Who has really colorful acros under leds?
- Thread starter DarkStalker
- Start date
Tom,
I have a 215 gal tank (72" x 24" deep x 28" tall). I have 3 reef tech LED fixtures (180 watts each). Each fixture uses 24 3 watt Cree XPG white (7K), 24 3 watt Cree XPE Royal Blue 450nm and 12 3 watt Cree XPE Blue 465 to 485nm LEDs. I have been using these lights exclusively on my tank since Nov 2011. I started adding coral frags on or about 03/12. Using LEDs has been a learning process. Without the benefit of a PAR meter I started low in intensity (30% white, 60% blue & royal blue). I slowly increased this until I fried half my corals......50% white, blue and rb approx 75%...then reduced again. I currently stand at 40% white, 75% royal blue and 65% blue. I am totally not satisfied with growth or lack thereof, (I haven't gotten to the point of heavy concern regarding coral coloration). After 1 year only certain corals have shown visible growth yet still not outstanding growth while other corals either perished or show no growth whatsoever (although they remain alive). Now there are of course other factors to consider. My fixtures are approximately 8 inches from the water surface. For flow I have 2 Tunze 6105's and a Dart return pump. I use a knopf calc reactor (the larger of the 2 models offered) and have an orca 200 skimmer. I am in the process of doubling the internal flow......I am also going to add supplemental LED lighting by way of two 1500mm x 75mm x 60mm (approx 60" x 3" h x 2.5"w) LED fixtures that each have 36 3 watt LEDs made up of the following color spectrums: 21 violet (400 to 420nm), 9 cyan (500nm) and 6 red (660nm) set at my specific array. These units/fixtures have manual dimmers for each color. I am hoping that by increasing the color spectrum and flow simultaneously that this will effectuate a major change. Time will tell....
Frank
tdb320reef
Active member
Hi Frank,
I think your doing a good job increasing the flow. On my 320 96 X 30WX 26 Tall I have 2 Tunze 6105's , 2 6215 Waveboxes, 2 mp40'S AND 2 mp60'S with complex programming to provide optimal random flow throughout the day. So yes First Id increase the flow.
As for the lights those % may be too low. 3 Fixtures over a 215 Id image you might be having a coverage issue. When you say fried your coral what happened? I have a hot pink birdsnest 2 inches below a 400 - 500 par 120 watt fixture with glass in between (look at the top right corner). While it is slightly bleached on the top it has never looked better. I put it there as I am out of room and didn't care if it died and it has responded well.
Have you investigated nutrition in your reef?
I wouldn't make too many changes at once. Id hold on adding the light.
Slow ramp up your lights and monitor your corals. Investigate the optimal nutrition program for your reef. Find a friend or fellow reefer that has a par meter or buy one and then sell when your done they have a good residual value and you could consider that you are leasing it to justify the cost. The par meter will answer all of your questions.
tdb320reef
Active member
Huh why sorry about the OT?
hmm that is a good question. On my 90 frag tank I put Mylar reflective insulation underneath but not sure if the reflective light was beneficial. Eventually your Black BB will get covered in coralline anyways so I guess putting something under doesn't make sense.
tdb320reef
Active member
This is my ora red planet and my pink / green mille under vega:
Looking amazing. I notice your RP lacks green. I have 4 colonies and all of them do too. Wonder if it is a LED thing?
tdb320reef
Active member
.
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I did partake in a growth competition that I did end up winning even though it wasn't administered properly. I think I was the only LED user or maybe one other.
Here is my RD when it was transitioned to my 320 8/12 Sorry if the picture appears to be photo shopped - I don't have the metadata of the old picture to post the compressed raw image.
Here it is in Compressed Raw Format yesterday. Note this is after I lost half of the colony to the Chalice it is next to in addition to taking several frags off of it.
4/13 - 8 month in my system
Others have grown well but that is one I tracked. I will also be tracking a PC Superman and OT and will report back in a few months.
.
I did partake in a growth competition that I did end up winning even though it wasn't administered properly. I think I was the only LED user or maybe one other.
Here is my RD when it was transitioned to my 320 8/12 Sorry if the picture appears to be photo shopped - I don't have the metadata of the old picture to post the compressed raw image.
Here it is in Compressed Raw Format yesterday. Note this is after I lost half of the colony to the Chalice it is next to in addition to taking several frags off of it.
4/13 - 8 month in my system
Others have grown well but that is one I tracked. I will also be tracking a PC Superman and OT and will report back in a few months.
animalkingdom
New member
now that is some growth...I am begining to think red dragon likes leds
Henry Colf
New member
Nope not an led thing..
The first pic is my red planet colony growing on my overflow and the second pic is another colony 8 in from the bottom of my 90 gallon.
Henry Colf
New member
Nope not an led thing...
The first picture is 8 inches off the bottom of my 90 gal and the second picture is my colony growing on my overflow..
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tdb320reef
Active member
Nope not an led thing...
The first picture is 8 inches off the bottom of my 90 gal and the second picture is my colony growing on my overflow..
What kind of par do you have it under?
Henry Colf
New member
I havent checked it in a year. I just hit the 2 yr mark last week with my lights, so i'm not really sure. If memory serves me right it was around 850-900 at the top of the tank around 450-500 where the other colony is and 260 at the bottom of the tank. That's with both the white and blues on.
Denadai
New member
I don´t know. When I bought this corals had some green, but now is only red.
Best Regards
trueblackpercula
New member
This is my ora red planet and my pink / green mille under vega:
Can you please remove all that pink and just add the white balance LMAO
Very nice acro
coralreefdoc
New member
The foremost determining factor, when it relates to how much "green" color pigments an ORA Red Planet exhibits, besides the obvious NO3/PO4 nutrient level(s), is the quality/spectrum/intensity of light it receives, in that order ...
power boat jim
Well-known member
Can someone explain how the quality of light differs from one source to another. As far as I have ever known a photon is a photon, they Im not sure they vary in quality.
tdb320reef
Active member
I was thinking the same thing. In addition what is the measure and rating to consider it quality?
I did real brief "google" research on the green in a red planet and it appears that the green is an indication of increased Zooxanthella which occurs elevated in higher nutrient/lower light systems. I guess using the brief research and aforementioned quality statement that LED Lighting is "too high quality or too intense" to maintain the green in the red planet.
Seriously running biopellets, GFO, Carbon along with intense lighting is what I believe has the coral reducing/releasing its Zooxanthella.
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i also posed the same question about spectrum in an earlier post. why do mh/t5 users constantly ask to see pics under only white led?
do they run 65k mh? no. do they run 65k t5? no. is running blue/violet/red led somehow cheating? NO!
"show my that same coral under all white led, it won't look like that"
"show that same coral under natural light, it won't look as good"
funny stuff
do they run 65k mh? no. do they run 65k t5? no. is running blue/violet/red led somehow cheating? NO!
"show my that same coral under all white led, it won't look like that"
"show that same coral under natural light, it won't look as good"
funny stuff
