[NAS]

Ok,
I have a question. I have a 400W Metal Halided running with 20,000k and 2-96w power compacts runing 50-50 10,000k-actinic. And two lunar lights. Now, I have had several trial frags of Acropora and montapora's. All I ever get is bleacing and death.

I run a boat load of Phospate remover, and Nitrates get no higher then 5-10ppm (usually)

What is goin on? Too much light? It was green acro.

[pogodzib]

It could very well be caused by several issues pointed out.

Since your lighting is very strong, you need to be careful to acclimate your corals slowly or you'll bleach the corals. How do you acclimate them? You should either screen the tank or raise your lights, along with shortening your photo period and gradually remove some screens or lower your lights.

Phosphate removers can shock corals and cause them to bleach, so if you don't have an algae problem or high phosphates, try running minimal/no phosphate absorbing media.

[reefnoob1991]

What are your other parameters? They like calcium, alkalinity, and magnesium to be perfect or near it also. 20000k is a very blue spectrum and better growth occurs between 6500k-14000k

[NATIVEVAMAN]

I would say technically you dont have to much light,however,you have one 400 watt bulb over the center of a tank that should have two bulbs over it.So all or most of your light is concentrated in a small area.You could have as much as 13 watts per gallon in the center of your tank.Metal halide bulbs are designed to cover a 2x2 area on the surface of the water.You need a new light fixture.

[Adam J]

I have a 30g,16'' tall.With the tek light t5 (36'' 39w x 4 ind reflectors)would I be able to keep sps anywhere in my tank?What about with the current t5(39w x 4 no ind reflectors)?With correct water flow,ect...

[Adam J]

My tank is 18'' tall.(sorry!)

[reefnoob1991]

90 gallon tanks are 48" long, metal halides only cover a 2x2 foot square, therefore you should have 2 and are not giving off enough light

[Adam J]

Hello!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!What about me.

[Adam J]

Bump.Native,Link Vader?Nothing?

[e_baer]

Originally Posted by adam jenkins

I have a 30g,16'' tall.With the tek light t5 (36'' 39w x 4 ind reflectors)would I be able to keep sps anywhere in my tank?What about with the current t5(39w x 4 no ind reflectors)?With correct water flow,ect...

Native is the "expert" on t-5 lighting. I dont know much about it. He knows percentages and all that mumbo jumbo.

[NATIVEVAMAN]

Adam,start the sps off at the top of the tank and move them down till they dont like it anymore.I am betting you will make it to the bottom.

[pogodzib]

I'll agree with Dale that some SPS corals will do just fine at the bottom with those lights, but don't think too many Acros will do good or keep their color in the bottom 1/3-1/2 of the tank under your current lighting.

[Adam J]

Thanks guys!

[PastorKDS]

Adam,

The Ind. Reflectors increase the effeciancy of the T5 by about 300% , I would use them, otherwise I wouldn't be certain 4 x 39 would be quite enough. With them, I would be much more comfartable that you could do what you desire.

[smgsllc]

all I have is 88 watts on one side and 120 watts on the other, my corals are growing super fast, I have a Leaf Plate Montipora Coral that has added two inches in 5 weeks and a pink Montipora digitata that is adding new branches and growing one to two inches in the same time. I also have a t gigas that is adding a new ridge every 4 months or so currently he is 14 inches across and he sits on the bottom of the tank 26 inches down. massive amounts of light are not really needed. (I know I am going to get flamed for that one) by the way my tank is a mixed reef 150 gallon tank.

[smgsllc]

forgot to state that my lights are LED and the heat is minimal coming off them. that means no chiller needed.

[pogodzib]

Required watts vary significantly by type of lighting and the depth of the tank. You can't really compare watts of T5 vs. MH vs PC vs. LED vs. etc...

BTW - What LED unit do you own?

[jimw369]

Originally Posted by pogodzib

Required watts vary significantly by type of lighting and the depth of the tank. You can't really compare watts of T5 vs. MH vs PC vs. LED vs. etc...

BTW - What LED unit do you own?

THANKYOU BRIAN!!!!!!!

[pogodzib]

Your welcome Jim. Do you have any pics of your tank that I can see?

[smgsllc]

