LED Lighting Intensity Question

splix · 11/21/2015, 10:14 PM

I've been running the Sunspect (basically the mars aqua lights) 4pcs 165W LED Aquarium Light For Reef Coral Fish Full Spectrum on my tank since it's beginning. I've got no complaints on them at all, I'm just curious what intensity everyone else is running theirs at.
I've been around 70% on all 4 in a 24" deep 6' wide tank with the lights around 6" off the top of the water. I introduced some SPS at the top of the tank and thought it would be a good idea to bump up the intensities a little bit. I'm thinking I'm now running a bit too high due to losing a little color in my hammer coral and some zoanthids at the very top of their rock have been disappearing. I'm going to start turning them down to around 50% starting tomorrow to see if things come back to normal, which they should. I'll mark that as another idiot learning experience of mine...

I dont have a PAR meter so thats my difficulty.

Ron Reefman · 11/22/2015, 08:10 AM

There are literally hunderds of threads here on setting of Chinese leds just like yours.

Just for info, I have more or less the same lights that you have. But mine have built-in controllers. I do a 5 hour sunrise, 3 hours of midday at 90% blue and 40% white, then a 6 hour sunset.

You might try keeping the blue at 75% and dropping just the white to 30% or 40%. If you don't like the crisp, cool white look, then dropping both is your next best choice.

splix · 11/22/2015, 08:39 AM

What lights do you have?

11/21/2015, 10:14 PM	#1
splix Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2015 Location: Indiana Posts: 374	LED Lighting Intensity Question I've been running the Sunspect (basically the mars aqua lights) 4pcs 165W LED Aquarium Light For Reef Coral Fish Full Spectrum on my tank since it's beginning. I've got no complaints on them at all, I'm just curious what intensity everyone else is running theirs at. I've been around 70% on all 4 in a 24" deep 6' wide tank with the lights around 6" off the top of the water. I introduced some SPS at the top of the tank and thought it would be a good idea to bump up the intensities a little bit. I'm thinking I'm now running a bit too high due to losing a little color in my hammer coral and some zoanthids at the very top of their rock have been disappearing. I'm going to start turning them down to around 50% starting tomorrow to see if things come back to normal, which they should. I'll mark that as another idiot learning experience of mine... I dont have a PAR meter so thats my difficulty.

11/22/2015, 08:10 AM	#2
Ron Reefman Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Cape Coral, FL Posts: 10,431	There are literally hunderds of threads here on setting of Chinese leds just like yours. Just for info, I have more or less the same lights that you have. But mine have built-in controllers. I do a 5 hour sunrise, 3 hours of midday at 90% blue and 40% white, then a 6 hour sunset. You might try keeping the blue at 75% and dropping just the white to 30% or 40%. If you don't like the crisp, cool white look, then dropping both is your next best choice. __________________ The good thing about science is that it's true whether or not you believe in it. (Neil deGrasse Tyson) Visit my build thread http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2593017

11/22/2015, 08:39 AM	#3
splix Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2015 Location: Indiana Posts: 374	What lights do you have?