Too much light?

[roberto_lopes]

Well, I run 12 AI SOL modules on my reef and I have two major points to you NatureNerd:

1) 8" is TOO close. Mines are 10" from water and WITH all 70 degree lenses I still have 500+ PAR at 24". and I'm not at 100% of all.

2) 100% with original lenses is giving you more than 1300PAR at the top of your rocks. This is too much for every single SPS you have.

YES they can slowly "burn" at this power, loosing color, and finally going white.

If you cannot rise, I suggest you keey at 60 or 70% at maximum.

 

[NatureNerd]

Well, I run 12 AI SOL modules on my reef and I have two major points to you NatureNerd:

1) 8" is TOO close. Mines are 10" from water and WITH all 70 degree lenses I still have 500+ PAR at 24". and I'm not at 100% of all.

... I suggest you keey at 60 or 70% at maximum.

Fully agreed. I have an existing piece of furniture that houses my tank. The canopy is part of that system. I would love to mount my three units higher but, I cannot. As written above, I am having great success with the power levels set around 60%. I don't expect to be raising the power level.

Thanks.

 

[jamgar]

Roberto,
You have 12 AIs on a 390? What are your tank demensions? What are your settings, Peak and time at Peak?
Thanks

 

[roberto_lopes]

Hi Jamgar

Yes I have 12 AI SOL with 70 degree lenses. My tank have L90 x W27 x H24. My entire system have 390GAL.

Look on my signature that you can see pics.

My timers:

1 hour with WH 0%, BL 100%, RY 100%
8 hours withh WH 80% BL 100% RY 100%
1 hour with WH 0%, BL 100%, RY 100%
3 hours with WH 0%, BL 0%, RY 4% (moonlight with moon cicle ON)

Then all off until nest day at 12:00 AM

 

[jamgar]

Thanks for the reply
I have 7 AI sol blue over a 84x30x30
70B, 70 RB 0W 2hours
70B, 70RB, 60W 5 hours
70B, 70RB, 0W 2hours
Lower settings for about 4 hours after that
AI's about 11 inches over the water and stock lenses (40 and 70 degrees)
My rock work gets up to about 12 inches under the water line
Had some lightening of colors and backed down to current settings and plan to stick around this level for a while longer

 

[NatureNerd]

I would really like to see some pictures of the coral after the lights have been turned down after a several weeks. I am going through the same thing.
Jim

Here is the update on progress.

The original coral when I dumped my metal halides:

Here it is a month ago:

And, here it is today, six months after switching to LED and one month after lowering my power levels. The difference in color is much more noticeable in person:

Color is back and continually improving. Lowering the power levels to around 60% seemed to make a big difference in my reef. In the right of the frame in that last picture you can get a glimpse of the digitata that has also deepened in color.

 

[A.G]

Hey,
any update on this ? what are your current settings? any new pictures would be great.

 

[jamgar]

Nature,
I'm glad AG posted because I missed your last update. The colors certainly have improved. Your lenses are stock 40/70 degrees correct?..Glad you have seen some improvement. I am trying to decide if I should go to 70 degree optics on a 30 inch high tank....decisions decisions

 

[NatureNerd]

Hey,
any update on this ? what are your current settings? any new pictures would be great.

I'll try to get some more pictures up tomorrow.

I'm running three Sol Super Blue's over a 75g, 48" tank. Stock optics. I mounted the lights parallel to the front glass because a wide glass euro-brace caused some shading issues. The lights are mounted a bit too close to the water, not quite 8" above the surface. This is limited by an existing canopy.

I run them in the high 60% range now on all three channels: W,B,RB. Colors continue to improve and growth rate is excellent. My peach colored digitata is much richer in color. The Bonsai continues to, very slowly, get darker colors. Even my Ponape Birdnest is getting more saturated colors. There is still room to improve but I remain very pleased at the progress. I will never go back to MH's.

 

[reefkeeps]

I run 450 watts of XM LEDS over a 150 gallon tank at 100% for 8 hours a day, the colors are getting better and better.

I'm proof you can run it all out, you do have have to ramp up slowly. I did 1% a day starting at 50%.....

 

[NatureNerd]

Here is the same coral now at 7 months since switching to LED and one month after lowering power down a bit. The purple tips are "richer" looking and darker.

Here is a digitata sequence:

Right before switching:

2 months ago:

Today:

Hope you like the update. And yes, the white balance needs to be set a bit better on the shots today but, it is not too far off from how it looks to my eyes.

 

[NatureNerd]

I run 450 watts of XM LEDS over a 150 gallon tank at 100% for 8 hours a day, the colors are getting better and better.

I'm proof you can run it all out, you do have have to ramp up slowly. I did 1% a day starting at 50%.....

No doubt it is possible. Perhaps the rate of power increase tolerated by your corals may depend on what you switched from. I started at around 40% and ramped up to the near 90% level in four months. This was slower than your ramp rate. It was, however, a little too fast, or too high of a peak, for my tank. Maybe it was because I was coming from 2X 175W 10k MH's. I really don't know.

The Sol's are 75W each for a total of 225W, at full power, over a 75g tank that is about 16" from surface to sand. This is not very deep. Our power levels at the sand may also actually be about the same.

 

[A.G]

NatureNerd,

thank you for the update.Iam glad that you are happy with your AI.
Just wondering from the photos I can see an improvement in color no doubt but as far as growth (digi) it looks it has not grown much in that month..Could it be due to reducing the intensity? I might be wrong.

 

[NatureNerd]

NatureNerd,

thank you for the update.Iam glad that you are happy with your AI.
Just wondering from the photos I can see an improvement in color no doubt but as far as growth (digi) it looks it has not grown much in that month..Could it be due to reducing the intensity? I might be wrong.

There was significant encrusting during the month. The base is noticeably wider. It looks like it only grew a little less than 0.5" taller over the month. This may indeed be a little slower.