crusso1993
7500 Club Member
Gorgeous!I ran mine along side of black box leds for many years here are some pics under 4 radium's and 8 block boxes. 5 hours is usually enough for photo saturation
Your favorite Metal Halides for Acropora Growth and Coloration
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JCOLE
Grower of the Small Polyps
I ran mine along side of black box leds for many years here are some pics under 4 radium's and 8 block boxes. 5 hours is usually enough for photo saturation. These photos are ~2014 in my old 320 gallon reef.
Very nice!!! This is my same setup. I have (4) 400w Radiums with 8 SBREEF black boxes. Loving it so far!
OP
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The big one. He’s fixing to hang some Halides.
OP
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OP
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I ran mine along side of black box leds for many years here are some pics under 4 radium's and 8 block boxes. 5 hours is usually enough for photo saturation. These photos are ~2014 in my old 320 gallon reef.
So if you were me, and setting up the 250w Halides with 3x XR15 G5’s for supplements…how long would you run the photo period for the Halides, and at what % intensity/spectrum for the LED supplements? 455nm?
RCS82
Well-Known Member
Just switched out my 14k 250w Phoenix bulb for a 14k Hamilton. Can not tell the difference lol. Although the Phoenix was an old bulb and these 2 pics are with the day old Hamilton. The Phoenix was a great color and this Hamilton so far is stunning. Both bulbs had the same LEDs bars.
Something to think about:
For those chasing par out of their halides, worry more about spread. Halide is a different animal. I’ve been running halides for 20+ years. We’re learning now that LED’s don’t produce wavelengths in the upper and lower regions of the light spectrum and produce little to no UV. Old schoolers ran halides back in the day without par meters. For all but a few who ran certain reflectors and optimal ballasts for the bulb being run, it was just never tested; and it never seemed to matter. Corals definitely need to acclimate to ANY amount of UV radiation…especially these days when most frags are coming from an led lit environment.
I feel it in my gut that we’re going to one day find out the UV produced by halides is a substitute for higher par. If one were to go back on old RC tank of the month threads and look at halide tanks, you’d find that many had what might be considered today pretty low par numbers. Not all; but many. I feel (and this is my opinion) UV is a signal for SPS to gather the light they need and then protect themselves. That protection is exhibited in the brilliant glow and saturated colors that only a halide can provide even when viewed in full spectrum. So why do I think this? Well, many people ran and currently run their full spectrum halides for 8 hours or even more! Many of those same people have phenomenal colors and excellent growth rates. Run full spectrum on every channel for 8 hours with an led fixture and see how corals react with no UV to signal them to shut down. They bleach more times than not; even at equal par intensities. Sanjay is on record as saying “a photon is a photon”. Well sure; but a calorie is a calorie too. Eat 500 more calories of candy a day vs. someone else eating 500 more calories of vegetables a day and report back in 3 months. Quality matters.
I think most people running halides short change themselves by having them much too close to the water; hampering light spread and adding unnecessary heat to their system. A good rule I’ve followed over the years is to always run my halides somewhere around double the distance to the top of my aquascape. If it’s a frag tank height of 10-12” then I start at 24” and adjust based off what the corals are telling me. If aesthetics are a concern by having them that high, then you’ll be fiddling with photoperiods, intense par hot spots and heat management. I think most people would be shocked if they visited a coral farmer running halides and saw how high off the water the reflectors are placed; yet those dazzling sticks are glowing with a rainbow of color down below.
For those chasing par out of their halides, worry more about spread. Halide is a different animal. I’ve been running halides for 20+ years. We’re learning now that LED’s don’t produce wavelengths in the upper and lower regions of the light spectrum and produce little to no UV. Old schoolers ran halides back in the day without par meters. For all but a few who ran certain reflectors and optimal ballasts for the bulb being run, it was just never tested; and it never seemed to matter. Corals definitely need to acclimate to ANY amount of UV radiation…especially these days when most frags are coming from an led lit environment.
