Whats the best ramp time?

[Reef Wizard]

I'm curious what everyone has set for ramp time?

Do you have it the 1:8:1 ratio?
Ramp up an hour full intensity for 8 ramp down an hour?

Do you have it slowly ramp up and peak for a little while and ramp back down? Like a pyramid?

I wonder how this potentially affects coral growth?

I will share my lighting right now

 

[coralboi56]

I prefer a 2:6:2 ratio personally

 

[Reef Wizard]

I prefer a 2:6:2 ratio personally

Please share your thoughts on this interested to hear!

 

[coralboi56]

Please share your thoughts on this interested to hear!

In my opinion (though I'll add this is not scientific at all, just based on head knowledge and observation), if sunrise is at 7, solar noon (the point of most daylight) at 12 and sunset at 5, that's at least 5 hours of intense sunlight (guesstimating from around 10:00-3:00 being the "intense sunlight" period). We know that corals protect themselves from the UV rays of the sun during the day and photosynthesis production decreases (Rosic 2011). My thinking is why would I have an 8 hour intense lighting day on my reef if they aren't going to use the PAR and UV to the full extent?

So instead of starting my lighting at 7 am just for the purpose I could see it before I leave for work, I have it start at 9, ramp up two hours to 11:00, have high intensity from 11:00-5:00, and a cool down form 5:00-7:00.

Again, this is just my thinking, and I'm definitely willing to change my philosophy if anyone provides a solid case for their schedule.

Rosic, Nedeljka N., and Sophie Dove. “Mycosporine-like Amino Acids from Coral Dinoflagellates.” Applied and Environmental Microbiology, vol. 77, no. 24, 14 Oct. 2011, pp. 8478–8486, https://doi.org/10.1128/aem.05870-11.

 

[Reef Wizard]

In my opinion (though I'll add this is not scientific at all, just based on head knowledge and observation), if sunrise is at 7, solar noon (the point of most daylight) at 12 and sunset at 5, that's at least 5 hours of intense sunlight (guesstimating from around 10:00-3:00 being the "intense sunlight" period). We know that corals protect themselves from the UV rays of the sun during the day and photosynthesis production decreases (Rosic 2011). My thinking is why would I have an 8 hour intense lighting day on my reef if they aren't going to use the PAR and UV to the full extent?

So instead of starting my lighting at 7 am just for the purpose I could see it before I leave for work, I have it start at 9, ramp up two hours to 11:00, have high intensity from 11:00-5:00, and a cool down form 5:00-7:00.

Again, this is just my thinking, and I'm definitely willing to change my philosophy if anyone provides a solid case for their schedule.

Rosic, Nedeljka N., and Sophie Dove. “Mycosporine-like Amino Acids from Coral Dinoflagellates.” Applied and Environmental Microbiology, vol. 77, no. 24, 14 Oct. 2011, pp. 8478–8486, https://doi.org/10.1128/aem.05870-11.

Seems like a solid point we will see if anyone else can provide their schedule time

 

[Reef Wizard]

Anyone have any other additions to this thread?

 

[Hooz]

I work from home, so I run a very long schedule because I can look at the tank all day. I go 14 hours, 8:30am to 10:30pm.

Because of the very long viewing day, I use REALLY long ramps so as not to over light the corals.

My blues come on at 8:30 and ramp up over 2.5 hours. Once the blues hit their max, the whites come on and ramp to their max over 2.5 hours. Everything holds max intensity for 4 hours, then ramps down the opposite of the ramp up.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Folks using metal halide lighting had little ramping of intensity, and few folks who have had both claim led's are substantially better for growing coral, regardless of ramp schedule.

That said, i personally would mimic natural intensity changes in the absence of other convincing info that something else is better in a way that I'd be concerned with.

 

[Hooz]

I work from home, so I run a very long schedule because I can look at the tank all day. I go 14 hours, 8:30am to 10:30pm.

Because of the very long viewing day, I use REALLY long ramps so as not to over light the corals.

My blues come on at 8:30 and ramp up over 2.5 hours. Once the blues hit their max, the whites come on and ramp to their max over 2.5 hours. Everything holds max intensity for 4 hours, then ramps down the opposite of the ramp up.

My schedule looks like this...

Don't freak out. It's a Luxdium LED puck, so red and green aren't red and green anymore, and the Blue channel is now my white channel... but you get the idea. :D

 

[X-37B]

I do 1:7:1. The ramp is really not necessary. I came from many years of halides and T5's, on/off.
That said I like the 1hr ramp up/down for visual purposes. Behond that it's interesting to see the difference in color when the corals floresce. With leds it can be very dramatic.

 

[Reef Wizard]

I work from home, so I run a very long schedule because I can look at the tank all day. I go 14 hours, 8:30am to 10:30pm.

Because of the very long viewing day, I use REALLY long ramps so as not to over light the corals.

My blues come on at 8:30 and ramp up over 2.5 hours. Once the blues hit their max, the whites come on and ramp to their max over 2.5 hours. Everything holds max intensity for 4 hours, then ramps down the opposite of the ramp up.

I also work from home and currently am thinking of going away from my pyramid style to a more rounded approach 3:6:3 I like to have mine on 12 hours 730a to 730p

 

[X-37B]

I also work from home and currently am thinking of going away from my pyramid style to a more rounded approach 3:6:3 I like to have mine on 12 hours 730a to 730p

What is the the reasoning for a 3hr ramp up/down? For 12hrs do a 1hr up/down with 10 hrs at peak.

 

[Reef Wizard]

What is the the reasoning for a 3hr ramp up/down? For 12hrs do a 1hr up/down with 10 hrs at peak.

well mine are used to what I posted above which basically a continuous ramp up then ramp down. Trying not shock them but yeah it's all subjective

 

[rtparty]

1:8:1 or 1:10:1

It doesn’t matter and 99% of us aren’t using any UV light. If there is any, it’s so minuscule it doesn’t factor into anything. Peak PAR on ocean reefs is 5-10x higher than we ever provide and thus the reefs experience photosaturation and photoinhibition. I’d venture to bet most of us are never seeing photoinhibition in our systems

 

[X-37B]

well mine are used to what I posted above which basically a continuous ramp up then ramp down. Trying not shock them but yeah it's all subjective

Well you really can't shock them, imo. I ran halides for years and they get to full power in a couple minutes so.
Imo, you want to ramp up to your peak setting then let it stay there for a fixed amount of time. It has been a standard in reefing for as long as I can remember.

 

[Reef Wizard]

Well you really can't shock them, imo. I ran halides for years and they get to full power in a couple minutes so.
Imo, you want to ramp up to your peak setting then let it stay there for a fixed amount of time. It has been a standard in reefing for as long as I can remember.

Yeah i do like to make small adjustments just in case. But yeah I see your point