Lets talk about lighting an SPS tank

[my2girls]

Flatlander, those are very interesting observations. I don't think SPSers like to here that VHOs keep better SPS corals. They have pride in their halide set-ups. However, I don't doubt you findings for a second.

IMO as long as intensity is there, Kelvin ratings are a personal preference.

IMO flow rate is very under rated.

Then again, who am I to say? I have learned everything from reading and you fellow RCers.

 

[JB NY]

Anyone know what the zooxanthellae nm ranges that Tyree is talking about?

 

[MiddletonMark]

I saw it in his presentation here this spring ... thought that was going to be a big focus of his at MACNA [he's speaking].

Basically he plotted out the adsorption rates of Chlorophyll A, B, and one other photosynthetic chemical .... and then compared them to the output graphs [nm] of various bulbs.

He seemed to like Radiums the best, for that giant peak at 450, which would saturate Chlor A+B well.

But then he did bring up the flourescing proteins involved in coloration, and how they require various frequencies to reflect back other frequencies to our eye. Hard to explain ... yet there is benefit to spikes all over the map.

 

[Eugene Reefer]

Location of Steve Tyree Talk

Location of Steve Tyree Talk

Here is the location of the Steve Tyree talk on lighting in the reef.org library:

http://www.reefs.org/library/talklog/s_tyree_060202.html

 

[Bomber]

I have learned that there are many things other than lighting that have to do with the coloration of corals.

-and here is the catcher... :eek2: .... all of the above corals did better in a standard 120g with 6 110w vho lights. {4-50/50 and 2-actinics}. All Icecap driven of course.

Nutrient levels and the type of zoox you're growing will have more to do with it.

Doug, the biggest difference is not only K but MH being a point source and flo not.

 

[Flatlander]

Doug, the biggest difference is not only K but MH being a point source and flo not. [/B]

Jerel, not sure what that has to do with the colour or growth, except the point source for deep tanks? More please.


FWIW,
The 120 mentioned ran my pair of 400w pulse start Radiums for some time. Finally in the middle of summer, {air conditioning & all}, heat became an issue and the tank was switched back to the vho. The results mentioned before, happened after the switch from the Radiums to the vho system.

On his current 180, with the three 400,s the growth and colour is fine, but not like in the vho tank.

Another point. {on the 180}. Before he added the center 400w Iwasaki, he supplemented the pair of 400w Radiums with 4 vho bulbs, 2 blue and 2 white. The coral colour & growth was better then, than the with the 3 400,s and no vho.
"what can I say" :lol:

I should also add the 120 did have a much higher level of nutrients, than either his 180 or my 225 did, so like you mention Mark, more is in play here than lighting alone.

and although this is a lighting thread, the comment on flow is correct from our observations. The difference in corals, {even large leathers & colts}, when exposed to current from something like Tunze stream pumps is amazing.

 

[JB NY]

Another common problem is people rarely measure the light levels in their tank. IMO if you can get PAR levels between 200-400 you should be able to keep almost any SPS. FWIW in a RDO talk Reef Building Stony Corals Tyree states on the reef, areas that have the greatest diversity of life have PAR values measuring 200 to 600 microE/m2s.

So it seems to me, as long as you have met the basic requirements on the range above. You should have enough light.

As pointed out. The light part is one piece, actually probably easier to achieve then many think. The rest, meaning low nutrients and water quality, is where the rest of it all happens.

 

[Jahkaya]

I have to agree with flatlander somewhat on the VHO issue. I feel it has to do with the fact that the phosphors are most likley a bit more diverse and therfore giving the corals more of a spectrum to work with. Colors tend to POP a bit more when provided with mulitple spectrums. I think that URI has some magical Phosphors that they are using So long as you get the intensity, 6-8 VHO's I think that the corals dont' care much. They are actually probably happier because they are not fully saturated within the first 4-6 hours the 400 watt halides come on. They can continue to process the food(light) they are receiving for the full 10-14 hours before they are saturated.

I heard the tyree talk at the last SCMAS meeting. And though he was not the worlds greatest public speaker he brought with him a wealth of information regarding Spectrum and useable color output by several individual coral pigments. Though it seems that some members were sleeping, I found the excess of information very informative and made me want to analyze my lighting set up the moment I got home.

 

[Aged Salt]

Eugene Reefer, thnx. for the link,Bob

 

[coralite]

Well since I recently got my Li-Cor 1400 data logger and emerged/ submerged light sensor, I guess I'll throw out some quantum lght values at ya'll. JB I know you did a light study not too long ago so you should know where I am coming from.

