Sunbrite V1 F-Series Help with proper adjustment of LED channels

Chris_FLA · 10/21/2013, 09:20 PM

Hello all. I dropped this post under the sunbrite lighting threads but figured I would move it out to see if I can get a better response. I appreciate the help from whomever responds.

Hello all. I know this thread is a few months old but was hoping I could get some help from the more experienced in lighting adjustment with the sunbrite V1 F series. I have had mine up and running now since July and I have to say this thing is very bright. My biggest dilemma is proper adjustment of the individual channels. As the last post says the whites are extremely bright and wash out the blues.

Here's what I have in my 75 gallon reef so far.
2 zoa colonies
1 mystic sunset monti frag ( placed at toward the bottom of the rock work)
1 chalice frag (placed mid level on rock work)
1 plate coral
1 candy apple scoly
1 cony anemone ( placed closer to the top of the rock work and appears to be loving life there)
I am perplexed on proper lighting. Everything seems to be doing well except for the plate coral and my monti just started to fade in spots ( some of the red is getting a pink color)

Right now I have the white at 2% and the blue at 30%. I set these percentages based on the I did not want to bleach the corals and at this low setting the colors on the coral really popped.

How much white light is actually needed in a reef tank? It seems if I even bring the white up to 5 percent the blues will start to wash out and of course fades the color of my corals. I know the lighting is trial and error but can someone give me some advice as to a proper starting point and which spectrum are we looking more for. I am sure it is the blues but will t much blue not be beneficial or bleach my corals. Any advice wou
D be appreciated. Thanks

Ron Reefman · 10/23/2013, 07:34 AM

You said, "It seems if I even bring the white up to 5 percent the blues will start to wash out and of course fades the color of my corals." Do you mean the bright glowing colors fade, or the basic reflected colors fade? At 30% blue and 3%-5% white, you shouldn't be doing any harm at all with the depth of your tank.

I have 200 3W leds over my 180g and I get up to 80% blue and 40% white for an hour. Before and after that is a slow rise and fall for 8 hours on either side.

Only run as much white as you want to get the color in the tank to look the way you want it. More white than that isn't very helpful. The coral's zooxanthellae wants a lot of blue and some red (not all that much). The white leds provide more than enough red spectrum if you run them a bit higher than 3%-5%.

You should find a PAR meter to borrow or buy. They aren't cheap, but they can be a huge help. Where are you in Florida? There are good local clubs all over the state and somebody will have a meter.

Chris_FLA · 10/23/2013, 07:31 PM

Thanks for the reply. You clarified a lot for me and I appreciate the feedback. I vas looking online for a par meter and the only one I could actually find was on BRS and they are costly. I am in the Orlando area. I will try to hook up with a reef club here.

In your experience and with the types of corals I have where would the stopping point on light intensity be? Also if I were to get a par meter is there a standard to follow for the depth of the tank? I apologize for the foolish questions but I am new to the hobby, actually 6 months into and everything is going quite well, just trying to become more educated so I can keep it going

10/21/2013, 09:20 PM	#1
Chris_FLA Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2013 Posts: 9	Sunbrite V1 F-Series Help with proper adjustment of LED channels Hello all. I dropped this post under the sunbrite lighting threads but figured I would move it out to see if I can get a better response. I appreciate the help from whomever responds. Hello all. I know this thread is a few months old but was hoping I could get some help from the more experienced in lighting adjustment with the sunbrite V1 F series. I have had mine up and running now since July and I have to say this thing is very bright. My biggest dilemma is proper adjustment of the individual channels. As the last post says the whites are extremely bright and wash out the blues. Here's what I have in my 75 gallon reef so far. 2 zoa colonies 1 mystic sunset monti frag ( placed at toward the bottom of the rock work) 1 chalice frag (placed mid level on rock work) 1 plate coral 1 candy apple scoly 1 cony anemone ( placed closer to the top of the rock work and appears to be loving life there) I am perplexed on proper lighting. Everything seems to be doing well except for the plate coral and my monti just started to fade in spots ( some of the red is getting a pink color) Right now I have the white at 2% and the blue at 30%. I set these percentages based on the I did not want to bleach the corals and at this low setting the colors on the coral really popped. How much white light is actually needed in a reef tank? It seems if I even bring the white up to 5 percent the blues will start to wash out and of course fades the color of my corals. I know the lighting is trial and error but can someone give me some advice as to a proper starting point and which spectrum are we looking more for. I am sure it is the blues but will t much blue not be beneficial or bleach my corals. Any advice wou D be appreciated. Thanks

10/23/2013, 07:34 AM	#2
Ron Reefman Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Cape Coral, FL Posts: 10,431	You said, "It seems if I even bring the white up to 5 percent the blues will start to wash out and of course fades the color of my corals." Do you mean the bright glowing colors fade, or the basic reflected colors fade? At 30% blue and 3%-5% white, you shouldn't be doing any harm at all with the depth of your tank. I have 200 3W leds over my 180g and I get up to 80% blue and 40% white for an hour. Before and after that is a slow rise and fall for 8 hours on either side. Only run as much white as you want to get the color in the tank to look the way you want it. More white than that isn't very helpful. The coral's zooxanthellae wants a lot of blue and some red (not all that much). The white leds provide more than enough red spectrum if you run them a bit higher than 3%-5%. You should find a PAR meter to borrow or buy. They aren't cheap, but they can be a huge help. Where are you in Florida? There are good local clubs all over the state and somebody will have a meter. __________________ 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

10/23/2013, 07:31 PM	#3
Chris_FLA Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2013 Posts: 9	Thanks for the reply. You clarified a lot for me and I appreciate the feedback. I vas looking online for a par meter and the only one I could actually find was on BRS and they are costly. I am in the Orlando area. I will try to hook up with a reef club here. In your experience and with the types of corals I have where would the stopping point on light intensity be? Also if I were to get a par meter is there a standard to follow for the depth of the tank? I apologize for the foolish questions but I am new to the hobby, actually 6 months into and everything is going quite well, just trying to become more educated so I can keep it going