My Radion Lighting Guide With Par Readings and Complete Apex Graphs

[mrx66699]

First off let me give you the setup dynamics of my lighting fixture and tank setup.

DT: 96x36x36
Lighting Distance from water: 7in
Lighting Setup: 8 Radion 8x48in ATI T5 Blue Plus
Lighting Positions: Radions are placed horizontal with pucks front to back with 2 strips of ATI Blue Plus T5s on each side of them. Lights are configured into 2x48in fixtures with 4 Radions and 4 T5s on each and connected together end to end with a 8in fan fixture directly in the middle.
Tank Make up: DT 4x1in Eurobrace around the edges with 2 10x1 cross braces
Coral Polyp Extension: Full Extension throughout entire light cycle and multiplying exponentially and stick growth on my longest tennent a Tricolor acro has about 15 new branches and encrusting corals look like carpets with so much polyp extension that at times you can't see the underneath base color.
DT Temp: 76-78/79 daily
P04: 0-.04 depending on feedings
No4: 0 for over 2 years
Automatic water change: 15gal daily NSW
Alk: 9.5
KH: 450
MG: 1470

Lighting setup:

<a href="http://s17.photobucket.com/user/mrx66699/media/20150330_213710_zpsqp1ootlq.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b70/mrx66699/20150330_213710_zpsqp1ootlq.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo 20150330_213710_zpsqp1ootlq.jpg"/></a>

Par Measurements: @ 5pm during highest daily intensity 65% and CW never above 60% individual intensity with all 8x48in ATI Blue Plus T5s on, measurements on the left are distance from lights. I did crank up everything to 100% just to see what readings would happen and I was able to achieve 400-500 on the sand beds with ease...I used to run them in the 70-80% overall intensity range and coral polyp extension was very little compared to current.

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Apex Graph Settings: Settings are all custom so I uploaded a screen shot of each point graphed.

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[mrx66699]

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[knukles55]

Very nice light did it take a while for your corals to get used to this light? Did you lose anything along the way?

 

[mr9iron]

Complete awesomeness, thanks for sharing. I am doing a very similar build and would like to know more about your lighting rack and how you built it. Also, what kind of t5s are you using.

 

[mrx66699]

Very nice light did it take a while for your corals to get used to this light? Did you lose anything along the way?

Didn't lose anything along the way and I just moved the numbers up slowly after adding the t5 I had previously lowered them

 

[mrx66699]

Complete awesomeness, thanks for sharing. I am doing a very similar build and would like to know more about your lighting rack and how you built it. Also, what kind of t5s are you using.

Sure I can help you with the light rack anytime just let me know

 

[rovster]

Is that an old pic? Where is the tricolor with 15 branches!

 

[mr9iron]

Sure I can help you with the light rack anytime just let me know

I would like to know what materials you used, where you got them from, and any diagrams or pictures you have. I want to build this exact same rack.

 

[mrx66699]

I would like to know what materials you used, where you got them from, and any diagrams or pictures you have. I want to build this exact same rack.

Just used one inch aluminum tube square that you can buy at Home Depot I also bought a 1/8 by 1 inch by 6 foot piece of flat aluminum that I cut individually and made brackets with then I used stainless steel self tapping screws to lock everything together I measured each one and drilled and tapped it for the light so they could mount directly to the rack....its 2 4ft fixtures connected in the center

 

[rovster]

Matt, where did you get the mounting screws for the radions? I'm thinking of redesigning my lighting rack and I want to do what you did there. The mounting screws that came with the radions are too short for what I want to accomplish.

 

[mr9iron]

Just used one inch aluminum tube square that you can buy at Home Depot I also bought a 1/8 by 1 inch by 6 foot piece of flat aluminum that I cut individually and made brackets with then I used stainless steel self tapping screws to lock everything together I measured each one and drilled and tapped it for the light so they could mount directly to the rack....its 2 4ft fixtures connected in the center

Thank you for that. Do you have any other pictures of the light rack?

 

[mrx66699]

Matt, where did you get the mounting screws for the radions? I'm thinking of redesigning my lighting rack and I want to do what you did there. The mounting screws that came with the radions are too short for what I want to accomplish.

Home depot bought 2 in i believe

 

[mrx66699]

Thank you for that. Do you have any other pictures of the light rack?

 

[mr9iron]

mrx66699,
Thank you for that. I get the idea now, and know what I need to do. One last question though, what type of T5s are you using? Is that 2 sets of 48 inches as well?

 

[mrx66699]

I am using 4 sets of 48 in ati blue plus .....8 total

 

[mr9iron]

I am using 4 sets of 48 in ati blue plus .....8 total

Thanks again for that. I am modeling my lighting kit after yours. For some reason I didn't see all of the info in the first post. I guess I am blind.

 

[mrx66699]

Lol no problem

 

[tonyyloww]

Holy mother of $&!^#**@^^!&×_÷£÷*!^#^#£=*#₩(!&! £!