Zoanthid Lighting

Lwilson

New member
I have a Hydra 52 and I am adding Zoanthids to the tank and was wondering what people were setting their lights for the best results. I have a torch coral along with a sailfin tang, coral beauty, blue gudgeon, damsils, and crabs, and snails
 
All Zoas are different. Some like lots of light some not so much. My experience is that lighter colors like more light than darker colors. If they do not open after 5-6 days move them either to more light or less depending on where they were. All like some current. Careful if they look like they are melting (less light right away 1 week before moving).
 
I've heard that many people with LEDs use only 20 - 30% of the intensity at the acclimation period. Some choose to use even less than that. Perhaps after a week or 2 they bring slowly to 30% - 40% and so on.
The final intensity and spectrum of the LEDs will be chosen by the person and he/she need to have common sense. It needs to follow the size of the tank and need of the zoas/corals.
It also has to do with how deep the system is, how many watts total, and what type of LEDs/lenses the fixture has.
I don't have the Hydra 52. I've heard good things about it.

Grandis.
 
I've heard that many people with LEDs use only 20 - 30% of the intensity at the acclimation period. Some choose to use even less than that. Perhaps after a week or 2 they bring slowly to 30% - 40% and so on.
The final intensity and spectrum of the LEDs will be chosen by the person and he/she need to have common sense. It needs to follow the size of the tank and need of the zoas/corals.
It also has to do with how deep the system is, how many watts total, and what type of LEDs/lenses the fixture has.
I don't have the Hydra 52. I've heard good things about it.

Grandis.

I see this advice all the time from many people, yet it makes no sense to me. Nothing against you Grandis as im not attacking your advice. It just doesnt make sense to me. I dont see why you would drop the intensity and then slowly ramp it up for the whole tank. I mean i understand it but doesnt make sense in a way. When i get new coral i dont know if im going to want to bring down the light intensity to the whole tank and then ramp it up over a coupe weeks/ months whenever i get a new frag. Why not acclimate them like we always used to acclimate them with T5s or MH, just put them on the sand bed and place them higher up over a period of time.
 
I see this advice all the time from many people, yet it makes no sense to me. Nothing against you Grandis as im not attacking your advice. It just doesnt make sense to me. I dont see why you would drop the intensity and then slowly ramp it up for the whole tank. I mean i understand it but doesnt make sense in a way. When i get new coral i dont know if im going to want to bring down the light intensity to the whole tank and then ramp it up over a coupe weeks/ months whenever i get a new frag. Why not acclimate them like we always used to acclimate them with T5s or MH, just put them on the sand bed and place them higher up over a period of time.

Yeah, I understand your point here. I don't fully understand that also, but it seems to me that somehow the organisms are more sensitive to adapt to LEDs than any other type of artificial lighting.

I do believe the combination of intensity and the direction the light is emitted has something to do with that. Other types of bulbs would emit light to the sides (180° angle), while Chinese LEDs are normally 120° or 90° specially because of the lenses.
It is true also that the reflectors for T5s and MHs play with angles, but the properties of light from the 3 types are also different, so"¦

I guess I'll have to find out for myself, but I don't think that would be a big deal. I see that as a minor thing that I would have to get used to.
Hope others would be able to give us some deeper explanation on that, once many have had such experiences.

Grandis.
 
I like to start mine off low in the tank and near the sides with my Chinese LEDS no issues as of yet. Im getting a half dozen $$$$$$ zoe frags Thursday Im going to clip them to the side floating and add my water a little at a time.
First time trying by mail some real purity ones!
 
I like to start mine off low in the tank and near the sides with my Chinese LEDS no issues as of yet. Im getting a half dozen $$$$$$ zoe frags Thursday Im going to clip them to the side floating and add my water a little at a time.
First time trying by mail some real purity ones!

:thumbsup:
Sweet!

Grandis.
 
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