pogodzib, yes is do have photos but how do I post them? as for my units I made them myself, they are built off of a rebel star unit the light output falls between a solaris and an AI 88 I see that you are a moderator so please help me out here, if I say anything that should not be on here please cut it out of my post.
I am running 12 three led clusters six white and six royal blues (special built for me since no one sell them), the whites produce a 6500k spectrum the blues put out a .455nm wavelength (actinic), they are placed on a 14 inch by 5 3/8 heat sink that is fan cooled. holding the led pn junction to only a 12-15 degree c heat rise over room temperature. the light matches the light output of a 150 watt 10k metal halide and two 98 watt compact florescent bulbs one in .420nm and one actinic 03. this was checked with an underwater light meter at the top of the corals in my tank.
I designed and had built a PCBs that gives a constant current output each Led is independently controlled by it own circuit in case of led failure it will not damage the other leds on the array. an issue with other lights systems. in one case the replacement board is $500.00.
then I covered the leds and boards with an acrilyc cover and sealed them from the outside environment. so all electronics are encased and protected.
it is a dyi project but a person in Bolivia has asked me to make 50 of them for his frag tanks.
this has allowed me to make a production run of the lights. setting up jigs, test fixtures, cnc programs and having a true OEM part number made for the blue LED clusters. this has lead to the first steps of setting up a web site to sell all the parts needed to make one yourself for you dyi guys or buy the finished light for you non dyi guys. it is a small light that works as a pendent or you can retrofit to an existing hood.
I do not wish to cross the line and turn this into a plug. anyone can make a led light for $600 that will work with the best of them, and you do not need me to do it. just some electronics knowledge and time. buy the way you can not get a good mh/pc set up for under $500. and with leds you do not have to change the bulbs for over 10 years saving you $200 or so a year.

pogodzib please let me know first how to post a pic and second what is considered crossing the line here. I started this because I had a total light failure in my tank (five year old and a baseball in the house bad mix, I never knew how fast salt water kills a salt system when it falls in the tank ) and wanted to replace my lights for less then the $1500.00 per side price tag for leds, if I can help other dyi guy do the same then please feel free to let me know.
you do not need massive amounts of light,power, heat and chillers to make corals look good and grow fast.

thanks
Mike

[pogodzib]

To post images, you need to host them on a website such as photobucket or the galley area here on RB. Once the pictures are loaded to a website, you can add them to your post by clicking on the "Insert Image" icon within your post box. It will pop up a box where you paste the http:// address of the image.

The line for what can and cannot be posted here is pretty liberal. As long as you aren't breaking any copyright infringements, posting offensive material, bashing other members, or selling items/services (outside of the marketplace area) you are probably fine to post it. I'd love to see you create a step by step post in the DIY Projects area for how you make your LED lighting system. BTW- How long have you been using your LED lighting and what do you think it would cost to make a LED system that would work good over a 6'Lx24"Wx30"Tall tank?

[smgsllc]

I have been trying to do the gallery here but it does not let me. it just sends me back to log in again and again, endless loop at this point.

for your tank I would suggest two to three of the units. depending on how you have your tank set up i.e how close to the walls you are at the ends of your tank, what I did for the frag tanks and my own was one light for each two by two foot section of reef. my tank is 24 deep by 5 feet long but I stop my coral six inches from one end and my over flows take up six inches of the other, so two worked for mine. I sold each light I made for the frag tank at $550 so to do your tank with two would be $1100 or three would be $1650 if you want to do the work of assembly then the price drops depending on how much you want to do. the leds will run you $300 to $456 per unit depending on how many you buy at one time. also you can more times then not find a heat sink that will work at your local surplus center along with a power supply for pennies on the dollar but if not I can also set you up with both of them. if you can solder then you can buy the components for the board from digikey and save some money(you do not have to use a PCB if you do not want it just makes it a cleaner install to use the PCB I will sell you an unpopulated PCB. or you can buy a populated and tested board from the guy that makes them for me if you want. the acrylic you are better off going to your local plastic store and having it made for you but I can also sell you that if you want.

Luxeon LEDs - 7007-PWC-10-3 Luxeon Rebel Star - White Tri-Emitter, 540 Lumens @ 700mA

look here for the whites and I can set up the blues for you to order. or I can set up both the whites and blues for you at a $25 cost each there are 6 each per unit for a total of 12 on each heat sink. I am about to make an very large order in the order of 1000 for a friend so I will be able to get them for $25 each.

I hope this helps, I am trying to set up a web site that will allow anyone to buy everything it takes to make one from one place. I just do not have it up yet. sorry but I will help anyone that wants one. you just have to be patience because this is just a hobby for me and not what I do for a living so it may take a little bit of time to get around to helping everyone. and a new order for 50 lights is going to take a lot of my free time.

Mike

[smgsllc]

here is my tank it has the first generation on the right no PCB all hard soldered and wired on a surplus heat sink (running for two months) and with a surplus power supply and the left is the new generation with PCB, new power supply and nice acrylic glass (running only two weeks)on the leaf coral in the top right the dark purpleish center part is all that was there six weeks ago the rest is new growth.

[reefcouple]

Just a side note, if you really want results, t-5's for as nice as they are just wont measure up to MH's, they will never penetrate as well.

T-5'S were introduced for 2 reasons, cost and heat, they are great lights but if you really want it done right, in a 90g go with MH's 2-150's, 4x96's (2blue, 2 actinics)... you'll get great results....

I btw do also have t-5's and multiple HID'S for growing, so i know my way around lights fairly well... t-5's just wont quite measure up unfortunately for a productive reef... good luck to those of you using t-5's......

[NATIVEVAMAN]

Randy, I respectfully disagree and ask you to offer proof.