sps and lighting

[markfortkamp]

Hi all,

just restarting after taking a break..... any who, I have a 120 gal and bought 3x LED Aqua Illumination hydra 26 lamps.

I'm not used to these, they are super bright and I'm used to the old school Metal Halides with supplemental T5's.

my question is; i want to make my tank predominantly SPS corals. will these be ok? does any one have experience with LED's and SPS's? any recommendations?

thanks,

Mark

 

[markfortkamp]

i just saw the sticky above........lots of great info on LEDS. any experiences with LED's though would be wonderful.

 

[ROB2005]

SPS can be grown under LED, it's just a matter of tuning their intensity as to prevent bleaching or slow growth. The best method is to grow them under HO T5 or halide, there are still MH/T5 fixtures around, just not a lot. Or you can purchase a T5/LED setup, which will give you the high output light needed, while adding shimmer.

 

[SDboatguy]

The Hydras WILL grow SPS ! Search the hydra thread for a lighting schedule and stick to it. There are several to choose from, I'm using Wazzel's set up(with 4T5s to cover the whole tank) there is also a Ecotec copy cat that's working for several guys. That said , with a 120 you may need to add a 4th 26 hd or some T5s to get more coverage, down the road.

 

[JustinM]

I don't have the hydras but radions and they grow sps fine. Like mentioned above, find a good schedule and stick to it. Acclimate to it and you will be fine.

 

[markfortkamp]

thanks so much!

 

[thegrun]

I run three hydra 52s over my 120 SPS dominated mixed Reef tank. I have the outer two lights at 70% blues, 50% white and the center light at 50% blues, 33% white. You may be a little low in par with only hydra 26s.

 

[Rcj520]

LED's not being able to grow corals is definetly an overblown statement. There are so many great led tanks out there that it should be disproven by now.

 

[markfortkamp]

I hope your right Rcj520!

I spoke with Hydra rep and he stated that I wouldn't have any trouble growing SPS's

The guys said 3 would be perfect for my tank (72") at 2 foot apart. I currently have them at 15" ATW. he told me it would be best at 12" ATW. what is everyone's thoughts?

I've read some people have them 9" ATW.

thanks

Mark

 

[thegrun]

I think you will be able to keep SPS, but the more light demanding SPS will need to be kept up near the top. As I posted I have three Hydra 52's over my 48"x24"x24' 120 gallon tank and although they are only at 70%, my 52s are twice as powerful as your 26s, so I suspect high light demand corals will need to be kept high in the tank even if you turn your lights up to 100%.