I feel it in my gut that we’re going to one day find out the UV produced by halides is a substitute for higher par. If one were to go back on old RC tank of the month threads and look at halide tanks, you’d find that many had what might be considered today pretty low par numbers. Not all; but many. I feel (and this is my opinion) UV is a signal for SPS to gather the light they need and then protect themselves. That protection is exhibited in the brilliant glow and saturated colors that only a halide can provide even when viewed in full spectrum. So why do I think this? Well, many people ran and currently run their full spectrum halides for 8 hours or even more! Many of those same people have phenomenal colors and excellent growth rates. Run full spectrum on every channel for 8 hours with an led fixture and see how corals react with no UV to signal them to shut down. They bleach more times than not; even at equal par intensities. Sanjay is on record as saying “a photon is a photon”. Well sure; but a calorie is a calorie too. Eat 500 more calories of candy a day vs. someone else eating 500 more calories of vegetables a day and report back in 3 months. Quality matters.
I think most people running halides short change themselves by having them much too close to the water; hampering light spread and adding unnecessary heat to their system. A good rule I’ve followed over the years is to always run my halides somewhere around double the distance to the top of my aquascape. If it’s a frag tank height of 10-12” then I start at 24” and adjust based off what the corals are telling me. If aesthetics are a concern by having them that high, then you’ll be fiddling with photoperiods, intense par hot spots and heat management. I think most people would be shocked if they visited a coral farmer running halides and saw how high off the water the reflectors are placed; yet those dazzling sticks are glowing with a rainbow of color down below.
I especially like how high you mounted them.So if you were me, and setting up the 250w Halides with 3x XR15 G5’s for supplements…how long would you run the photo period for the Halides, and at what % intensity/spectrum for the LED supplements? 455nm?
xabo
Valuable Member
Noticed the same with those using LEDs, yet the RMS mounts used for Radions will only allow for 8 or so inches above the tank.
They make stainless cables to hang from the ceiling at any height you wish.
Agreed. It seems almost out of place whenever I read about someone testing PAR with halides. Most folks didn't test PAR when halides were popular. Bulb wattage, temperature, ballast, reflector/fixture and tank height are all I remember being discussed to assess the sufficiency of halides for an SPS tank.
If I recall correctly, talk of PAR meters first significantly grew when people were dispelling the myth that T5s couldn't grow SPS, and then really came to significant mainstream prominence in the context of LEDs.
Very true. Once we realized we could bounce light around in a large reflector and cover a significantly larger area by lifting the reflector further off the water heat became less of an issue as well.
RCS82
Well-Known Member
Live the 14k Hamilton bulb with LED bars. I can't tell the difference between this bulb and the Phoenix 14k bulb. Perhaps if they were side by side but my 60 cube can only accommodate 1 fixture lol. Love them both. Tank is only 3.5 months old so mostly frags right now.
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Well, I may have messed up. I dropped them to 14” off the surface of the water. One fan is doing the job. I’ll take a pic tomorrow evening.
Hurricane Aquatics
Valuable Member
You didn't mess up.
I had my dual Reef Brite fixture up around 15 inches off the top of the tank thinking it would be too much. I was wrong and had to lower them to 8 inches from the top of tank.
I have the acrylic lids from Kraken Reef and they don't block par, but I noticed the corals needed more.
About 15 inches under the water, the PAR is 290 to 315. Sandbed is 220. I don't have a lot of rock, so my frags sit lower than normal. If your frags are higher, then you'll need to adjust based on that.
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Mine sit about mid tank in 20” height. So about 10” I’m guessing from the top. So right now the reflectors are 14” above the water line which is about 2.5” below top of glass. So the light from the reflectors to top of Acro’s is about 21.5”. I also have the 3 XR15 G5’s supplementing 20K 12 hrs. When the Halides comes on they drop from 100% to 50%. Halides are running 4 hrs right now, but I’m fixing to setup up a task to increase the photo period by 30 minutes each week.
I need to go grab a PAR meter and get another PAR map going.
What bulb and ballast are you running?
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This is 14” off the water. Halides off. G5’s @ 20K.
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