RED SEA LED50 PERFECT SETTINGS FOR YOU!

[adamjdavis1992]

Hi all,

Short and to the point for you. Are you confused about the RED SEA LED50 light settings and what they should be on. LOOK NO FURTHER. As I have 10 months worth of experience, trial and error and prob about £300 worth of dead coral that has given me the knownledge about this light.

basically, red sea have made a super powerful light, full stop. < So, 100% blues and whatever whites.... don't even think about it!!!
SPS dominant tank???? simple go for max 50% blues and about 10-20% whites.
LPS and softies>>> simple... got for no more than 40% blues and 10-20% whites.
i personally have found the sweet spot for my LPS dominant tank (no more SPS, got rid) at 35% blues and 5% whites. only 5% whites because i personally like that look over higher whites at 10,15 or 20% whites.

I noticed that while acclimatising my corals, in the morning when the lights were coming up that my orange plate coral on the sand and acans would puff up nicely once the blues got to 35%, then after they would start to slowly deflate again.

I have a red sea nano max.

i've done blues on 100%. 50%, 40% and now on 35% and finally, the corals love it and stay puffed up all over the tank.
also a really good give away that this is right is that I have zoa's at the bottom of the tank more near the corner of the tank where the PAR will be the lowest. and at 35% blues and 5% whites they don't reach upward for more light. So that tells me that even the corner is getting enough PAR for bottom dwelling corals.

So, hope that helps any people who just bought a new single red led50 for their tank or have a new max nano tank.

BLUES SETTING!
100% NOOOOO
50% SPS Dominant.
45% maybe for mixed reef
35% LPS Dominant. (sweet spot)
25-30% SOFTIES only
under 25% TOO LOW

 

[Lost in the Sauce]

Have you taken actual par measurements in your tank?

 

[adamjdavis1992]

Obviously not else i would have just listed the par readings over the tank at different levels and not have loads of corals die in the first place. This is from research of others including BRS Investigates and loads of experience from just this light and tank only. Even brs for the led90 say don't go past 50% for any corals even sps. And i can confirm that with my experience. They did par readings on the led90 on youtube. But not led50. So this all makes sense now.

 

[Lost in the Sauce]

Obviously not else i would have just listed the par readings over the tank at different levels and not have loads of corals die in the first place. This is from research of others including BRS Investigates and loads of experience from just this light and tank only. Even brs for the led90 say don't go past 50% for any corals even sps. And i can confirm that with my experience. They did par readings on the led90 on youtube. But not led50. So this all makes sense now.

A simple no would have worked

 

[Kopka]

Obviously not else i would have just listed the par readings over the tank at different levels and not have loads of corals die in the first place. This is from research of others including BRS Investigates and loads of experience from just this light and tank only. Even brs for the led90 say don't go past 50% for any corals even sps. And i can confirm that with my experience. They did par readings on the led90 on youtube. But not led50. So this all makes sense now.

Where does BRS say not to go past 50% blues on LED90?

 

[nEVAMAN]

hello thanks for your advise i want to ask how have the schedule from app how many hours ?? thank you

 

[MAX260]

Hi Adam,

I have been running my reefer max 260 with the 90 lights for 6 months on a set redsea light mode of 100% b AND 10% WHITE my corals sps and lps have done nothing and some died . water parras are great.

i have just changed to 50% B and 10 to 20% W over the day. i hope this makes a difference and will update you next month hopefully

Philip

 

[MAX260]

Your Quote
I noticed that while acclimatising my corals, in the morning when the lights were coming up that my orange plate coral on the sand and acans would puff up nicely once the blues got to 35%, then after they would start to slowly deflate again.

I got a large bright green plating monti 2 months ago. After a few weeks it turned brown, when i go down in the morning i can see some green and by lunch time, back to brown.

I do hope this is due to the wrong lighting.

 

[kathya0321]

Hi all,

Short and to the point for you. Are you confused about the RED SEA LED50 light settings and what they should be on. LOOK NO FURTHER. As I have 10 months worth of experience, trial and error and prob about £300 worth of dead coral that has given me the knownledge about this light.

basically, red sea have made a super powerful light, full stop. < So, 100% blues and whatever whites.... don't even think about it!!!
SPS dominant tank???? simple go for max 50% blues and about 10-20% whites.
LPS and softies>>> simple... got for no more than 40% blues and 10-20% whites.
i personally have found the sweet spot for my LPS dominant tank (no more SPS, got rid) at 35% blues and 5% whites. only 5% whites because i personally like that look over higher whites at 10,15 or 20% whites.

