how to adjust leds?

[edwardclaxton]

Im really looking for an answer here guys. My problem is I dont know how to properly adjust my leds I have 3 dimmable bridglux led fixtures with white blue and lunar leds. They are dimmable but im trying to understand the correct way to adjust them. I have a few corals softies mostly. I want some lps, zoos and maybe a few sps. I guess this can be hard bc the different lighting requirments needed by the corals. Im looking for a mixed reef tank. I did have coral to I guess test my abilities the lfs said it was an easier coral to keep. I kept it for about 2 months and it died. It was hydnophora frag. For awhile it looked great, and for some reason I had an algae outbreak i dont know if that killed it or I was being premature about getting one. Mostly out of the sps I want a type of monti bc I love they way the plate over eachother on rock. Other than that I more into lps. With the hydnophora dieing rather quickly it has gotten my confidence down in my lights. Right now they are turned all the way down bc when it was about 1/3 on they started to bleach some of my softies and they are in the sand bed. Ill prolly be getting rid of these bc the monti needs intense lighting. If you all could direct me in the way of what my corals need. I know you dont know and I dont know what corals ill being getting besides a monti. So how do I determine where the coral needs to be? Can you base this off of observing the health of corals? Of so how? Fpr example, to much will bleach the coral, not enough could lose color. Im not for sure if these observations are correct it was just an example of what im looking for.

 

[Dav3]

First off. Are your lights the 120watt fixtures found on eBay? If so keep them. They are powerful lights that can grow anything. That being said you need to start them out dimmed low and slowly increase so your current corals have time to acclimate. New corals need to acclimate as well but should be started on the sand bed and then slowly move up as needed for their light requirements.

As for the dead coral. May not have been light acclimated properly. Though I'm more inclined to think it was due to excess nutrients as indicated by your algae outbreak. Sps need really clean tanks with very low to undetectable nutrient levels.

Don't get discouraged. Just take your time.

 

[Holygral]

You really have to look at and take into account what lighting system you are replacing, I went from 2x250 MH to 2x160 led's. I started mine at 50% and ramped them to full within 10 days. But my corals were use to bright intense lighting, I was also concerned that my nems would like the lower lighting to start and wonder off, if you are replacing T5 then you need a lower and slower ramp up. T5HO a little faster, MH even faster, it is a natter of what you are replacing and what kind/quality of led you replaced them with.

 

[edwardclaxton]

Ok thanks. So do coral put off signs if the like where they are or not? And yes the are 120 watt they came from amazon though.

 

[edwardclaxton]

Im not really replaceing any lighting. I had my 55 woth t5s. Then I upgraded to a 125 with leds. I only had a couple coral transfer tanks. But the hydnophora came from a lfs which had the aqua illumination vega I thing. Or it was mh they had both light s on there frag tank.

 

[Greenstreet.1]

What's your
Cal
Mag
Alk
Nitrate
Salinity

 

[edwardclaxton]

I dont have test kit for some of those. But right now im npt at home been gone for almost a week.

 

[Dav3]

If your parameters are perfect:
Bleaching can be a sign of too much light.
Browning can be a sign of too little light.

If you google each of your corals you should get general placement recommendations.

 

[edwardclaxton]

Hey I figured I could see the light requirements online, but what do they consider high on dimmable leds? Is it all the way up or does high start at about half way. See this can be a bit confusing lol.

 

[Dav3]

Placement (low, med, high) is usually in reference to tank location more than light level. Sand bed -> middle of tank -> top of tank.

 

[mr_X]

First of all, T5's are every bit as powerful as metal halides. My 8 x 54 watt fixture was putting out the same PAR on the sand bed as a 400 watt halide, and the spread was double. So, in that sense you could say that T5's are stronger than halides, watt for watt. There are more variables, but anyway....I think the hydnophora died because of nutrient rich waters. Just like Dave said.

Also, montipora capricornis isn't a high light sps IME. I have montis under a dimmable fixture just like yours with no white and just the blues on at 100% and they grow just fine.
Half and half should be good for the sps and lps initially.

 

[Grizz]

I figure my LEDs like this Low 10-25% Med 30-50% High 60-100%

 

[edwardclaxton]

Hey guys im going to open this thread back up. Im actually buying an piece of sps tomorrow. Its a montipora and would like help to keep everything going well so that I can get use to my leds. There was another coral that I may pick as well. He was calling it a gonipora but I think it is something else. I looked it up its called a pink sand dollar montipora. It was very nice (to me anyways). What do you guys think? Both pieces will be about 35 bucks total. Thanks

 

[bribo12]

Hey guys im going to open this thread back up. Im actually buying an piece of sps tomorrow. Its a montipora and would like help to keep everything going well so that I can get use to my leds. There was another coral that I may pick as well. He was calling it a gonipora but I think it is something else. I looked it up its called a pink sand dollar montipora. It was very nice (to me anyways). What do you guys think? Both pieces will be about 35 bucks total. Thanks

If it is actually goniopora I would not buy it, the stuff does not last long. But for montipora just keep parameters good and it should thrive. Also, make sure to light acclimate it. Sounds like a good deal but idk what size each piece is.

 

[edwardclaxton]

I would say they about the size of a silver dollar and a little more. Well it says online its a pink sand dollar montipora on vivid aquariums. It looks exactly the same. How would you recommend me light acclimate it. My leds are currently turned all the way down. So where shou I d I start the coral at? In the bottom or in the middle

 

[bribo12]

Sounds like a good deal then, I'd still start them on the bottom then over a couple days move them up and then a couple more days move them to where you want them.

 

[edwardclaxton]

Ok thanks. How do I know when to stop moving them? I know not enough light will cause the coral to die. I was wandering about to much light what it would do. And the guy im buying them from said with sps its almost impossible to have to much light intensity with the leds I have. Would you say this is true?

 

[bribo12]

Ok thanks. How do I know when to stop moving them? I know not enough light will cause the coral to die. I was wandering about to much light what it would do. And the guy im buying them from said with sps its almost impossible to have to much light intensity with the leds I have. Would you say this is true?

Yes you can give sps too much light. If you do they will bleach. That is why you have to light acclimate them. Montipora is a fairly hardy sps and can handle a wide variety of lighting though. So move it up from the bottom after a couple days and see if it shows you good polyp extension. If it does I'd say it's happy and I'd leave it there. If it isn't getting enough light it will start to turn brown so you will need to move it to higher light. Now certain acro species which are a much more demanding sps you cannot give enough light lol but those will be left for another day.

 

[edwardclaxton]

Ok sounds good. And yes thats fine with the acros. I want to make sure im doing this right before I get more corals and species that are harder to care for.

 

[edwardclaxton]

What should I feed these. Or will what I give my tank be enough. I do 20 percent weekly water changes.