Coral bleaching under LEDs, check out the pics!!

[badstraw]

Hi guys I'm having a problem with my tank..

I got a 64 gal. DT, I have some SPS, LPS and soft corals, 1 cleaner shrimp, a clam, 4 snails, 1 small desjardini tang, 1 small blue tang, 1 ocellaris clown and 1 royal gramma.

I have a 72 DIY LED fixture over my tank , the fixture hangs 8" above the water surface, and the height of the tank is 16".
I run 40 blue LEDs at 100% and 20 cool white LEDs at 30% on a daily basis and the other LEDs are completely off.

My skimmer is an ASM G4 which has been turned off for about a month (because of the low nutrients), Im also running rowaphos on a phosban reactor, I also got 2 MP40's vortech pumps (they run at 30 %)
I feed flake food only once a day and Im dosing 8ml of reef energy A+B (each) daily and a pinch of cyclopeeze once a week.
I also dose kh ca, mg and Na Cl free salts using the balling method.

My photoperiod starts at 12:00 pm and turns off at 10 or 11 pm.

My previous photoperiod started from 12 to 12 pm :s :S :S I know is just way too much..

Some of my corals are very pale, and they're starting to bleach out..

My water params are:

Kh 10 salifert
Ca 480 salifert
Mg 1350 salifert
Nitrate .85 red sea pro
phosphate .03 hanna checker

Now check out the pics:


These guys look ok.. just a little bit faded..

Now check this acro... It shows signs of STN..

Montipora spumosa

This pocillopora is getting too much light I believe, because is bleaching from the top and shows good polyp extension at the bottom.

This hammer coral should be fatty, but it looks pretty skinny.. it won't die but is not growing either..

This stylophora seems to have RTN..

Monti Red hot chilli pepper...

Coralline algae is not growing fast enough and I've always had a little bit of diatoms or film dust over the rocks.
The water that I use reads 0 TDS... (i got a puratek RODI)


So what the heck??, what am I doing wrong?

Do I have too much light? is my photoperiod too long? Do I need to dose potassium? Should I increase my nitrates feeding more?

I would really really appreciate any help..

 

[reefinsomnia]

What were your previous lighting conditions before the DIY Leds?

 

[jbraslins]

If this is new lighting or coral, perhaps turn down the blues from 100? Mine stay at 60 for the most part of the day with a 1h peak of 75. This is with Crees in AI Sol.

 

[jbraslins]

What brand/type of LEDs are in your DIY?

 

[Bdial]

Did you acclimate the corals to the new lights? LEDs have great penetration. Without proper acclimation they will definitely bleach corals. You need to cut back intensity and photoperiod.

 

[alton]

What where your PAR levels before and after, and also what where your foot candles before and after?

 

[BigAl2007]

My first thought is "new LED at 100%... YOWSA!"

It took me almost 9 months to get my LED from 20% up to 75% and that's on an 8hr light cycle. I only increased mine about 5% ever week or so. Remember LED are very intense so even just a little while with a few LED 100% unless the coral are acclimated to it is a LOT of light and possibly causing photo-shock.

Take em down much lower then work your way back up. I'm at 14months with mine and only up to 75% (whites only 65%) MAX.

 

[BigAl2007]

oops double post

 

[rrasco]

I can't raise my LEDs over 50% without burning stuff. That's 72 LEDs over a 105.

 

[YoungREEFA]

yeah, take the light output down, the corals dont looked bleached from the pictures! but good colors ramp them down for a few weeks, not at once

 

[kevensquint]

Alk at 10 probably is adding to the problem. 8-9 is better with low nutrients and strong light

 

[nam2212]

Did you acclimate the corals to the new lights? LEDs have great penetration. Without proper acclimation they will definitely bleach corals. You need to cut back intensity and photoperiod.

Is there any info out there about LEDs having great penetration? They have much less than MH in my opinion.

 

[Khemul]

That does sound like vast overkill for a 16" height tank.

 

[nrbelk]

Is there any info out there about LEDs having great penetration? They have much less than MH in my opinion.

I lay on the LED side of the fence but I do wonder what has given you the opinion that MH penetrate better than LED? More powerful? thanks

 

[nam2212]

I lie on the LED side of the fence but I do wonder what has given you the opinion that MH penetrate better than LED? More powerful? thanks

A simple PAR test answered the question for me. I have LEDs currently and they have a much lower PAR rating at the sand bed than an equivalent halide. I have seen the arguments about photometers under-reading the PAR for LEDs but I am skeptical.

 

[nrbelk]

A simple PAR test answered the question for me. I have LEDs currently and they have a much lower PAR rating at the sand bed than an equivalent halide. I have seen the arguments about photometers under-reading the PAR for LEDs but I am skeptical.

