Help with ReefBreeders Photon V2 and Zoas

[ApoIsland]

I have a 48'' Photon V2, plus 2 of the blue/uv lumen bars over a 120g 4x2x2 mixed reef. Trying to find the sweet spot for light intensity on this sucker is tough.

Purchased this light about a year ago and while the colors of the corals look very nice, it has been a constant struggle regarding shading and poor spread. I had 4x of the black boxes on this tank for years prior, so I knew it would be a little step down with this light as I was going from 220 x LED down to 152 x LED but did not expect such an extreme.

I have it mounted about 15'' above the water surface and I run channels 3,5,6 at 80% and channel 4 at 40% from 1pm to 9pm with a 1 hour ramp up (starting 1pm) and 1 hour ramp down (ending 9pm all lights off). The black boxes were running from 2pm to 9pm for the last 6 or 7 years. I have tried changing the intensity all the way down to 60% blue / 30% white and nothing improved. I bumped the intensity up to 90% blue/ 45% white and the favia and rock flower nems seemed to not like that at all. Plus there was no change in the zoas.

While most corals have their growth slowed to a crawl, they are still looking good. The zoas are my real concern. Almost all zoas hate this light throughout the entire tank regardless of placement low on the rock to high on the rock, low flow to high flow, and the last few months have really started to close up. Only 3 colonies are still doing well under the Photon. I moved a few zoas to the sump where I have one of the old black boxes then they eventually recovered and look fine, just not nearly as colorful of course because well they are under cheap black boxes. I moved the other zoas to a holding tank and they are opening back up.

The water is not the issue as the corals in the sump are in same water just a different light and are all looking good. I don't believe it is a fish issue as I have never been able to see anyone nipping zoas. I don't believe it is a pest issue as I would have the same issue in the sump.

Anyone have similar issues with this light and zoas? Or can possibly share what mounting height and light intensity / duration the rest of this community uses? I'm the only one locally that I know of who uses this light so you guys are my only hope

Thank you.

 

[oreo54]

Black boxes use about the best of cheap leds, hopefully. The photon supposedly uses

The Photon V2+ uses 5 watt Cree XT-Es, and 3 watt Cree, Semi, and Osram diodes

Diode count or wattage will probably not be a good comparison for output differences.
The CREES can be 2 to 3 times more efficient than bb diodes not even factoring in running at a higher current, which I have no idea if they do or not not knowing the drivers in the Reefbreeders.

I suspect without ANY practical experience you need to go down not up in output.

 

[ApoIsland]

Black boxes use about the best of cheap leds, hopefully. The photon supposedly uses

Diode count or wattage will probably not be a good comparison for output differences.
The CREES can be 2 to 3 times more efficient than bb diodes not even factoring in running at a higher current, which I have no idea if they do or not not knowing the drivers in the Reefbreeders.

I suspect without ANY practical experience you need to go down not up in output.

Thanks for the input Oreo. When I moved down to 60 from 80 the remaining zoas that were doing well started stretching up so I interpreted that as needing more light and not less. I suppose those could just be the very high light tolerant zoas and all others can not handle.

 

[Bpb]

It is extremely helpful to use a par meter. Not all zoas are the same obviously but you’d really know if you’re anywhere close to the Goldilocks zone of par how you have your zoas placed and the lights programmed

 

[jaketuff]

Any luck OP?

 

[ApoIsland]

Any luck OP?

Thanks for checking in but unfortunately not much. It really does seem like a lack of light issue. I currently have the lights at 70/35 and while one colony directly in the middle, and surprisingly one on the upper back portion look good, the others still are stretching up. I don't want to turn the lights up any higher than that as the favia and rock flower nems on the bottom start to look less happy and I can't move those. Decided I'm not going to risk all the other corals, and the zoas look healthy in the sump so that is where they will stay for now.

In a couple months I'll be going from the 120g to two 90g tanks plumbed together so I'll just plan to keep them in their own tank under the black boxes and occasionally experiment with placement under the photon when I can.