Hi all - Past few months Some of my coral have been withdrawing. I have been dealing with high nitrates for a while now and thought maybe the coral issue was related. I'm working on lowering nitrates but made this observation. Lights (Hydra 26HD) start ramp up at 12. As expected corals start to open during ramp. What I have noticed is about the time ramp is over most of my corals start to close up and within an hour or so are closed. I know conventional thinking is lights are too high. I have had my lights on their current level for over a year. I actually lowered the intensity a bit to see if that helped anything which it didn't. They stay pretty much closed until 5 or so than start opening back up. Ideas? Could lights be malfunctioning and somehow increased intensity on their own? Been dealing with this for a while now so any ideas would be appreciated.
Lights causing this?
- Thread starter rhorn67
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What Do you mean but ramp is over. A tank peak? Or the end of the day?
I get the ramp yes.
At what point are the corals closing in the ramp. It wasn't clear.
Rufus’ goofs
Well-Known Member
I would do as Cory suggested, that seems like the most definitive way to figure out if it's your light, but if you're lights have been at this setting for a year, I'd think it wasn't them.
I would think that if the light was way too much for certain corals, it would have offed them by now, and that other more hungry ones would have sped up their metabolisms.
I'm definitely not an expert, and positive that others will have better advice.
I'm very curious to see how this turns out.
If it were me, I'd get the nitrates down, and if that didn't do it, test the light, as Cory suggested.
Hope you figure things out.
I would think that if the light was way too much for certain corals, it would have offed them by now, and that other more hungry ones would have sped up their metabolisms.
I'm definitely not an expert, and positive that others will have better advice.
I'm very curious to see how this turns out.
If it were me, I'd get the nitrates down, and if that didn't do it, test the light, as Cory suggested.
Hope you figure things out.
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No worries.
Yea def drop the lights like @Cory said.
Pretty odd response. It's usually just bleaching or loss of zoanthlene. I have some hammers right now doing that.
Doesn't seem like you have a particularly steep ramp.
Yea def drop the lights like @Cory said.
Pretty odd response. It's usually just bleaching or loss of zoanthlene. I have some hammers right now doing that.
Doesn't seem like you have a particularly steep ramp.
Rufus’ goofs
Well-Known Member
I believe @saltyfilmfolks knows a few tricks for estimating your par with out breaking the bank.
Yup. Lux meter. $15.
It's a basic guide. Rough Esp depending on your color setting. At full color most led have a conversion of 60.
6000 lux is 100 par.
So 24000 lux is 400 par.
So devide you lux at the top of the tank and devide by 60.
Percentages may not equal a par number or lux number. So at least now you'll have a number to go by.
Fwiw for most 18in 20in tanks 400 par at the top is a really good number.
Less white and more blue gives you a higher conversion number. Like 65 70. So do that math as well.
It's a basic guide. Rough Esp depending on your color setting. At full color most led have a conversion of 60.
6000 lux is 100 par.
So 24000 lux is 400 par.
So devide you lux at the top of the tank and devide by 60.
Percentages may not equal a par number or lux number. So at least now you'll have a number to go by.
Fwiw for most 18in 20in tanks 400 par at the top is a really good number.
Less white and more blue gives you a higher conversion number. Like 65 70. So do that math as well.
Awesome. I'm running at 14k spectrum. I lowered the light intensity to 30% this morning so I will monitor today. Will check amazon for a lux meter.
I"m pretty close to Vivid Aquariums. They have a loaner par meter you can rent for $20 which I did when I originally set the tank up and got my lights where I wanted them. Would be nice to have my own way to measure whenever I need to.
If you put the Lux meter next to the par meter. You can make you own Lux conversion number based on your own colors
That's a great idea. monitored the past two days after lowering light intensity and corals receded back the same as they did at the higher intesity. Thought that was a stretch but am trying anything at this point.
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