Thanks

 

[mrbigshot]

I'd depends if you have optics on your leds or not. without them they don't penitrate all that well. with them they penetrate very well. leds have been great for me and sps but I run full spectrum. I never liked how coolwhite/ blue looked and how corals reacted. I'm partial to 6500ks with royals but it does give a purple look I'm not in love with. I run 6500k, a couple 5500k, a few cool whites, royal blue, 460nm blue, UV, red, and green. with 90 degree optics my lights are high and dimmed back. I can still do 350+ at the bottom of a 75g (21" water + 14" above the tank for the lights)

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I997 using Xparent Blue Tapatalk 2

 

[jwoyshnar]

Way too many leds for that size tank and turned up way too high. Definitely turn them down. My corals bleached a little bit when I started using them and I started them off at 40%

 

[Painted skin]

I'd depends if you have optics on your leds or not. without them they don't penitrate all that well. with them they penetrate very well. 2

+1

A simple PAR test answered the question for me. I have LEDs currently and they have a much lower PAR rating at the sand bed than an equivalent halide. I have seen the arguments about photometers under-reading the PAR for LEDs but I am skeptical.

I don't want to turn this into another battle of the lights, because there too many threads on this forum already. There is a lot on info out there on LED having deeper penetration base on the type of optic lens being used and what kind of leds emitters NOT all leds are the same quality or intensity that's like saying tires are just tires they are all the same.. Like in the MH world it would be ignorant of me to say all MH bulbs, ballast and reflectors are the same, which they are not. You didn't mention what you were comparing it to..

In regards to OP ya proper led acclimation was needed, long on run time in the beginning and too high on the blue 100%? It a long process to acclimate to leds it does not happen over 1 week.

 

[badstraw]

Sorry for the late reply!!

Update:

It's been about a week and the corals look exactly the same... I have followed the advice to dim the LEDs.. now 40 RBs are about 90% and 20 cool whites at 15% approximately. Im NOT running all the LEDs (72 LEDs)
The RBs start at 12 and the whites turn on at 12:30 , then the whites turn off at 8 and the RBs turn off at 10 pm.

Im still dosing 8ml of reef energy A & B at night when the lights go out.

What were your previous lighting conditions before the DIY Leds?

I had a 4x54w ATI t5HO fixture, but i didn't have SPS corals and the clam, etc. I kept mostly soft corals back then..

What brand/type of LEDs are in your DIY?

Bridgelux 3 w LEDs

Did you acclimate the corals to the new lights? LEDs have great penetration. Without proper acclimation they will definitely bleach corals. You need to cut back intensity and photoperiod.

Actually, I've been running LEDs for about a year and i think I've made some mistakes thinking that the corals need good "light"..But for the past few months I've realized that they're no longer growing as good as they should, so I'm trying to reduce the LED's light intensity , but Im afraid on how the SPS corals would react to the change.
The main reason why Im worried is because now the clam seems to be reaching for light..
What photoperiod would you recommend? Would I bleach my corals if they don't get enough light?

What where your PAR levels before and after, and also what where your foot candles before and after?

I don't have a quantum meter right now, but I've got 3500 lux just below the water surface, 1500 lux when the RBs are at 100% and the rest of the LEDs are off.

I know PAR is different than Lux, but I hope you can give me some advice on what to do with that info.

I hope that makes any sense..

My first thought is "new LED at 100%... YOWSA!"

It took me almost 9 months to get my LED from 20% up to 75% and that's on an 8hr light cycle. I only increased mine about 5% ever week or so. Remember LED are very intense so even just a little while with a few LED 100% unless the coral are acclimated to it is a LOT of light and possibly causing photo-shock.

Take em down much lower then work your way back up. I'm at 14months with mine and only up to 75% (whites only 65%) MAX.

If I take them down to 50% or so, makes me feel nervous because the tank looks a little bit dark. Would that affect my corals?

yeah, take the light output down, the corals dont looked bleached from the pictures! but good colors ramp them down for a few weeks, not at once

Yeah.. that's what Im doing.. but I still don't see any good improvement at all..

Alk at 10 probably is adding to the problem. 8-9 is better with low nutrients and strong light

Im trying to feed more LOL...!!! I'll see what I can do to bring down the Alk to 9 or 8, Ca is at 470-480.. :S

That does sound like vast overkill for a 16" height tank.

Im running only 60 LEDs at the moment, would that be an overkill? Do you think that 40 is better?

+1




I don't want to turn this into another battle of the lights, because there too many threads on this forum already. There is a lot on info out there on LED having deeper penetration base on the type of optic lens being used and what kind of leds emitters NOT all leds are the same quality or intensity that's like saying tires are just tires they are all the same.. Like in the MH world it would be ignorant of me to say all MH bulbs, ballast and reflectors are the same, which they are not. You didn't mention what you were comparing it to..

In regards to OP ya proper led acclimation was needed, long on run time in the beginning and too high on the blue 100%? It a long process to acclimate to leds it does not happen over 1 week.

I read a thread a few weeks ago regarding photoperiod and light intensity, basically strong light and a short photoperiod would do the trick.

Something like 5 hour of intense light and 3-4 hours of actinic light.

Is that true? Maybe someone who know for sure will chime in..

I really appreciate any help , I'll keep you guys posted.