Apex Season Tables, thoughts on day length/moon cycles

Connorfood · 03/08/2017, 02:03 PM

So I recently upgraded my lights from 2x Kessil A160 to 2x Radion gen 3 XR15 and one of the great benefits from that is the Radion can dim all the way down just like my old DIY lights with PWM control, so I can simulate the moon again. I also rediscovered that apex still has the season tables available, just you need to do the old style of programming to use them (they're not at all accessible with the new lighting wizards).

Obviously, I've gone full tilt into the season tables, from the changing water temp, to the changing day length, and moon cycles. I want this thread to be a good discussion on peoples opinions and experiences with mimicking the natural reef in this way. I've always tried to do a parabolic lighting schedule as best as possible (as opposed to ramp up, hold at max intensity, ramp down), and personally think that the changes in day length, temperature, and moon phases, will help better replicate the conditions required for spawning events (both coral and fish) and to keep the natural daily/annual rhythms of the animals in my care, in check. I'd love to hear other peoples ideas and experiences on the matter though.

Secondarily though, I'd like to hear from people with Apex and controllable lighting, what your thoughts are on the season tables (if you even knew they existed) and if you would use them if you could easily access them in the lighting wizard? It seems to be a long forgotten feature of the apex, that they aren't currently planning on bringing into the new fusion based system, which really disappoints me as a more intense user of the product.

Connorfood · 03/08/2017, 02:10 PM

For anyone not familiar, the Apex season tables is basically a big excel spreadsheet, with the sunrise, sunset, moon rise, moon set, moon intensity, and temperature, for each day, at a specific location (for example the great barrier reef).

The idea is that you have your lighting cycle and temp change ever so slightly, to mimic the lengthening and shortening of the days through the seasons, and your moon lights dim and brighten based on the phase of the moon, etc.

It's a feature that was in the original apex programming, and can still be accessed through crude "If sun 000/000 then on" statements that will turn your lights on from sunrise to sunset, but they do not currently work with the lighting wizard.

View Poll Results: Do you use the Apex season tables?
Yes	4	80.00%
I would if I could easily use them in the lighting wizard	0	0%
No, and I dont want my lights to mimic sun/moon cycles	1	20.00%
Voters: 5. You may not vote on this poll

03/08/2017, 02:03 PM	#1
Connorfood Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2015 Posts: 3	Apex Season Tables, thoughts on day length/moon cycles So I recently upgraded my lights from 2x Kessil A160 to 2x Radion gen 3 XR15 and one of the great benefits from that is the Radion can dim all the way down just like my old DIY lights with PWM control, so I can simulate the moon again. I also rediscovered that apex still has the season tables available, just you need to do the old style of programming to use them (they're not at all accessible with the new lighting wizards). Obviously, I've gone full tilt into the season tables, from the changing water temp, to the changing day length, and moon cycles. I want this thread to be a good discussion on peoples opinions and experiences with mimicking the natural reef in this way. I've always tried to do a parabolic lighting schedule as best as possible (as opposed to ramp up, hold at max intensity, ramp down), and personally think that the changes in day length, temperature, and moon phases, will help better replicate the conditions required for spawning events (both coral and fish) and to keep the natural daily/annual rhythms of the animals in my care, in check. I'd love to hear other peoples ideas and experiences on the matter though. Secondarily though, I'd like to hear from people with Apex and controllable lighting, what your thoughts are on the season tables (if you even knew they existed) and if you would use them if you could easily access them in the lighting wizard? It seems to be a long forgotten feature of the apex, that they aren't currently planning on bringing into the new fusion based system, which really disappoints me as a more intense user of the product.

03/08/2017, 02:10 PM	#2
Connorfood Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2015 Posts: 3	For anyone not familiar, the Apex season tables is basically a big excel spreadsheet, with the sunrise, sunset, moon rise, moon set, moon intensity, and temperature, for each day, at a specific location (for example the great barrier reef). The idea is that you have your lighting cycle and temp change ever so slightly, to mimic the lengthening and shortening of the days through the seasons, and your moon lights dim and brighten based on the phase of the moon, etc. It's a feature that was in the original apex programming, and can still be accessed through crude "If sun 000/000 then on" statements that will turn your lights on from sunrise to sunset, but they do not currently work with the lighting wizard.