I noticed that while acclimatising my corals, in the morning when the lights were coming up that my orange plate coral on the sand and acans would puff up nicely once the blues got to 35%, then after they would start to slowly deflate again.

I have a red sea nano max.

i've done blues on 100%. 50%, 40% and now on 35% and finally, the corals love it and stay puffed up all over the tank.
also a really good give away that this is right is that I have zoa's at the bottom of the tank more near the corner of the tank where the PAR will be the lowest. and at 35% blues and 5% whites they don't reach upward for more light. So that tells me that even the corner is getting enough PAR for bottom dwelling corals.

So, hope that helps any people who just bought a new single red led50 for their tank or have a new max nano tank.

BLUES SETTING!
100% NOOOOO
50% SPS Dominant.
45% maybe for mixed reef
35% LPS Dominant. (sweet spot)
25-30% SOFTIES only
under 25% TOO LOW

Changing my settings today to see if there is a difference. I've had crazy algae growth, and even my GSP and mushrooms are dying. I was doing 100% B and 50% white, time will tell.

 

[clk]

That's interesting. I have a Max NANO that I started almost a year ago and the first SPS were introduced into it about 6-7 months ago. I keep a mixed reef with an island-like scape where SPS (Stylophora Milka, Red Monti, Seriatorpora, Acropora Spathulata) are located at the top and LPS and softies (Anthelia, GSP, Zoas, Acans, Favias, Caulastreas, Euphylias) in the mid-low sections. During this time I noticed that running 100/10 (B/W) was too strong for my GSP that was growing on a back wall (cc @kathya0321). I changed the settings to 80/8 (B/W) and I have kept it since then (at least 5 months). All corals look happy, they're pumping and growing, and the polyp extension is good. I generally have a feeling that I hit a sweet spot with the lighting, at least for my setup.

That said I think there is no such thing as "perfect settings" at all, but I can agree that this LED is indeed really powerful, at least more powerful than one might think. Especially since the Red Sea is advertising their default settings like "you can't go wrong with them", and I think that you sure can if you're not cautious - 100/10 is one of the defaults.

I'm adding the picture of my tank for better context, taken a few weeks ago. Simple recipe, 10% wc/week (AF ReefSalt+), 17ml of AFR daily.

 

[Gabbone]

I must agree with the OP.

I own a reefled50 in a 30g tank (LPS dominant / softies). I can't go above 35% blue.

Even if I go at 40% (5% more), corals start to retract, lose tissue, literally look burned. Thefore they look not happy at all.

I find the sweet spot at 35% blue, 0% white. 12 Hours on with 1hr ramping up 1hr ramping down.

 

[brad65ford]

Having used this light on the same tank as the OP, I’ll admit I’m struggling to find the "ideal" settings that my corals (LPS and anemones) prefer. For instance, rock anemones don’t seem to like this light, while bubble tips are doing okay. That said, I find it hard to fully agree with the OP's claims, as others report success with higher intensity settings. Did I miss where the OP has shared photos if his success to support these statements?
It’s comforting to know I’m not the only one facing challenges, but it’s disappointing there isn’t more shared guidance for these lights. With AI Primes, for instance, there are years of shared success stories with detailed schedules and intensities that users generously provide. It would be great to see a similar level of community support for these lights.

 

[fatfei]

Hi all,

Short and to the point for you. Are you confused about the RED SEA LED50 light settings and what they should be on. LOOK NO FURTHER. As I have 10 months worth of experience, trial and error and prob about £300 worth of dead coral that has given me the knownledge about this light.

basically, red sea have made a super powerful light, full stop. < So, 100% blues and whatever whites.... don't even think about it!!!
SPS dominant tank???? simple go for max 50% blues and about 10-20% whites.
LPS and softies>>> simple... got for no more than 40% blues and 10-20% whites.
i personally have found the sweet spot for my LPS dominant tank (no more SPS, got rid) at 35% blues and 5% whites. only 5% whites because i personally like that look over higher whites at 10,15 or 20% whites.

I noticed that while acclimatising my corals, in the morning when the lights were coming up that my orange plate coral on the sand and acans would puff up nicely once the blues got to 35%, then after they would start to slowly deflate again.

I have a red sea nano max.

i've done blues on 100%. 50%, 40% and now on 35% and finally, the corals love it and stay puffed up all over the tank.
also a really good give away that this is right is that I have zoa's at the bottom of the tank more near the corner of the tank where the PAR will be the lowest. and at 35% blues and 5% whites they don't reach upward for more light. So that tells me that even the corner is getting enough PAR for bottom dwelling corals.

