Aqua illumination Vega

[EriksFish315]

Just curious if anyone else has these light fixtures. I just got two of them the other day and wanted to know what percentage intensity you started them at and how high off the water you placed them pics included would be cool.

 

[EriksFish315]

Also interested in anyone's performance reports of these fixtures.

 

[EriksFish315]

Am I the only one with these awesome fixtures?

 

[oyf709]

If this is your first LED fixture, you should always start at a low intensity regardless brand and type of fixture, or your coral will start melting like ice. If you had MH, you can start at about 30% intensity and start to adjust to 80% within 1 week. Most people run AI Sol for 80% so I would assume Vega would be the same. I know someone running full SPS tank crank up their AI SoL 100% in a long run.
If you switch from T5, you should start it lower like about 10 to 20% and move up to 50% in a week and then move it to 80% in couple weeks.

 

[Gregcoyote]

If this is your first LED fixture, you should always start at a low intensity regardless brand and type of fixture, or your coral will start melting like ice. If you had MH, you can start at about 30% intensity and start to adjust to 80% within 1 week. Most people run AI Sol for 80% so I would assume Vega would be the same. I know someone running full SPS tank crank up their AI SoL 100% in a long run.
If you switch from T5, you should start it lower like about 10 to 20% and move up to 50% in a week and then move it to 80% in couple weeks.

Good info. The LED may not look as bright (lumens) as your T5's but are putting out a lot of PAR. Almost everyone I know has bleached a coral when changing over. As said above, start out slow.

 

[Sniperhank]

I went from 4 t5 to radions and burned all my coralline death since I didn't lower the intensity right away since I under estimated how efficient LEDs are at penetrating the water column. My radions are at about 55% power in an sps dominant tank.

 

[EriksFish315]

Yes I started them at 10% and notice the coral responded positively so after 3 days I turned them up to 15% whites blue royal blue green and red. Also the new Vegas have uv LEDs in them. I was also wondering how long to wait in between of raising the intensity.

 

[oyf709]

I would do about 5% increase every day and if you see coral are fine (polyps are out) then change to 10% per day and so on

 

[EriksFish315]

I would do about 5% increase every day and if you see coral are fine (polyps are out) then change to 10% per day and so on

You would go that quick after going from a 4 bulb t5 fixture?

 

[Gregcoyote]

You would go that quick after going from a 4 bulb t5 fixture?

I wouldn't. I would make the changes over a period of a month.

 

[fort384]

I don't have the vega's but I do have the sol's, which are actually a little more powerful. I started too high too soon and nuked a lot of coral. Now after months of tinkering and adjustment, I have landed on a setting of 35% white and 45% blue for peak intensity settings. I have 2 units hanging roughly 18" from the water over my 57 gallon reef.

 

[Gregcoyote]

You could also have someone in your area bring a PAR meter by. If you know the PAR of your original lights, you could adjust the new lights to the same PAR. I do this on new setups all the time. It's nice to not have to guess.

 

[EriksFish315]

Right makes sense right now I'm going to leave the settings the way they are for a week then increase the intensity. I don't think it is reccomended to increase as much as 5% a day.

 

[EriksFish315]

You could also have someone in your area bring a PAR meter by. If you know the PAR of your original lights, you could adjust the new lights to the same PAR. I do this on new setups all the time. It's nice to not have to guess.

That would be awesome who might have a par meter?

 

[fort384]

You can actually rent them online in some places - and some good reef stores will have them to borrow/rent as well.

I would agree - 5% a day is a big adjustment. 5% a week is more in line with what I'd suggest based on my early experience with higher powered LEDs with installed optics.

 

[EriksFish315]

Correct that's more of what I was thinking 5% a week and observe the corals closely.

 

[oyf709]

lol when I say per day, I was gonna say 5% per day and up to a weeks. lol sry for the missing info there

 

[EriksFish315]

It's alright I have a vague idea for what to do but just like hearing personal experience and results.

 

[Gregcoyote]

It's alright I have a vague idea for what to do but just like hearing personal experience and results.

The bottom line is allowing the zooanthelic algae in the coral to adjust to the new spectrum and intensity of the light. That takes time as you want it to happen gradually.

 

[EriksFish315]

The bottom line is allowing the zooanthelic algae in the coral to adjust to the new spectrum and intensity of the light. That takes time as you want it to happen gradually.

That's makes a lot of sense and I would rather go slow then to fast. Was also thinking about possibly doing 1% or 2% every other few days just to increase it slower.