Viparspectra settings!!!

[outhouse]

I wish someone told me too, I cooked my 30 year old lobo. I saved it and now have 5 small 30 year old lobos. Funny both aquarium shops run my lights and the guy told me where to set it at, but it was to high for my tank. when things didnt grow because of too much intensity, I cranked it higher thinking it was too weak compared to MH

 

[parkwaytrash]

Is this thread still alive?
I have tested a single 165 with my local reef shops par meter and was blown away by how strong it is. Running 25% on both white and blue 8 inches above water line getting 230 par at sand bed in an 18 inch deep tank. So I turned that crap down. Just recently installed a second 165 in the same tank and both are set at 3% white and 15% blue. I have sps, Lps and softies. I will be getting a 3rd 165 for when I transfer everything to my 125

 

[Gtinnel]

I have 2 of the 300w viparspectra over my 125. I keep my blue channel around 35 and my white about 15. Unfortunately I don't have a par meter to measure it but I couldn't imagine running it even close to 100% like I have seen other people online say that they do.

 

[LeftyReefer]

No kidding. I have a single 300w vipar and I cooked several monti's before I knew better.
I'm at like 1% whites and 30% blues and I'm still questioning whether it's too much.... was thinking of turning blues down to 25% and seeing if my LPS gain any color... I have several (frogspawn in particular) that still seem bleached out a bit, although it might be from low nutrients too.

 

[Uncle99]

I tested with a PAR meter, the 165watt Visparspectra and found that for 24” cube with the lights mounted 7” above the water resulted in a surface PAR of 300-350 with blues at just 20% and whites just 1%.

12” down we get 150-250.

Bottom was 75-125.

If that helps any.

At 100%, just blue, the surface PAR was a blistering 750-800.

 

[outhouse]

yep growth excellent with 6% B and 1% W in a 210G

 

[Gtinnel]

yep growth excellent with 6% B and 1% W in a 210G

Now I'm starting to wonder if I run mine too high at 35%/15%. I really need to buy a par meter, at least a cheap used seneye.

 

[outhouse]

I'm starting to wonder

your corals will tell you if they are happy, it took me years to figure this out, and lucky im coming back. If you have no growth, your too hot

 

[Gtinnel]

your corals will tell you if they are happy, it took me years to figure this out, and lucky im coming back. If you have no growth, your too hot

I get growth out of them. Usually when I first place sps higher in the tank there colors will fade, but it eventually comes back, often prettier than before. I keep my corals on a frag rack midway up the tank and I have a bad habit of not acclimating them to the light in their final location.

 

[Spieg]

Somebody on here (sorry I don't remember the name) did a pretty good PAR test on Viparspectra. I copppied this from that thread;

 

[Gtinnel]

Somebody on here (sorry I don't remember the name) did a pretty good PAR test on Viparspectra. I copppied this from that thread;

I wonder how closely the par reading of the 300watt would follow the 165. They seem to have the same density of bulbs so I don't think it would be too different. Just that the middle higher reading would cover a larger ares, or at least that's my guess.

 

[outhouse]

I wonder how closely the par reading of the 300watt would follow the 165.

their simple 3W leds, just the 300 has more, which means more par and hotter bright spot

 

[Spieg]

I wonder how closely the par reading of the 300watt would follow the 165. They seem to have the same density of bulbs so I don't think it would be too different. Just that the middle higher reading would cover a larger ares, or at least that's my guess.

That test was the 300W model on a 36x18 tank. Light was 12" above the water and PAR readings were 7" under water surface.

 

[Gtinnel]

That test was the 300W model on a 36x18 tank. Light was 12" above the water and PAR readings were 7" under water surface.

Good to know. Thanks

 

[Cajun Floridian]

Now I'm starting to wonder if I run mine too high at 35%/15%. I really need to buy a par meter, at least a cheap used seneye.

Yes for sure, my mixed reef tank is 18" deep and I run mine at 1% whites and 20% blues with the light 18" above the water so it will spread better and be a more pleasing color to the eye along with a decent color spectrum I was looking for. This light has a ridiculous amount of white so 1% is definitely plenty for most tanks up to 24" deep in my opinion, I used my seneye par meter to figure it out. Right now I'm getting an average of 230-300 4-8 inches down, 130-150 9-13 inches down, and 80-120 on the sand bed. If I only had lps and softies I'd definitely be running this light way lower, probably something like 1% whites and 4 to 8% blues at most. I've noticed that this light still throws a lot of par even at 1% whites and 1% blues so if you want more blue, you have to raise the light up a lot higher. Literally 14-18 inches above the water to even it out

 

[Localmotion510]

I know this is old but I'm curious everyone runs their 165 watt vipar so low but iv had mine over a 65 gal 12 inches above the water and running it 12 hrs blue 100% 8hrs white 20% and recently checked with a par meter and changing to 100% blue 50% white seems to get the right par everywhere! But seems triple what others use?

I haven't seen anyone on her with a PAR reading to back up their intenisty. I would trust what your getting if it were me

 

[RipVanWinkle]

165 watt 7 inches above a 36 bow front tank (18" to sand bed from top of tank) and I run mine at 95% blue 25% white. I killed an acro, favia, and i think monti frag. Zoas, shrooms, Xenia, rock flower nems, near the bottom all grow slowly I would say but I am not experienced enough to know if it is slow or not really. They look great and are definitely spreading but I can't say what is slow. My BTA has gotten huge and he is mid center of the tank. I assume my tank is lacking light for difficult frags this thread is the first thing to make me think otherwise.

If this box really puts out as much light as a lot of reefers here claim, why would it be so cheap, and why would people even bother with super expensive lights? Confusing stuff without a par meter!

 

[Bigdaddy05]

165 watt 7 inches above a 36 bow front tank (18" to sand bed from top of tank) and I run mine at 95% blue 25% white. I killed an acro, favia, and i think monti frag. Zoas, shrooms, Xenia, rock flower nems, near the bottom all grow slowly I would say but I am not experienced enough to know if it is slow or not really. They look great and are definitely spreading but I can't say what is slow. My BTA has gotten huge and he is mid center of the tank. I assume my tank is lacking light for difficult frags this thread is the first thing to make me think otherwise.

If this box really puts out as much light as a lot of reefers here claim, why would it be so cheap, and why would people even bother with super expensive lights? Confusing stuff without a par meter!

I see u like corgis or have 1

 

[Bigdaddy05]

I haven't seen anyone on her with a PAR reading to back up their intenisty. I would trust what your getting if it were me

We'll see how things continue to progress

 

[JMAwoodworks]

I wonder how closely the par reading of the 300watt would follow the 165. They seem to have the same density of bulbs so I don't think it would be too different. Just that the middle higher reading would cover a larger ares, or at least that's my guess.

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Spieg this chart is with the lenses removed

I wonder how closely the par reading of the 300watt would follow the 165. They seem to have the same density of bulbs so I don't think it would be too different. Just that the middle higher reading would cover a larger ares, or at least that's my guess.