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Awesome job. Would be curious to see how things change if you raise the lights.
I replaced the thermal paste on mine. This is mine as of today 9" off the water all but the outer ring of lenses removed to save light spilling out the tank, and the new layout of mine.To be honest I do like the actinic look, Abject. However it does come at the expense of the fishes colours doesn't it. Definitely good to hear your opinion though. I'll certainly be taking that into consideration.
You have any photos of your tank lit, before and after? I love to see a map of your configuration if you have to to hand.
Does anyone re-apply thermal paste when replacing LEDs?
EDIT: Perhaps switching out a 4 more whites could be enough for me.
Same place I got mine.I'm from the UK but this is where I brought mine from... link to eBay
I took off the lenses and I like the look much better but there's a lot of light spillage in the room. Im going to keep the lenses off antway. I can tell the corals seem to like it .
I took my lenses off about a month ago, no going back. Great coverage and pretty good blending.
I 3D printed some "side skirts" to help with spillage into the room.
Yeah I’m realizing the spill kinda sucks, now I have to build a canopy. Welcome to reefing, it’s always something lol
Funny you should say that, that's exactly what I did. So glad you started this post off, it's been a massive help.I replaced the thermal paste on mine. This is mine as of today 9" off the water all but the outer ring of lenses removed to save light spilling out the tank, and the new layout of mine.
Funny you should say that, that's exactly what I did. So glad you started this post off, it's been a massive help.
Took me 6 months to get the confidence to go ahead and make the mods though. Wish I hadn't waited so long!
If anyone is interested and would like more information on how diodes are replaced and some tips, I put together a youtube video.
did you put all of the empty lens cases back on or just the outer ones?I'm glad I started it, and all the help that's come from it to help myself and others. Can I ask what settings you are still running.
I took all the lenses off including the cases on the centre, and just left the lenses as they are on the outer ring. This helps direct the light straight down and not spread outwards as even with my floating light canopy it spills underneath. But now I'm contemplating taking the lenses out of the holder to keep better spread within the tank and not spilling into the room, I didn't even think about doing that.did you put all of the empty lens cases back on or just the outer ones?
HelloHey all,
I've been following this thread for some time and haven't chimed in for a while. This thread gave me a lot of guidance and made me realize a couple years ago that I had my Viparspectras turned up way too high. After adjusting my lights based on everything shared in this thread, my corals continued showing signs of under and over lighting, so I've been me wondering about my tank's actual PAR. When the Apogee SQ-520 went on sale last summer, I jumped on it.
I played around quite a bit back in August and September and have been meaning to share the results. Below are the results of four different tests/measurements. Please note that I used the same picture of my tank for all of the results below and they do not indicate the actual lighting intensity/coloration mentioned in each test.
About my set-up:
- 90 gallon (48" W x 18" D x 24" H)
- (2) Viparspectra 165w
- Bottom of lights to water surface is 6.5" (this is too low, I do not recommend this. I have plans to raise the lights)
- Apogee SQ-520 connected to my PC, using ApogeeConnect app
Test 1 - Impact of Screen Netting
I have DIY screen nets on top of my tank to keep my wrasses in the tank. The netting is 1/4" clear netting, similar to this one. I wanted to understand if and how this netting impacted PAR.
The top number in each circle represents PAR with the netting on and the bottom numbers are without netting. The netting appears to lower the lighting by about 10 PAR for any areas directly under the light. The difference in the bottom left circle (146/152) is different, I believe due to shadowing caused by the rocks above it. The top middle circle (130/135) did not see a similar decrease in PAR with the netting in, I believe due to the fact that it is not directly under the lights.
Test 2 - PAR with Blues at 38 and Whites at 4 (with netting)
This shows PAR measurements in various parts of my tank with my blues at 38 and whites at 4. The shade of the circle indicates whether the measurement is for the back of the tank (dark blue), middle of the tank (blue), or front of the tank (light blue).
Notice how my setup causes the PAR to significantly drop off in the area between my lights? I will be raising my lights in the coming months to see if I can minimize some of this drop off. Because this is not a rimless tank, I have a plastic brace in the middle that also causes additional shadowing.
