How long do you keep your LED lights on?

[vinstr]

I am trying get a good idea of LED lighting duration.

I just got back into the Hobby and started a new 120g with 2x165W Mars Aqua LED lights. I put a mix of SPS and LPS corals and some zoos in the tank - with the SPS in the higher light spots then LPS and then zoos in lower light and most are still alive after a few months but none are really thriving? All CA, ALK, Mg,etc tank parameters are fine so I think it may be more related too the lighting. These LEDS are pretty powerful and I am unsure of lighting duration with these. I run the Blues at about 75% power and the White/Color at about 25% power for about 14 hours and then a tiny, couple watt blue moonlight at night. On my old tank I had 500w of 10k Metal Halides running 14 hours and my corals grew like mad...with the same water chemistry...I am just unsure of how the halide PAR rating equates to the LEDs

Do you think I am running the LEDs too much or too long?

 

[rocsec1]

About 10 hours.

 

[qoeletd]

for my 90g with the same two led light, I keep on the white for 10 hour and the blue for 12 hour, i run each light at 100%, and added 4 54w t5 16K that have the same period of the white led...



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[vinstr]

great- thanks!....anyone else?

 

[engelquist]

To my 66 gallon I got one 160 w Maxspekt Razor about 6 Inces above the surface.

I'm running it for 12 hours using the following time points:

Time: 11.30 am- 2.00 pm- 5.00 pm- 9.00 pm- 10.30 pm-11.30 pm
Blue: 0% 80% 85% 85% 80% 0%
White:0% 60% 85% 85% 60% 0%

 

[RobZilla04]

Viparspectra 85% blue 12 hrs, 5% white 2 hrs. Two T5HO (Coral + & Coral Light) 5 hrs.

To answer your question, it depends. Mounting height, water quality, and Coral height placement all come into play.

 

[janeyho]

i keep mine on for 9 hours per day

 

[billdogg]

12on/12off. Been doing it that way since a started in the mid-80's. There really wasn't such a thing as dimmable MH or VHO so the choice was on or off. My thought has always been that since most of the corals we keep come from near the equator where the sun maintains a pretty steady 12/12 pattern I would do it that way too.

Now that I have programmable LED's I do have a short (30min) ramp up/down but otherwise I plan on sticking with what is working for me.

2 x AI Sol blues on my 120DT set to 45W/65B/65RB, 2 x kessil A360 tuna blues on my 4x2x12" FT adjusted to look about the same as my DT and at ~75-80%

 

[first29gallon]

10 to 12 hours??! How are you guys not having algea grow on your sandbed and glass?
I had to decrease my lights to 8.5 hours to combat the algea issues but this means when I come home the lights are already ramping down so I don't get to enjoy it as much on weekdays. . I have a Curve 5 running on a 55 gallon (tank and sump) set up with 6 fish and a few inverts. . Any tips, please share.

 

[Bent]

Am I the only one who maxes out the photoperiod at noon for an hour?

 

[alton]

Being an old MH user I turn them on for 10 hours set at the PAR reading I need to grow coral. No ramping up or down here. I turn one on 1/2 hour early and and turn it off 1/2 hour later than the rest. I use Build My Leds

 

[Bent]

Maybe thats one of my problems. My max par level is only for 1/2hr to an hour.