Rickyrooz1
Acropora Nut
Alex, how many LED's are you running on the 220 and what optics are you using? Are all the LED's Cree XR-E? If I were to purchase a 48 LED kit from Reef LED Lights which driver would you recommend and how many should I use?
Taqpol's 220 gallon custom Miracles tank!
- Thread starter Taqpol
- Start date
Blitzburggirl
Member
LOL Yes you do!
Your tank is looking stunning!!!! Did you happen to attend ReefSmart last weekend?TRAC isn't doing a December meeting, but, I know that a location hasn't been chosen yet for January..........
Taqpol
New member
I have 120 LEDs, all Cree XR-E. I am currently using 80 degree optics on all the outside LEDs and 60 degree optics on all the inside LEDs. As far as drivers go, it depends on whether or not you want to dim your LEDs, and if so, what are your means of dimming them. Number of drivers would then depend on what amperage you want to run your strings at, and then whether or not you want to risk putting them in parallel (which can be made perfectly safe), or the safer method with more control (but more expensive) method of having a single driver per string of 12 LEDs.
I should also note, I think my LEDs are too powerful (coupled with potentially many other tank instabilities as of right now), and I have had two major coral losses as while as some significant receding of other corals. I took lots of pictures over thanksgiving break of the damage and I wanted to make a post where people could help me diagnose what was happening to my corals, but schoool got crazy after break and I haven't been able to edit them yet.
I do not want to scare you away from LEDs. The major disclaimer here is that they are a new technology and we still don't know everything about how they work in a reef environment. Tanks like Sammy113's are proof positive to me that LEDs can grow beautiful colorful corals, but every system seems to have slightly different requirements and I am still fin tuning mine.
Unfortunately my tank is not looking too stunning as of right now. I think my lights burnt some of the corals, I had a minor alk spike, and one of my two underpowered heaters does not seem to be working so the tank has been dropping down to almost 75 degrees at night. My fish seem perfect, but overall it has led to some very unhappy corals. Obviously I don't think my tank will be show off worthy by January, but when it is I will be sure to let you know.LOL Yes you do!
TRAC isn't doing a December meeting, but, I know that a location hasn't been chosen yet for January..........
I thought ReefSmart was the event held in September? Do they have it multiple times a year?
Rickyrooz1
Acropora Nut
Are you sure it was the LED's and not the Red Bugs? From your PAR number it doesn't look like any of the corals are getting blasted with light.
Taqpol
New member
My theory is that the type (shape?) of light that exits from the optics is different then light straight from a bulb and that it is somehow tricking my PAR meter into reading less light then what my corals are seeing. My only evidence for this is that the measured degrees an optic bends the light has nothing to do with trigonometry but rather an obscure stat called FWHM, and the fact that my corals really really look like they're getting too much light, starting with the lower light demanding corals.
Since I treated the colonies I actually have not seen a recurrence of red bugs. That being said, once I feel like I'm done adding maricultured colonies and before a add a pistol shrimp companion for a recent addition I think I'll go ahead and treat the entire tank with Interceptor.
Taqpol
New member
I acclimated my corals via dimming for two months, and only near the end did this happen. Pictures coming soon with a much better description.
Taqpol
New member
I don't really want to re post all these sad pictures over here, can you guys take a look at the thread I made over in the SPS forum?
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1944751
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1944751
Taqpol
New member
Not all is horrible news though. I took some new pictures and added some new fish that are doing great!
FTS of the week of Thanksgiving. Since then I have completely lost the Blue tort and had to frag the green birdsnest down to nothing.
I picked up a really nice ORA Red Planet right before everything bad started happening in my tank. So far it looks unaffected. Look how much green this guy has!
Nifty view of my extremely light colored but surviving GARF Bonsai:
Zoanthids in the shade are doing fine, zoanthids in higher light areas are really small and kind of sickly looking:
Colony of Duncan's is doing very well:
Large mate of a paired set of Randalli gobies. No tank is complete without a goby.
And the last new addition, a tail spot blenny. Again, no tank is complete without a blenny:
FTS of the week of Thanksgiving. Since then I have completely lost the Blue tort and had to frag the green birdsnest down to nothing.
I picked up a really nice ORA Red Planet right before everything bad started happening in my tank. So far it looks unaffected. Look how much green this guy has!
Nifty view of my extremely light colored but surviving GARF Bonsai:
Zoanthids in the shade are doing fine, zoanthids in higher light areas are really small and kind of sickly looking:
Colony of Duncan's is doing very well:
Large mate of a paired set of Randalli gobies. No tank is complete without a goby.
And the last new addition, a tail spot blenny. Again, no tank is complete without a blenny:
Taqpol
New member
My Sargassum trigger was my favorite fish. It was really personable, and appeared to be completely reef safe and peaceful. That being said mine wasn't that large and his personality might have changed as he got bigger or as his tank got "smaller". I personally feel that the extra inches of my 120 made it better then a 90, but this fish can get quite large and potentially territorial so a six foot tank would probably be best.
Thanks!
For the top of this page, here is the link to the mentioned thread:
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1944751
Last Version
New member
Not all is horrible news though. I took some new pictures and added some new fish that are doing great!
FTS of the week of Thanksgiving. Since then I have completely lost the Blue tort and had to frag the green birdsnest down to nothing.
Look great!! It's very clean.. and clear. I love your aquascap :bounce3:
brian15876
New member
tank is moving along nicely
drummereef
Team RC
I'll second that and say that shot is absolutely amazing!! It's like a fiber optic urchin.
patrickbush
New member
When i first set up my led's i experienced the same thing, lost 2 torts an burned the crap out of my monti's. The monti's came back after i lowered the lights output. Its been 6 months and I'm just now getting polyp extension and coloration on my Orange Digitata, My garf bonsai bleached almost completely but is now almost fully recovered and finally growing.
