perspective is different.

Even knowing that pictures will over represent the blues, you have to still remind yourself of that fact. You can’t look at an image and expect that to be what your eyes see. Ab+ is ab+. It’s hard to mess it up. I think you’re just desiring something bluer than that. Which is fine. but definitely don’t deprive your tank of full spectrum light just because it may not look to taste. plus....you’re wasting a ton of money on diodes you aren’t using. Different argument though.

 

[Naturalreef]

Out of curiosity what is the WWC lighting schedule, or how can I find it? Thanks!

Hi Zach, It won’t let me link it here. But if you google search WWC Radion schedule, its the first or second link in which WWC posts the schedule so you can download it. I personally like it....

 

[Naturalreef]

Level of blue or whiteness is so subjective and up to both personal preference and what your brain is trained to receive at that moment. If I’m indoors in the dark for a while, my tank will look downright yellow. Like a planted tank. If I go out in the sun for a while and come inside, it will appear blue just based on shifting perspective.

The above May not be relevant to this discussion, but I will then post a couple questions. What is your typical daily schedule? Because if you work or are routinely away from home for a while each day, I would recommend setting the ab+ program to fire for 4-6 hours while you’re away. Or even turn those white red and greens up HIGHER, for a short period of time you won’t be viewing the tank, and just run your blue and violet channels when you’re home.

Reason being, you will experience color degradation over time running only blue lighting. Even at 20+ feet deep there are trace amounts of red and green which help develop pigments. If you snuff those out entirely in conquest of super blue, you will not be doing your corals any favors.

second question/suggestion. Find someone. Another hobbyist, or an lfs. Someone with radions in your area you can go see the ab+ on. Simply to verify your lights are somehow not malfunctioning. I doubt they are, but just to be sure. I personally find the ab+ program way too blue for my taste. But I prefer the look of all channels maxed out. That is the ideal appearance to me. So my perspective is different.

Even knowing that pictures will over represent the blues, you have to still remind yourself of that fact. You can’t look at an image and expect that to be what your eyes see. Ab+ is ab+. It’s hard to mess it up. I think you’re just desiring something bluer than that. Which is fine. but definitely don’t deprive your tank of full spectrum light just because it may not look to taste. plus....you’re wasting a ton of money on diodes you aren’t using. Different argument though.

Couldn’t have said it any better! Thank you. Like you mentioned above, WWC has a period of AB+ for a few hours in its custom schedule before it shifts to blue to keep coral coloration.

 

[siggy]

I just got mine working and your right its white, there is a deep water mode i want to try.

 

[MBX]

Hey guys, thank you for your suggestions. Actually, I just changed my preset to a Fauna Marine setting, which should give the corals the needed spectrum, while still giving me the blue spectrum. So the first half of the day, it looks like AB+ and after 5pm, the spectrum shifts to a deeper blue colour, making the colors pop a bit more. Just like what you're describing about the WWC preset @Naturalreef .
@Bpb It sounds like I made a mistake keeping the light too blue all day, which could have caused loss of coloration in my corals, which probably didn't make the sudden change to AB+ any more appealing to my eyes. I think I'll stay with this preset for a while, or maybe look into the WWC preset.

Thanks again guys

 

[Nano10]

WWCs setting is even whiter for the full spectrum portion but then is all blue later.

Its 100% for violets and blues, 10% red, and 50% green and cool white(no warm white at all) for like 4 hours followed by 7 hours of just the blues and violets.

I like a heavy blue tank but I like the strong contrast between a white full spectrum period and an all blue later portion.

I find standard ab+ too in the middle. It leans too blue imo to give a white look but isn't blue enough if that's what you're going for either.

 

[Nano10]

On my prime I've settled on a hybrid of wwc and ab+.

Its an hour ramp to BRSs prime AB setting(but with blues bumped to 100 and white to 30) for 4 hours followed by 7 hours of just blues and violets at 100.

If I had radions I'd probably just run WWCs as is.