IMO, sps show fastest growth when receiving 300+ umol/s/m^2

IME this generally equates to 3-6" underwater from vho/pc/t5 that is right above the surface

for a single halide bulb in parallel reflector mounted 6" above the water it is roughly
24+" underwater for 400w iwasaki on m59
<18" u/w for 400W ushio on blueline
<12" u/w for 400w radium on pulse start
<20" u/w for 400w radium on HQI
<14" u/w for 250w radium on HQI

the PPFD will jump as high as 50% for an additional 6-10" beyond the depths I have listed when using 2 bulbs mounted end to end.

For example, you can attain 300 umol/s/m^2 at a depth of 20" when using 2 250W radiums on an HQI.

For the sake of comprehension and clarity, all values are generalized and I assume that bulbs are new and reflectors are clean etc.
For these values let me reiterate that I am speaking about "maximal" stony coral growth rates

 

[Aged Salt]

Joe, interesting link on corals in their natural environment by S. Tyree, thnx. Bob

 

[Jive Turkey]

Joe, interesting link on corals in their natural environment by S. Tyree, thnx. Bob

Yes it is. Thanks

 

[RedEyeReef]

Great thread. A few years back I ran a 400 6,500K on Mercury Vapor ballast flanked by two 400w Radium 20K on HQI ballasts. My SPS grew great and color was good, not great. Last Dec I switched to 400w CV 10K and VHO actinic, WOW. My SPS colors came alive. I have since notice that if I let my Ca &/or Alk drop, so will some of my SPS color. The SPS recover when Ca and Alk return to NSW levels.

My two cents, Water quality and flow are very important, but even with the best of both, different light spectrums will make corals look very different. I think we need a broad spectrum of light (weighted toward the Green to Violet range) for our corals. If I could afford the bulbs replacement yearly, I would go with 6 to 8 250w DE over my reef with 2 to 3 different spectrums of bulbs. But until then I will stick with 3 400w CV 10K, 1 250w DE CV 10K, and VHO Actinic.

 

[skeets]

I really want to learn more about the PAR values in my tank. I know some ppl on here have par meters, what is a good one to purchase for our use, and where are they available?

This is a good thread, hopefully people will be able to refer to it from now on, and no more lighting threads =D

I am running 10k/20k/vho actinic combo and I absolutely love it. My corals seem to love it too. I also have really heavy flow though.

 

[JB NY]

Apogee Instruments QMSS-ELEC Quantum meter with sensor. Calibrated for electric lamps

 

[kevin gu3]

Dunno how much difference it makes, but one thing to consider with flourescents is that they are not the pinpoint sources of light that MH are. A well-lit VHO tank has an almost solid flourescent surface over the coral.

This means that on acro branches more of the surface area might get some useful photosynthesizing done under flourescents. Could this account for the growth difference?

This effect would be ameliorated somewhat in MH tanks with multiple lights, in particular on the corals that are halfway between any two lights.

 

[JB NY]

The main problem with VHO is they have a narrow spread and they do not penetrate water very deeply. MH on the other hand can produce extremely strong light even at 24-30". MH also reflectors help a lot when it comes to getting the maximum light in the tank. Corals on the edges of the reflector in some cases get more light that other coral due to the overlap of multiply reflectors.

 

[reefyguy]

i am thinking of running 400 watt bullbs in this order with 4 96 watt pcs supplying more actinic
(ushios)

10k 20kk 10k 20kk

i just hope to get the coral growth and color all in one package.

very interesting thread. I am glad to be subscribed to it now

 

[Wilafur]

i am thinking of running 400 watt bullbs in this order with 4 96 watt pcs supplying more actinic
(ushios)

10k 20kk 10k 20kk

i just hope to get the coral growth and color all in one package.

very interesting thread. I am glad to be subscribed to it now

i run 250's this way. actually a 10k|20k side by side under the same reflector. i run t5's as supplementation.

color and growth are pretty darn good with this combo.

btw, i am running SE bulbs, one is a xm 10k and the other is a radium. i originally ran an ushio for the 10k bulb but switched it out as the xm was whiter and seemed to be much brighter.

 

[ejocam]

color and growth are pretty darn good with this combo.

btw, i am running SE bulbs, one is a xm 10k and the other is a radium. i originally ran an ushio for the 10k bulb but switched it out as the xm was whiter and seemed to be much brighter.

2 Bulbs Correct? What ballasts are you using? Off topic Wil, but does that Willi Milli like lower light?