Reefer 250 lighting help

[Digitalfirex]

I have a redsea reefer 250 with a kessil ap700. I tested my par with an apogee 500 par meter. Light is 10" above waterline... and about 6" below water at 100% I was barely hitting 300 par. (Ie 297 par). While I want to eventually hit that 300 par, I don't think running my light at 100% is smart or recommended? Right now my schedule peaks at 60% mid day. I'm considering adding some sort of supplement light, but I also like the clean look of the ap700 above the tank. Looks clean and high end. Any recommendations for additional light that won't look dumb next to the ap700?

 

[Reef - Tripp]

T5 hybrid

 

[Kessil]

I have a redsea reefer 250 with a kessil ap700. I tested my par with an apogee 500 par meter. Light is 10" above waterline... and about 6" below water at 100% I was barely hitting 300 par. (Ie 297 par). While I want to eventually hit that 300 par, I don't think running my light at 100% is smart or recommended? Right now my schedule peaks at 60% mid day. I'm considering adding some sort of supplement light, but I also like the clean look of the ap700 above the tank. Looks clean and high end. Any recommendations for additional light that won't look dumb next to the ap700?

You can run the light at 100% intensity without any major issues - just keep the fan and vents clean and free of dust so there's adequate airflow. Pop the top panel off of the AP700 every months or so and use a can of compressed air and cotton swabs + rubbing alcohol to clean the vents and heat sink fins.

Just FYI - 300 PAR is a TON of light. Our SPS dominant system here at the office peaks out at about 250 PAR. I'd start off the lamp at about 70% and see how the coral respond.

One other thing to consider is you can also increase the intensity by lowering the light an inch or two - it makes a bigger difference than you may realize.