So, hope that helps any people who just bought a new single red led50 for their tank or have a new max nano tank.

BLUES SETTING!
100% NOOOOO
50% SPS Dominant.
45% maybe for mixed reef
35% LPS Dominant. (sweet spot)
25-30% SOFTIES only
under 25% TOO LOW

Oh thank you for this.
I had two reef50s on a 160ltr tank on the minimum (12k) with 100% blue & white as was their default for 8 months & the water turned green. It's a rock pool tank I setup with macroalgae I bought. No corals just shrimp & stuff in there. I've no idea what the best setting is for blue & white so I've just lowered them to 50% each & run for about 8hrs per day not including moonlight.

 

[Peaceboogy]

That's interesting. I have a Max NANO that I started almost a year ago and the first SPS were introduced into it about 6-7 months ago. I keep a mixed reef with an island-like scape where SPS (Stylophora Milka, Red Monti, Seriatorpora, Acropora Spathulata) are located at the top and LPS and softies (Anthelia, GSP, Zoas, Acans, Favias, Caulastreas, Euphylias) in the mid-low sections. During this time I noticed that running 100/10 (B/W) was too strong for my GSP that was growing on a back wall (cc @kathya0321). I changed the settings to 80/8 (B/W) and I have kept it since then (at least 5 months). All corals look happy, they're pumping and growing, and the polyp extension is good. I generally have a feeling that I hit a sweet spot with the lighting, at least for my setup.

That said I think there is no such thing as "perfect settings" at all, but I can agree that this LED is indeed really powerful, at least more powerful than one might think. Especially since the Red Sea is advertising their default settings like "you can't go wrong with them", and I think that you sure can if you're not cautious - 100/10 is one of the defaults.

I'm adding the picture of my tank for better context, taken a few weeks ago. Simple recipe, 10% wc/week (AF ReefSalt+), 17ml of AFR daily.

I am curious if you are still at the same settings 80/10? Do you think the mesh cover could be impacting your par? I have a 30xl running led50 too but have had a lot of trouble getting the lighting suitable for all coral. Thoughts?

 

[ARichied]

Hi,

I know this is an older thread but does anyone have a true answer or good median? Also, what Kelvin level were you guys running at? 12/15/18k? Thanks for any input you can provide

 

[cdstanley0123]

Hi all,

Short and to the point for you. Are you confused about the RED SEA LED50 light settings and what they should be on. LOOK NO FURTHER. As I have 10 months worth of experience, trial and error and prob about £300 worth of dead coral that has given me the knownledge about this light.

basically, red sea have made a super powerful light, full stop. < So, 100% blues and whatever whites.... don't even think about it!!!
SPS dominant tank???? simple go for max 50% blues and about 10-20% whites.
LPS and softies>>> simple... got for no more than 40% blues and 10-20% whites.
i personally have found the sweet spot for my LPS dominant tank (no more SPS, got rid) at 35% blues and 5% whites. only 5% whites because i personally like that look over higher whites at 10,15 or 20% whites.

I noticed that while acclimatising my corals, in the morning when the lights were coming up that my orange plate coral on the sand and acans would puff up nicely once the blues got to 35%, then after they would start to slowly deflate again.

I have a red sea nano max.

i've done blues on 100%. 50%, 40% and now on 35% and finally, the corals love it and stay puffed up all over the tank.
also a really good give away that this is right is that I have zoa's at the bottom of the tank more near the corner of the tank where the PAR will be the lowest. and at 35% blues and 5% whites they don't reach upward for more light. So that tells me that even the corner is getting enough PAR for bottom dwelling corals.

So, hope that helps any people who just bought a new single red led50 for their tank or have a new max nano tank.

BLUES SETTING!
100% NOOOOO
50% SPS Dominant.
45% maybe for mixed reef
35% LPS Dominant. (sweet spot)
25-30% SOFTIES only
under 25% TOO LOW

I know I’m 4 years late to the party, but thank you so much for this post…

 

[cdstanley0123]

Hi,

I know this is an older thread but does anyone have a true answer or good median? Also, what Kelvin level were you guys running at? 12/15/18k? Thanks for any input you can provide

Hi Pal, did you find an answer to this? I’m having some teathing issues with my RedSea LED50. I’ve been running the blues at 55 and whites at 2 and my LPS are retracting by mid afternoon