PAR readings for acans and chalices

SDguy: I dunno I am begining to treat each coral individually as far as light goes. I don't think you can just classify all lps or chalices/acans requirements for light generally.


ok so I took some PAR readings just now...
also, I want to start to be correct with my units here, quantum meters like mine measure instantaneous Photosynthetic Photon Flux (PPF) in
µmol m-2 s-1

the single fastest growing chalice in my tank right now is the Ultimates Watermelon. here is the colony my frag came from. when i got it, it was supposedly a slow grower... I've got it at 95 µmol m-2 s-1.

Chalice-UltimatesWatermelon1.jpg


i moved my tyree red watermelon from only 75 to now 130 thanks to some good advice that it will grow well at 300 µmol m-2 s-1. It is starting to look good now after only a few days, not that it was looking bad before, it just wasn't growing at all and wasn't super bright... I guess some corals get sexy when they tan and some get burned, kinda like humans

I've also moved my Tyree Pink and my Jayda's from 80 to 110, they both never really took and have not grown a bit. I will update with how they do.

anyone out there with a PAR meter or if your club has one, borrow it... lets get some specific info together here.

I have many more chalices but I won't give out any info until I have more experience with them. Anyone with some more experience is welcome to input info, like for example SDguy your pink boobies likes high light right? Mine has been growing well and seems like it could do even better with more light than the 100 µmol m-2 s-1 i'm giving it.

Eventually if we all have the right equiptment we can eliminate some of the trial and error that goes into giving these specific corals the right amount of light
 
SDguy: I dunno I am beginning to treat each coral individually as far as light goes. I don't think you can just classify all LPS or chalices/acans requirements for light generally.


I have many more chalices but I won't give out any info until I have more experience with them. Anyone with some more experience is welcome to input info, like for example SDguy your pink boobies likes high light right? Mine has been growing well and seems like it could do even better with more light than the 100 µmol m-2 s-1 I'm giving it.

Oh, I was referring to acan lords, specifically with that comment, not all acans and chalices :)

Yeah, the PB definitely likes more light. I had it in about 200-300 PAR and it grew very well. Unfortunately, that becomes expensive realestate in my tall tank, so it got bumped lower to make room for acros :D
 
SDguy: Thanks for the measurements on the Pink Boobies. Do you have any other chalices that you can give measurements for or acans?


I have read that the Miami Hurricane likes a lot of light as well and develops a purple color under low lighting, but i do not have this one myself.


Who has readings for their BPC flamethrower? Mine is growing good under 90 par?

... or readings for any chalice or acan or lps, try and show pics and give the name if its lineaged

thanks!
 
las: Apogee MQ200 is what i'm using

SDguy: Sometimes on a newly imported acan lord the colors will morph. Sometimes this morph just ruins the acans color. For example, this frag I bought around mid may last year was bright as anything, check out the pic. After 3 or 4 months it developed a white striping and the yellow pretty much dissappeared. The color was ruined as it was now a red with white stripes (quite a drastic change). Also, when I got the frag it was on ebay and there were two being auctioned. The other went to PurpleUp who I believe sold his colony. In his sale photo his acan looks exactly like mine, two frags from the same mother colony go to different parts of the country under different lights/tanks and both still morph to this plain color. Other acans morph and become better colored. I have had this happen with blue rainbow acans too that become pink and red. I have recently purchased another identical frag of the same yellow red and it has kept its colors thus far, only 3 months now, so we'll see if the morphing happens with the same colors but from diff colonies.

Acanthastrea-RedandGoldYellow2.jpg

Sweet piece! I have never tested Par but IMO Acan Lords can handle more light then most of my chalices. I have a 25" tall tank with 2x250w MH about 6" above the water. I have my Mummy Eye chalice mid way down and it loves the light. I had my Hells Kitchen chalice in the same spot and it bleached. When I used to run my frag tanks my Lords did great under only 5" of water being baked by 250w and 400W halides, I would never do that with a chalice.
 
Underwaterparadise: Thank you for joining and adding info. I agree that acans like more light than chalices. Do you have any experience with the acans striping or have any opinions on that? I believe I have heard people say that the rainbow colors only stay with acans that are under lower lighting. Did the greens stay with your rainbows under that high light?

