Controlling LED strengths

[dnguyen1]

Hey guys,

I have a maxspect razor and I hear a lot of people speak about not firing up to 100% on the controller. It's a 120W fixture ... does 100% strength mean 120 watt and anything less is accordingly < 120W?

And a side note if corals from a home w/ more intensity than my setup do I need to do light acclimation?

Thanks!

 

[Mark Bianco]

As far as wattage goes it depends on how the specification is listed. Looking at MD websites the closest fixture is the 100 watt model. In the detailed description the fixture list a total overall wattage of 115 watts. So it depends at what specification you are looking at. If you are asking does the wattage use go down if you lower the intensity yes, but it not a direct correlation, you still have other factors like the controller and fans that add to the mix.

As far as you saying more intensity, are you speaking of a fixture the same type, same size, same optics is your tank the other tank the same size. Wattage does not necessary equal par/ intensity through out tanks of different sizes especially depth...

Its better to have a coral under lighted for a short period of time then it is to over light a coral.

HTH
Mark

 

[top shelf]

^^^ Wattage of a particular light isn't always linear either but your thought is on track. 100% may be equal to 120w but doesn't mean that 50% is 60w. I have that same light and run mine 65% blue Max and 30% white max but I don't have a lot in the tank right now coral wise. As stated your better of under lighting them then over. Just because the tank they came from has a stronger light doesn't mean they are receiving more par then they would in your tank. How high the light is mounted and where there located tank wise plays a big role.

 

[dnguyen1]

Thanks guys is par the most important then? Like when do I know to stop ?


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[dnguyen1]

Thanks guys is par the most important then? Like when do I know to stop ?


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Sorry guys I pressed enter too soon. Without a par meter is there a way to know... hey I need to stop now at 60blue and 30white?


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[top shelf]

Thanks guys is par the most important then? Like when do I know to stop ?


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Par or photosynthetically active radiation is the light that corals and different organisms are able to use in the process of photosynthesis so it is very important. To little and the process can be slow and not allow for any growth or possible death of the organism . To much and it can stop photosynthesis and the same will happen. You want somewhere in between that allows enough light to keep the process going. In terms of coral they have zooxanthellae that utalizes photosynthesis for food. Each coral has a different type that requires different amounts of par. Soft corals require less and sps require more. You can't judge par with the human eye as it is invisible light so without a par meter there is no way to know. Each coral will have tell tale signs as to if it's to much or to little so all you can do is see how they react. Sps will brown if they don't receive enough light or bleach if they receive to much. Soft corals will bleach as well and stop opening if they receive to much or appear to be reaching for more light if enough isn't given.

 

[LeJeune981]

Par or photosynthetically active radiation is the light that corals and different organisms are able to use in the process of photosynthesis so it is very important. To little and the process can be slow and not allow for any growth or possible death of the organism . To much and it can stop photosynthesis and the same will happen. You want somewhere in between that allows enough light to keep the process going. In terms of coral they have zooxanthellae that utalizes photosynthesis for food. Each coral has a different type that requires different amounts of par. Soft corals require less and sps require more. You can't judge par with the human eye as it is invisible light so without a par meter there is no way to know. Each coral will have tell tale signs as to if it's to much or to little so all you can do is see how they react. Sps will brown if they don't receive enough light or bleach if they receive to much. Soft corals will bleach as well and stop opening if they receive to much or appear to be reaching for more light if enough isn't given.

Thank you... I just ventured into the world of leds and was w mongering the same as above. I don't have a par meter...and wasn't sure when I should stop turning the lights up...
Currently all coral are happier than ever and more open than before...

Now I know what to watch for as I experiment and learn the lights

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[top shelf]

With LED's just be sure to go slow, add about 5-10% then wait a week or 2 and observe to see how the corals are reacting. If it's your first time with LED's I would wait 2 weeks before turning up higher. With a little less experienced eye for it you may not notice some of the less obvious signs till it's to late. Better safe then sorry and slow is always the motto.

 

[Uncle99]

Start slow as stated above and tweak upwards every couple of weeks by 5%.
If you have to little and this be rare on LED, then your corals may not fully extend or some polyps look like they are stretching for light....
To much and you will notice an increase in green algae growth.....
All about balance...watch your corals and let them tell you..

 

[dnguyen1]

From what I read I see different theories for Anemones... some are bulb and some are more lengthy. Are there signs an anemone will give you like color change or just "weak" looking tentacles when it comes to lighting? I know an anemone can walk to where it wants to be... but is there any truth to an anemone being "DUMB" and just not moving til it dies?

 

[top shelf]

Anemones will continue to move until they are happy. It could move because it's not getting enough light or not enough flow or too much flow. They will settle in where they are happiest.

If it isn't receiving enough light the nem will begin to bleach which is often the case. If too much light is given which usually occurs when introducing a nem from a lower light environment to higher without proper acclimation first it will hide. It's likely that it will hide when first introduced anyways. It's also highly recommended to wait at least 6mo to a year to introduce an anemone to a tank.

 

[Ron Reefman]

'canary in a coalmine'

Or you could try the 'canary in a coalmine' approach. Get a small frag of a red cap monti or any other inexpensive plating coral, and set it in your tank as high or higher than all the other corals. Start your acclimatization at a low number and raise it every week. You can raise it a bit faster early on, but get much more careful as you get up to higher power levels. When you raise the light intensity too high, the red cap will start to bleach before any other corals. At that point, dial the power back a bit (5% to 10%) and you should be good to go.

 

[top shelf]

Ron's suggestion is another great approach to it and probably simpler.

 

[Uncle99]

Way to go Ron!
So who needs a PAR meter!
Love it...

