STEVE LED LIGHTING QUESION HELP!

[Landoman]

Guys -

I have been burning my softie corals, zoas, palys, etc. I had blues set at 65 and white at 35 with a one hour fade on white, and 2 on blues.

All my zoas and palys start losing color, have been for a while.

What can I do to simulate a 12 hour day? Suggestions?

Or should I do what I have been on a 8 hour day? MIne may have been a little longer.

Also - do the knobs that control the indivdual blue/white LEDS should they be turned up all the way? Help me. Tired of Losing zoas.

Landon

 

[dgilbert2]

I'm sure Jeff will provide his expert help. My understanding is to keep the "knobs" at the brightest setting and then use the Typhon to set to x% brightness.

From what your saying I would reduce the blue to same level as white for 2-3 weeks and then slowly build up (1% a day whilst corals not showing side effects of too much light).

Worth reading this thread for more info;

http://reefsanctuary.com/forum/index.php?threads/led-balance.94922/

 

[DianaKay]

I think the most reliable advice would need to come from @StevesLEDs
....I just tagged him in this post. (Using the @ sign before user name gives an alert to posts )

However....
I keep my knobs on top of my RSM 250 lid turned all the way toward full power....and I run my Steve's LEDs @ 80% for all 4 channels of my typhoon controller. I gradually turned them up over a year time span to 80%.
To do longer days you might increase the time and also increase the fade in and fade out BOTH.

Be sure to consider other parameters besides your lights.
How long have you been running your LEDs?
Post up some pictures, might help to see what's going on.

 

[DaveK]

Please tell us more about your system.

How large is the tank?
How many and What kind of LED Lighting fixtures do you have on the tank?
How long have you had the tank set up?
How long have you been using the current lighting?
How long has it been since you noticed the bleaching?
Have you added any fish or corals or inverts recently?

I suspect you changed over to new lighting and it was way more than your livestock was use to, so it bleached. However, bleaching can also be caused by other things, such as not being careful with water changes, poor water quality conditions, or some unwanted chemical being added by accident.

 

[Landoman]

I sent him an email as well. I have had the tank for several years, have had the led conversion for over a year. Nothing new, it just seems like after awhile palys that were bright in other peoples tank, wash out in mine. I can post some pictures as well. Thanks guys. I tested my param. the other day and all seems well. Will post more info later....

 

[DaveK]

From what you describe I would suspect water quality issues. I doubt if it's the LED lighting system. Generally beaching problems occur very quickly after you add new livestock, or if you change around the lighting. You are telling us that you have had this setup for over a year.

What are your water parameters? Please post exact numbers, especially for nitrate and phosphate.
What is your water change schedule?
Are you using RO/DI water to mix your salt?
What kind of filtration system do you have on the tank? What kind of skimmer, if any?
How big is the tank and what do you have in it? Especially the number and size of the fish.

 

[StevesLEDs]

Landoman,
I have sent you an email. It sounds like perhaps the lights may be getting changed too frequently, too fast. The key to LED light is similar to driving a car on the highway, you don't want to have hundreds of stops and changes - that won't make for a comfortable ride. You want to ramp up smoothly, and maintain consistency.

I agree with DaveK. Color issues aren't related to LEDs, it has long since been proven that LEDs have no issue whatsoever growing some of the most beautiful colors in the world, and now implemented by the worlds leading coral farmers. Bleaching occurs within moments to days after adding LEDs that are too bright. If the light intensity is being frequently changed in attempt to find the right color or intensity levels, this can definitely bleach coral as well. That said, I suspect some water quality issues, and further suggestions on my part depend on your water parameters.

Some rules of thumb regarding powerful LED systems:
-Have the LEDs on at a minimum of 8 hours a day at full intensity, not including sunrises and sunsets.
-Have sunrise and sunset last at least 1 hour
-When introducing the new LED lights, acclimate at a rate no faster than 1% per day.
-When introducing the new LED lights, start at an intensity lower than you think you need, such as at 30%
-When adding new corals to the aquarium, restart the acclimation process
-Ensure all other water parameters are in ideal ranges. Awesome lighting can't make up for poor water quality and lack of water changes (or supplement additives).
-Always have patience, and your patience will be rewarded. There are no shortcuts to the saltwater aquarium hobby (not even a lot of live rock and live sand ).

Hope that helps?

Jeff

 

[nanoreefing4fun]

Hi Jeff - I like reading & learning here...

When you say...

-Have the LEDs on at a minimum of 8 hours a day at full intensity, not including sunrises and sunsets.

You recommend 100% power for 8 hours a day with Steve's Leds? Once the corals are acclimated? or am I missing something here... still learning

 

[StevesLEDs]

Good catch! Notice I said "full power" and not 100% power. By full power, I mean at the maximum setting you are at during your acclimation process. If you just switched to LEDs, then the full power will be around 40%; if the aquarium has been running for a year, then full power will mean around 70%-90%+.


Make better sense?

Thanks,
Jeff

 

[nanoreefing4fun]

Yes

 

[dgilbert2]

Good clarification, made me think about it!