Do you think that acans should be treated individually or do you think general classification is applicable here? I don't have enough experience to comment on this yet. Also, we have established that chalices light requirements need to be dealt with on an individual basis... Would you say that chalices can generally be classified by their respective id's, Echino vx oxy, etc?
 
reefgems i have the same meter if i get my wc done before the lights go off i iwll try to get some readings also i went by a friends tank and took a bunch of readings i will shot him a pm and see if he will chime in
i love what you are trying to get done here dont give up:beer:
 
reefgems your a wiseman for starting this
i have an apogoee as well i will try to get you acans favias reading monday
keep this thread going
 
For almost 3 months I've been running my only 2 chalice frags in ~300 umol (also from quantum meter). Slow growth, good color, no complaints.

I'm 10 days into a 2 week experiment where I've screened over the chalice area cutting the flux down to 140. For first week I didn't see anything noticeable but I'm away on a trip now so when I get back I might be able to perceive differences better? We'll see about chiming back in on this topic later in the week.
 
OK so after 2 weeks I don't see any change in one of the frags. The other, a very small frag, if anything looks a little worse. Not worse as in bad, just a little thinner color on the edges. I pulled the screen off them last night and will see what happens over the next two weeks.

Not sure what to make of it yet, still need to figure out if the obsevation is repeatable or not. Just my $0.02
 
Sweet piece! I have never tested Par but IMO Acan Lords can handle more light then most of my chalices. I have a 25" tall tank with 2x250w MH about 6" above the water. I have my Mummy Eye chalice mid way down and it loves the light. I had my Hells Kitchen chalice in the same spot and it bleached. When I used to run my frag tanks my Lords did great under only 5" of water being baked by 250w and 400W halides, I would never do that with a chalice.

Wow, I dunno what to think. I run 250W DE 14K Phoenix bulbs on Icecaps on a 30" tall tank. I have to keep my lords on the bottom, in the shade.

Many of my chalices, especially pink/red type watermelons, need direct bright light at least half way up the tank to keep growing and keep the brilliant color. My ME, on the other hand, turns orange under direct light, so I keep it partially in a cave.
 
Wow, I dunno what to think. I run 250W DE 14K Phoenix bulbs on Icecaps on a 30" tall tank. I have to keep my lords on the bottom, in the shade.

Many of my chalices, especially pink/red type watermelons, need direct bright light at least half way up the tank to keep growing and keep the brilliant color. My ME, on the other hand, turns orange under direct light, so I keep it partially in a cave.

Oops that should have said Miami Hurricane not Mummy Eye. The ME does turn orange in bright light
 
reefgems i have the same meter if i get my wc done before the lights go off i iwll try to get some readings also i went by a friends tank and took a bunch of readings i will shot him a pm and see if he will chime in
i love what you are trying to get done here dont give up:beer:



Thank you very much! I hope more people will join my thread.

Please take those measurements for us if you've got the time.


Also, if you have measurements for specific lineaged pieces please say which piece for which measurement... we need to start treating corals individually because they are individuals.

Kris
 
I am going to be following this thread! I received an amazing rainbow acan. It's looking REALLY healthy, but lost it's Vivid colors. Keep up the good work!
 
Par

Par

I work with these quantum sensors everyday. Natural sunlight can reach 800 about midday. These sensors are designed for land plants mostly. I have never heard of anyone submerging the sensor and am not sure of the effect of the refraction from the water. but i was getting a par just now of 130 from a regular very old T12 bulb.Fluorescent bulbs scatter the light a lot more than metal halides. A more direct light source such as metal halides will give a higher PAR output. Your light output should be enough for chalices and acans from my experience though.
 
I'll have to borrow that PAR meter again. My acans are literally in complete shade, at the base of a pillar of rock and coral, looking more and more stunning every day (very rainbow). The little amount of white striping one colony has even faded :)
 
i just moved to a 24x24 tank but im still using my old 4x24w t5ho fixture so only the sps are getting direct light. i put all my acans out of direct light and some even shaded trying to see what will happen
 
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