Test 3 - Raising Just Blues (with netting)
How does turning up just the blues or just the whites impact PAR? I first measured how PAR is impacted when just turning up the blues. I started at the baseline used in Test 2 (Blues 38, Whites 4) and turned up the blues in increments of 4.
In my setup, the area directly under the lights at mid tank (both height and depth) goes up by approximately 10 PAR when you turn the blues setting up 4. I also tested this without netting and saw similar results.
Test 4 - Raising Just Whites (with netting)
And I did the same for the whites, starting with the baseline of Blues 38 and Whites 4.
And in my setup, it appears PAR directly under the lights at mid tank (both height and depth) goes up by approximately 12 PAR when you turn the whites setting up by 4. I'm unsure why it increased by 16 PAR when whites were turned up from 12 to 16. I measured this multiple times to confirm it wasn't an error. I also tested this without netting and saw similar results.
Hope this info helps.
Sorry I haven't replied sooner Nicholas. So I'm putting my lenses back on tomorrow.I'm glad I started it, and all the help that's come from it to help myself and others. Can I ask what settings you are still running.
Thanks for the info. As mine is only lps and as you say lower at 9 inches. Ideally I need to try and find a par meter to borrow or hire in the uk. I just want to find the best settings and just leave it there and stop tinkering all the time.Sorry I haven't replied sooner Nicholas. So I'm putting my lenses back on tomorrow.
I'm glad it's given you the idea to try for yourself though and as your lights are mounted lower and you don't need as much power I'm sure removing all the lenses from the surround could work for you.
I currently have my lights mounted at 14 inches. It's the lowest I get them due to high ceilings.
I've been steadily increasing them up since the mod and removing lenses but today I was able to measure the lux at the water surface, ch1/100 ch2/45 and I'm only getting 13000 in the center on the fixture, with minimum fall off towards the edges.
This equates "roughly" to 13000÷50= 260par. I need to be hitting 400par min at the surface. Therefore the lenses are going back on to give me the extra punch.
In all fairness I only removed the lenses to remove the disco effect which apparently can be avoided by removing just the red and green lenses... I'll leave those lenses off still. And report back.
All lenses off @15" above water line
Ch1/100 Ch2/45
Par at surface 260
Im at 9" off the water on my 40 Gallon with the lens removed. One thing Im thinking about doing is putting the empty lens cases back on to help with the light spillage.I do have a canopy but I think they will still help out. As for all of my sps and lps they are doing great. Blue at 60 and white at 20 with no lens .No problem. It's nice to share back some information. I definitely think that could work for you. I think once you find the par you're looking for you can leave it be.
I couldn't find a par meter to hire so going down the lux meter route. As long as I can get around 20k-25k lux which should be around 400-500par at the surface.
I have a bird's-nest which has been growing nicely but also a struggling sebae anemone that's sand dwelling so need to get a decent amount of light down to him so hopefully he can recover!
Good luck, keep us up to date and with what your readings are after the lenses are back on.No problem. It's nice to share back some information. I definitely think that could work for you. I think once you find the par you're looking for you can leave it be.
I couldn't find a par meter to hire so going down the lux meter route. As long as I can get around 20k-25k lux which should be around 400-500par at the surface.
I have a bird's-nest which has been growing nicely but also a struggling sebae anemone that's sand dwelling so need to get a decent amount of light down to him so hopefully he can recover!
Do you know your par at all?Im at 9" off the water on my 40 Gallon with the lens removed. One thing Im thinking about doing is putting the empty lens cases back on to help with the light spillage.I do have a canopy but I think they will still help out. As for all of my sps and lps they are doing great. Blue at 60 and white at 20 with no lens .
Certainly makes a difference dropping the lights a little lower doesn't it. Have you replaced any diodes in your unit?Im at 9" off the water on my 40 Gallon with the lens removed. One thing Im thinking about doing is putting the empty lens cases back on to help with the light spillage.I do have a canopy but I think they will still help out. As for all of my sps and lps they are doing great. Blue at 60 and white at 20 with no lens .
I will update tomorrow mate.Good luck, keep us up to date and with what your readings are after the lenses are back on.
I went by the chart one page back it was the same tank and off the water as mine with the lens off. He use a par meterDo you know your par at all?