Zoa vs led's?

[Timanator]

Anyone have any experiences on this topic? I briefly switched out from T5's to a Maxpect 60w led light for 2 weeks. My Orange zoas colony and bleeding heart zoas both started to shrivel up and not open. Switched back to T5 and the Bleeding heart looks awesome after 1 week and the Oranges are starting to open once again.

Any explanations other than these zoas did not like the LED spectrums in the Maxpect?

 

[826 moto]

i have the maxpect and i dont have a problem how high off the water was it ?

 

[MUCHO REEF]

Anyone have any experiences on this topic? I briefly switched out from T5's to a Maxpect 60w led light for 2 weeks. My Orange zoas colony and bleeding heart zoas both started to shrivel up and not open. Switched back to T5 and the Bleeding heart looks awesome after 1 week and the Oranges are starting to open once again.

Any explanations other than these zoas did not like the LED spectrums in the Maxpect?

Sorry to hear the bad news, but there is a perfect explanation for it. See # 12 in the link below

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1154238&highlight=25+reasons


What you are experiencing is light shock. From what you've stated, I'm sure that you didn't light acclimate them. Light acclimation is always advised when making lighting upgrades. I talk too much but there are a couple ways to do this. Does anyone want to share their method of acclimation?

Mucho Reef

 

[Timanator]

Hey guys

The maxpect I have is much dimmer than the 4 bulb T5 unit I had. The light was teh same distance as the T5 about 8 inches off the water surface, the 2 zoa colonies affected were the ones on the very bottom of the sand bed, while all the other zoas in the same area started reaching and extending towards the light source.

 

[Timanator]

Mucho, I dont think this would be a light upgrade, more of a down grade? It's from a 24" 4 bulb T5 with all new UVL bulbs to the 60w maxpect light.

 

[MUCHO REEF]

Did you make any other changes prior to the light change?

It doesn't have to be an upgrade. I cracked 2 PC bulbs many years ago when my lid slammed closed. It took me 7 days to get new ones. Some of my polyps were still expanding like crazy, yet a smaller few wouldn't open or would barely open as some polyps will expand and feed in total and complete darkness.

You stated yourself that when you installed the new lights, which was a downgrade, the polyps retracted. When you changed them back, the polyps expanded again. If you made no other changes in your system, your tank is giving you the answer. I always say, "listen to your reef, and it will yield the answers". Zoas and palys can and will adapt to most any type of lighting. Once they have acclimated/adapted to that lighting and you change it over night, yes, yes they can retract. Though usually it's more prevalent when there is an upgrade.

But then again , I could be totally and completely wrong.

Mucho Reef

 

[danimal1211]

Timanator you have to understand LED's light shoots straight down so although it doesn't look nearly as bright to you, to your corals it does. How deep is your tank.

 

[Timanator]

The tank I tested this on was a 33 Gallon Neo nano, 24 by 24 by 10. The tank had no change except the light, all feeding and dosing were on the same schedule. I would link it to light acclimation, except one of the colonies that started not doing well wasnt even directly under the led's. They were way off to one side of the tank.

 

[g8gxp]

The human eye downright sucks at determining light intensity so just because it looks dimmer doesn't mean it necessarily is. If you can get your hands on a PAR meter you could know for sure. Also LED lighting is much more focused than T5's so the spread is not even (unless you have multiple overlapping fields). the cone of usable light from an LED drops off a cliff on the outer edges so if you are just a little off to the side versus directly under it will be very different.

Try it again and use the multi screen technique for acclimation or maybe raise the height of the maxspect unit.

 

[MUCHO REEF]

The tank I tested this on was a 33 Gallon Neo nano, 24 by 24 by 10. The tank had no change except the light, all feeding and dosing were on the same schedule. I would link it to light acclimation, except one of the colonies that started not doing well wasnt even directly under the led's. They were way off to one side of the tank.

danimal1211, excellent point, I didn't even think about that.

Timanator, I don't understand, you're asking for an answer and everyone is saying it's your lights whether it be acclamation or shock, but you're not willing to except it. Even if the polyps are off to the side, they preferred and had adapted to that previous lighting scheme. There's something about the LED's they didn't like or simply didn't have enough time to adjust to. No offense.

If you prefer the LED's, than raise them another 12 inch higher off the tank, then gradually lower them over a 2 week period by 2 inches every 3rd day and I'm sure you'll be just fine.

 

[826 moto]

that's what i did and i went from a 250 halide to my maxpect

you need to raise the leds and let the coral get use to it

 

[Bonvivant]

I have two AI units on a 55 that are running close to max intensity and my Zoas and Palys are fine. The color faded a bit but everyone of them is open and happy. Even a colony of zoas I saved from the cheap bin at the LFS.

 

[AMAYEU]

It has to do with height level of the Maxispect over the tank, with all other factors aside.

If you are comparing the tank with a Maxispect to another that has AI's, then its a different light and different tank conditions. Maxispect vs AI's could have different LED's driven differently, optics, color combinations, fixture placement. Then you are getting into one LED light vs another.

 

[Timanator]

So riddle me this then. If the LED's are putting out more pars than my T5, why are all the other zoas in the ares under the light still extending and reaching towards the light during the led trial period?

And just so we are all on the same page about the type of LED's. I used the 60w and not the fixtures with the 30watt led's.

 

[Mustang Boy]

because zoas are living creatures and just like everyother living creature each one has its own preferrences for things like light and takes its own amount of time to get used to new surroundings. some may love the new light right away while others may need a few days or weeks of acclimation to get used to the increased lighting