Tips for switching lights

[Gtinnel]

I'm going to switch to new lights within the next few days and I'm a little apprehensive about it. I'm switching from some viparspecra to the new Noopsyche lights. I know it's best to start the new lights off lower than the old but how much lower? Also, how long does everyone spend raising the lights up to the previous lights intensity?
I'm excited but a little nervous to see how the corals react.

 

[kittenbritches]

I'm no expert, but when I upgraded my lights I ramped them up over the course of a day. Granted, mine were super cheap and non-programmable, but I figured my corals were used to that crazy, crappy light, so they'd be fine getting an appropriate intensify with a wider spectrum ASAP.

 

[Gtinnel]

I'm no expert, but when I upgraded my lights I ramped them up over the course of a day. Granted, mine were super cheap and non-programmable, but I figured my corals were used to that crazy, crappy light, so they'd be fine getting an appropriate intensify with a wider spectrum ASAP.

I was thinking more along the lines of increasing the max brightness of the lights over the course of a few days to a week. I can't say that I'm looking forward to reprogramming the lights everyday though.
I assume the light(s) you upgraded to was the Noopsyche also?

 

[WVNed]

The trick is to keep in mind how comparable the output of the 2 lights is.
If you put new super powerful reef lighting on a tank that had an old freshwater light on it for a while you might have to turn it down to 20% to keep stuff from getting blasted.
I run 2 viparspectra 165w lights on project tanks and they are powerful if turned up. I don't think you new lighting will be any brighter, just a different spectrum.
I usually use 50% and increase it 5% to 10% per day while watching stuff. Consider your new light might be 100% brighter in some colors because they were lacking in the old ones. Near the end I make smaller increases and watch longer.

 

[X-37B]

I run Halides but am running an old 2 channel black box over my 30g fuge. These light although cheap are pretty strong.
I started at 10% and am at 25% now. Already seeing growth in the chaeto and red macro.
The chaeto will be replaced with more red macro in a few weeks.
Chaeto in the display fuge is a mess.
So yea ramp up is always recommended when changing light if you can.
Here is the fuge with the black box at 25%

 

[Gtinnel]

The trick is to keep in mind how comparable the output of the 2 lights is.
If you put new super powerful reef lighting on a tank that had an old freshwater light on it for a while you might have to turn it down to 20% to keep stuff from getting blasted.
I run 2 viparspectra 165w lights on project tanks and they are powerful if turned up. I don't think you new lighting will be any brighter, just a different spectrum.
I usually use 50% and increase it 5% to 10% per day while watching stuff. Consider your new light might be 100% brighter in some colors because they were lacking in the old ones. Near the end I make smaller increases and watch longer.

I'm using two of the 300w viparsectra on the tank (125g) and I have them turned down to about 40%/20%. If you go strictly by the wattage of the lights, which I know isn't ideal, then the 5 Noopsyches should have an overall intensity only slightly more than the viparspectra. I currently have the noopsyche lights sitting on my kitchen counter playing with their programming and these things are brighter than I expected.
I'll probably go with your suggestion and start the new ones at half intensity and then increase by 10% each day. I do have the advantage of having a par meter (Apex PMK) so I won't have to just completely guess at how bright they actually are.

 

[Gtinnel]

I run Halides but am running an old 2 channel black box over my 30g fuge. These light although cheap are pretty strong.
I started at 10% and am at 25% now. Already seeing growth in the chaeto and red macro.
The chaeto will be replaced with more red macro in a few weeks.
Chaeto in the display fuge is a mess.
So yea ramp up is always recommended when changing light if you can.
Here is the fuge with the black box at 25%

I've never ran my viaprspectra lights at even close to full intensity. It's ironic that the cheapest lights have the ability to put out ridiculous par. I just question the spectrum and pur of the lights. Which is one of the reasons I switched.

 

[kittenbritches]

I was thinking more along the lines of increasing the max brightness of the lights over the course of a few days to a week. I can't say that I'm looking forward to reprogramming the lights everyday though.
I assume the light(s) you upgraded to was the Noopsyche also?

No, I upgraded to Maxspect Razor X 150, which I currently have over my RSR250. I'm setting up my 40B upstairs, and am thinking I may use the NPs on that one. I'm planning on that tank being SPS dominant, so I think it could be a cool experiment having them on a tank from day one.

 

[WVNed]

For an informed guess.
I point my phone camera at a neutral spot in the tank and see the exposure values are.
Then I can match those values with the new light pointing the camera in the same place at the same distance. Then I know the camera is seeing the same level of light in the range the photo sensor can read. Then I go less than that to start.

 

[Gtinnel]

For an informed guess.
I point my phone camera at a neutral spot in the tank and see the exposure values are.
Then I can match those values with the new light pointing the camera in the same place at the same distance. Then I know the camera is seeing the same level of light in the range the photo sensor can read. Then I go less than that to start.

Thats a good tip, but I do have a par meter. It's the apex PMK.
I'm sure it's not as convient to use as a apogee is but it works decently well as long as you look at your dashboard through Apex local instead of fusion so it doesn't take as long to update the par reading.

 

[Gtinnel]

I'm sure sitting upside down on my counter is not a fair representation of intensity vs over a tank, but these things seem really really bright.

This is with the channels set much, much lower than they can go.