 

[smatter]

A LUX meter is a useful tool. 20000 LUX at the waters surface has been a good safe starting point for me, haven't cooked anything as of yet. Limit your increases to 1000 LUX at a time and see how things react. I've been using them for years and it's much better than guessing. They can be had for around $15.

 

[dnguyen1]

'canary in a coalmine'

Or you could try the 'canary in a coalmine' approach. Get a small frag of a red cap monti or any other inexpensive plating coral, and set it in your tank as high or higher than all the other corals. Start your acclimatization at a low number and raise it every week. You can raise it a bit faster early on, but get much more careful as you get up to higher power levels. When you raise the light intensity too high, the red cap will start to bleach before any other corals. At that point, dial the power back a bit (5% to 10%) and you should be good to go.

I will try this RON I have a cap this is perfect.
Guys a question... so if the unit itself is good up to 100% the intensity is good for most corals but... I think the issue then becomes the spread? You can't raise it without frying stuff and is that why people go w/ different units with better spread so that the intensity is more consistent across the tank?

 

[top shelf]

People choose different units based on several factors. Some choose a particular light because they think it's the best light out there, some choose a light based off research and informative decision making and what's best for them. Some choose based on price. Lights offer many different functions from basic on off, controllability over many channels, and all the bells and whistles. Just depends what you want.

You can turn the light up without frying things it just has to be done slowly to allow for acclimation to the more intense light. As for spread and intensity with led's that's dependent on what optics you have. The narrower the optics the more intense the light will be under the light and par will drop the further you get from center. Wider optics give you less par under the light but the "hot spot" will cover a larger area. I believe the 120w razr unit comes with 90° optics but you can easily replace them with 120° rather cheap just keep in mind you will gain more coverage but the light won't be as intense.

With 90° optics 12in under the light you may get an area of say 6"x6" that is 6-800 par and then decreasing from there. Where as a 120° optic you may get a coverage area of 12"x12" that is 4-500 par and decreasing from there. Mind you I'm just making these numbers up for the sake of explanation.

Hope that all makes sense, may ability to explain things isn't always the greatest.

 

[SereneAquatic]

I'm just now getting our lights set up for our first tank... But being a noob, I'm not even sure I should have lights right now. We are starting slowly with just fish initially, and we will add corals later.

Do fish care about lights? The Red Sea Reefer came with two Hydra Hd lights, and once I finally got the controller app connected (say... Arrrrggh!?) I set them up on a schedule to gradually increase in the morning up to about the mid range of the intensity, and then decrease the rest of the day... A bad impression of sunrise and sunset. I know the color proportions are all wrong (basically the same on all spectrums at those set points) but I wanted to test out the schedule in conjunction with the Apex.

There are NO FISH (or anything else) in the tank yet, but hoping soon.

Since the tank is cycling, I am using the Apex to only turn on the lights for a couple hours in the morning... Essentially the 'sunrise', and then they are off again until the next day. I plan to slowly increase the length of time the Apex let's the schedule run over time.

Any thoughts would be helpful... I feel like a kid playing with matches lol

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[top shelf]

I'm just now getting our lights set up for our first tank... But being a noob, I'm not even sure I should have lights right now. We are starting slowly with just fish initially, and we will add corals later.

Do fish care about lights? The Red Sea Reefer came with two Hydra Hd lights, and once I finally got the controller app connected (say... Arrrrggh!?) I set them up on a schedule to gradually increase in the morning up to about the mid range of the intensity, and then decrease the rest of the day... A bad impression of sunrise and sunset. I know the color proportions are all wrong (basically the same on all spectrums at those set points) but I wanted to test out the schedule in conjunction with the Apex.

There are NO FISH (or anything else) in the tank yet, but hoping soon.

Since the tank is cycling, I am using the Apex to only turn on the lights for a couple hours in the morning... Essentially the 'sunrise', and then they are off again until the next day. I plan to slowly increase the length of time the Apex let's the schedule run over time.

Any thoughts would be helpful... I feel like a kid playing with matches lol

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There is really no need to run lights during a cycle and could potentially fuel nuisance algae growth, not to say that you can't just be aware of the possible side effects. The only time I could see it being beneficial is if you ordered lr from somewhere like Tampa Bay saltwater that comes loaded with lots of life that would need it to survive and limit die off.

Fish do not care about lights so it comes down to whatever looks good to you but being fish only at first there is no need to have the intensity turned up very high until you start adding corals. HTH

 

[dnguyen1]

People choose different units based on several factors. Some choose a particular light because they think it's the best light out there, some choose a light based off research and informative decision making and what's best for them. Some choose based on price. Lights offer many different functions from basic on off, controllability over many channels, and all the bells and whistles. Just depends what you want.

You can turn the light up without frying things it just has to be done slowly to allow for acclimation to the more intense light. As for spread and intensity with led's that's dependent on what optics you have. The narrower the optics the more intense the light will be under the light and par will drop the further you get from center. Wider optics give you less par under the light but the "hot spot" will cover a larger area. I believe the 120w razr unit comes with 90° optics but you can easily replace them with 120° rather cheap just keep in mind you will gain more coverage but the light won't be as intense.

With 90° optics 12in under the light you may get an area of say 6"x6" that is 6-800 par and then decreasing from there. Where as a 120° optic you may get a coverage area of 12"x12" that is 4-500 par and decreasing from there. Mind you I'm just making these numbers up for the sake of explanation.

Hope that all makes sense, may ability to explain things isn't always the greatest.

I think that's a great way to place it and makes a lot of sense to me TOP SHELF! Thank you!