Novices need LED lighting questions answered.

I know that a Radion G3 Pro will reach about 30 wide and 36 deep, if mounted the (required for warranty) 8" above the water. You have to watch ANY led re moisture. They can die the death if a lot of moisture gets to them. Your 55 hex will have a lot of the characteristics of a wedge such as I have, and you might consider stacking your rock around an anchoring pole to get a 360 free space at the edges.
 
Thanks for the info Sk8R. When I get a little more done with the cabinet work/hood; I will post pics of it's progress. Will go take a peek at the Radion Pro. Kind of had it in mind to put a glass lid between the tank and actual wood canopy and the light would be inset on top of the hood. The inside of the hood because of it being wood, probably lined with pvc panels.
 
I have an oak canopy with a glass top. It does stay dry. Affects the light a bit, but thus far seems ok.
 
I need a suggestion and I'm hoping this is a great place to ask. I'm currently running a Mars Aqua eBay LED over a 20x18x20 aquarium. I have some SPS and they're doing good, but I want controllability. I've narrowed it down to a Kessil 360w or a Radion Pro 15. They're both great lights, far as I have heard, but I haven't heard TOO much about the Radion 15. Can anyone suggest one over the other?
 
Can someone explain to me the reasons and needs for running LEDs at less than maximum power and how to dial in my needs? I'm a returnee to the hobby, used to running a 400w metal halide for every two feet of tank. This has been my first foray into LED lighting.

I bought three EcoTech Radion G3 Pros and currently have them above a temporary 75g (my 180 is in a unfinished basement room which I'd like to have done with the tank as a feature - I bought the oversized gear I'd need in the future, not the gear I need today). I keep mostly SPS but consider my tank a light-demanding mixed reef. How and why should I go about tuning the intensity of the lighting cycle?
 
slay said:
Can someone explain to me the reasons and needs for running LEDs at less than maximum power and how to dial in my needs? How and why should I go about tuning the intensity of the lighting cycle?
Click to expand...

The reason for running many/most led fixtures at less than 100% power is because at that level you would bleach/burn your corals. Especially corals that are in the upper part of the water column. The led is 'focused' light and therefore much brighter than you would think given the lower wattage.

Set your initial power levels low and adjust them to a color (shade of white/blue) you like. I'd suggest you start at something like 50% blue and 25% white (or even less) and then bump it up 10% every week or two. I run my fixture at 100% blue and 50% white. But understand, that is after a full 3 years of slowly bumping up the power levels from the 50% blue and 25% white when I started. Put a sacrificial coral as high in the tank as your highest coral and when it starts to show signs of bleaching, dial the power back a touch and you are good to go.

Even after you have hit a 'final' power level, you can still bump up the power again after a few months. You can dial up the power another 2% to 5% as the corals will have acclimated to the old max level.

If you have access to a PAR meter the whole process is much easier. Put the sensor at the bottom of the tank and set the power level so you get a reading of 100 to 200 and you should be good to go. PAR meters very easy to use but they are also quite expensive and not very useful otherwise, so try to borrow one from an LFS or a fellow club member in your area. I loan mine out a lot in exchange for a coral frag.
 
TYVM Ron. I *just* got and set up a wireless Reef Link box/EcoSmart Live software for my Radions, which is amazing - among other great features, there is an acclimation period function, allowing me to start my lights out at any percentage I want and gradually let them ramp up to where I want over a time period (in weeks) of my choosing. Lighting sure has come a long way since I left the hobby.
 
Glad to offer any help I can. That sounds like a nice software package. With 4 tanks I'm not willing to go for the very top end in lighting. But then EverGrow, ReefBreeders and OceanRevive fixtures I've been using for 3+ years have served me well. And they have more than paid for themselves in MH and t5 bulbs and total electrical savings. Heck, my 1hp chiller use to run 30 minutes out of every 60 during the day in the summer (it's outside in the shade). Now it may run 2 to 4 minutes an hour and in the dry season (what you would call winter) I turn it off.
 
Hey guys, I'm pretty new to the hobby and bought a 20g innovated marine. I bught the skky 18w lights with it can anyone tell me if they will be good enuf for sps even tho I know I'm no we're ready for sps but I was wondering for down the rd.. Thanks
 
Tell me if I assume correctly, your 20g is 15" deep and 24" long, right? And the Skkye 18w fixture is just 6 leds (3 watts each)? I think you will need at least 2 fixtures to cover the tank evenly. As for being able to keep sps, tough call, maybe with 3 fixtures. I think lps should be OK, if you ever try an sps, keep it close to directly under the leds.

I have a fair amount of led and sps experience, even with shallow tanks. But I have no experience with such a small led fixture. But my 24"x24"x12" frag tank has an led fixture with 48 leds and runs at 120 watts if that give you something to compare it with.
 
Many fish stores are going LED now; if you buy a coral, it's good to observe what level [depth] it was in the sale tank, and outright ask the owner about the LED setting, that being what the coral is used to. They can probably tell you exactly what they're doing.
 
Hello,
I am working on a 40 breeder AIO The area that will need to be lighted will be 28x18x16. Was wondering how many LEDs I would need if I went DIY. Or if there are any pre-builts that would work for this?
 
Partly it depends on your rock stack, ie, where your corals are located, and what sort of coral. My tank is 36 wide running on one Radion Pro, but my rock (ergo my stony corals) are on a sharply pitched tall pyramid of rock, which considerably narrows the required spread.
 
Will mostly be softies, zoas and LPS maybe a few sticks, but they would be up high. was planning on a centralized rock stack.
 
Researching Lights...and everything else

Researching Lights...and everything else

Hi - I'm new to the community. This is my first post.

I'm planning a 75 gallon FOWLR tank (48 x 18 x 21). After researching and talking to people at my LPS, I see value in spending more up front on lights for quality, rather than having to buy new ones in a year. My question is, will two Radion XR 15 pro LED lights be adequate for a tank of this size? I'm also planning on using the custom tank mounts that Radion makes.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated - thanks!
 
Kessil A160 Question

Kessil A160 Question

I everyone, I'm new to the hobby... I'm considering picking up two Kessil A160's for my 55 gallon. the tank is 48" long, 13" to the back, and 19" tall. I want to grow LPS. Would two A160's be sufficient enough?
I email Kessil and they said "two A160WE-TB for easy LPS/Softies tank, and some sps that is placed higher in the tank as well."
I just cant afford the 360's right now or in the near future, but I want to have a little fun in the meantime. I appreciate your thoughts on this.
 
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