Par and mixed reef

[Manose]

So I want a true mixed reef sps, lps and zoas. Do I have enough par with just my Reefi Uno's or would I need the t5 and the Reefi?

 

[ISpeakForTheSeas]

From what I've seen, most people would probably recommend using the t5 as well if you're hoping to keep things like acros - some people can grow acros under 250 PAR, others at 400 PAR; ~300-350 seems to be the more typical recommendations that I've seen.

However, those sand bed numbers look pretty high even with just the LED for some of the LPS and Soft corals in the hobby (I've seen recommendations for some LPS, for example, in the 50-150 PAR range, with 50-100 being more frequently recommended), so you may need to find a way to offer some spots a bit of shade depending on the corals you're hoping to keep.


Hopefully we'll get some more experienced reefers chiming in for you here though.

 

[Manose]

Now I am more confused than ever as getting 350 on top with these lights is easy but keeping it at 150 below on the sand is difficult

 

[ISpeakForTheSeas]

Now I am more confused than ever as getting 350 on top with these lights is easy but keeping it at 150 below on the sand is difficult

My understanding is that that's likely because of the lens angle on the light; lights with broader angle lenses have more even but weaker distribution while narrower angle lenses give more hot spots with faster drop off around the edges (think room light for broad vs. spotlight for narrow).

Ironically, the relatively even distribution of your light may make it somewhat harder here to get a good PAR range for the various corals. Maybe one of the more lighting savvy folks like @oreo54 could help figure out a specific fix for your situation.

 

[Manose]

My understanding is that that's likely because of the lens angle on the light; lights with broader angle lenses have more even but weaker distribution while narrower angle lenses give more hot spots with faster drop off around the edges (think room light for broad vs. spotlight for narrow).

Ironically, the relatively even distribution of your light may make it somewhat harder here to get a good PAR range for the various corals. Maybe one of the more lighting savvy folks like @oreo54 could help figure out a specific fix for your situation.

I will take all the help I can and thank you
This tank will have stuff like bubblegum digi,rfa's around the rocks, zoas, shrooms,torches and a clam in the sand once it matures

 

[dwest]

I bet that either lighting system would work well. I also bet that most of the corals (and especially the clam on the sand) would do better with the T5’s.

 

[Manose]

I bet that either lighting system would work well. I also bet that most of the corals (and especially the clam on the sand) would do better with the T5’s.

Thank you for the input as I was worried I had too much par

 

[Reef Puncher]

if you have both already use both. if one isnt purchased yet, say only the numbers in yellow, the unos, then that itself is sufficient for a mixed reef, with sps, zoas, and lps. all sps would be fine except acros. thats the one single coral you would need both for. if your ok without acros, as there are lots of other sps, then you will be fine. one tip, dont even think about adding acros until you see corraline algae growing. acros need stable, stable, tanks.

 

[Manose]

if you have both already use both. if one isnt purchased yet, say only the numbers in yellow, the unos, then that itself is sufficient for a mixed reef, with sps, zoas, and lps. all sps would be fine except acros. thats the one single coral you would need both for. if your ok without acros, as there are lots of other sps, then you will be fine. one tip, dont even think about adding acros until you see corraline algae growing. acros need stable, stable, tanks.

Yeah I just wanted to get setup for when I cut the lights on because I am just now getting a couple fish.
When I do cut the lights on it will be slowly not sure how long to avoid most the ugly stage. Once the tank was cycled and was stable I added copepods(32oz) and feed phyto to keep them going.