I'm running a standard 120 tank with 2 kessil a360x supplemented by two 36in. Orphek led bars mounted 7 inches of the water. I run my kessils at about 80% for 10 hours. I've noticed some of my lps browning and losing a little color. I'm waiting to get my hands on the par meter but I'm starting to think this light setup isn't cutting it. Thoughts?
Lighting question
- Thread starter Dmac
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Perhaps too much light or par on the lps. You did not specify types, but some lps prefer less intense lighting and less time in the ‘sun’ and will start to lose color as they jettison some of their symbiotic algae to compensate and will look more bland or brownish. Or did you mean sps?
Try lowering the lps to an area with less par or lower the intensity of lighting and/or shorten the timing of lights on at that strength
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What are the parameters of your tank? Coral coloration is not solely tied to light.
Nitrate and phosphate?
You should be browning out at those levels. Snap a few pictures when your lights are back on. What specific kind of LPS corals are browning?
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All seems good, phos and nitrate are fine in my opinion. If they are happy and just a little discoloration then maybe just give them some time. Also, try feeding them individually once a week.
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If you are running 2 a360 Kessil at 80 percent plus the orphek strips , I would guess you could be hitting over 200 par in the center regions of the tank unobstructed towards the bottom. Watch BRS video or get the clubs par meter measurements. Again, most lps don’t need that much par for 10 hours a day. Depending on light placement the outer edges of tank should have lower par according to the BRS study. The acans can adapt over time as can other lps. To me, 10 hours is a long time for running light daily that high intensity.
