Why the trouble with LED

[snowmansnow]

Question: especially for experienced reefers...
Why do you think people have issues growing sps under LED?
I believe people are the variable... Given a quality led.. Because I've seen some nice tanks ..
So ... What seems to be the common issue?

I'm asking just to help folks along that may be experiencing issues.

B


So long, and thanks for all the fish.

 

[snowmansnow]

IMO it is the ability to constantly tinker that shoots many in the foot :/


So long, and thanks for all the fish.

 

[lsu_fishfan]

Experienced reefers transferring from t5 or metal halide to led think there isn't enough light when the tank is not as bright.

 

[brandonmason]

When I first got it

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3.5 months later

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[brandonmason]

These leds are the cheap chinese mars aquas. I supplement with t5s more for color

 

[picoreefguy]

SnowManSnow;1074960 wrote: IMO it is the ability to constantly tinker that shoots many in the foot :/


So long, and thanks for all the fish.

i agree with you here brandon, i have a friend who i talked into getting radion pros a couple years ago and it seems like every few months he tells me either hes turning them up or down or changing the spectrum on them. but even though hes always messing with the light settings his tank grows sps pretty well.

 

[thanhreef]

1. Led quality
2. Patience, patience, and patience

In my personal experience, it takes at least 4-6 months for SPS to adjust

 

[grouper therapy]

I never had problems with the growth I seen out of leds it was always the color intensity that I did not prefer. That seems to have changed for what ever reason (highly debated).

I've seen so many people over the years start out with A type (lighting, salt mixes, dosing,wave makers) them get impatient and switch to B type of all the above. They actually experienced better growth with the B type. But guess what ? It probably had nothing to do with the switch, more than likely it was the time in which the corals had encrusted or stabilized and were about to start growing anyway with out the change.
IMO reasons as Than stated.
Patience!!!
And leave the anecdotal evidence in the tank.
I just switched coffee brands and over to LEDs and my tank has never looked better! I'm sure it was the coffee.

 

[snowmansnow]

I agree that patience is a HUGE issue with reefers.
the higher end LEDs give you so many customization options.. and its easy to adjust the light to how you want it to look, and forget that THAT light may not be best for the corals.
LEDs are a LONG way from where they were 5 years ago... and I feel like we are getting into the age that they are viable.
I have 2 non pro radion g3 with 120 lenses over my shallow reef... along with 4 t5 that are on a few hours a day during peek, and things are finally starting to grow and regain color.
That being said.. .I constantly fight the urge to tweak something haha.

B

 

[pbyrmartin]

Also I just found out that nutrients levels in the tank has alot to do with bleaching corals with led, meaning if you have 0 phosphate and 0 nitrates and you only dosing ALK, CAL and MAG, you can bleach them easily with too much light.
So you have to dial your lights way back till your nutrients level comes up.

LED is very unforgiving what it comes to this

it seems we have to find a balance between nutrients/light intensity.

I am still learning.

 

[snowmansnow]

pbyrmartin;1075167 wrote: Also I just found out that nutrients levels in the tank has alot to do with bleaching corals with led, meaning if you have 0 phosphate and 0 nitrates and you only dosing ALK, CAL and MAG, you can bleach them easily with too much light.

So you have to dial your lights way back till your nutrients level comes up.



LED is very unforgiving what it comes to this



it seems we have to find a balance between nutrients/light intensity.



I am still learning.

I'd like to read on this. Have a link? I don't see the correlation .


So long, and thanks for all the fish.

 

[pbyrmartin]

SnowManSnow;1075202 wrote: I'd like to read on this. Have a link? I don't see the correlation .


So long, and thanks for all the fish.

This was from my own observations and bits and pieces of information I saw on the Internet
I had my light set to 65% at about 20 inch off the water and was bleaching my coral at the base
I drop them back to 40% max and the colors are coming back
Phosphate 0
Nitrates 0
Was not dosing any suppliments but Alk cal mag

I read somewhere that basically I have my coral on a lean diet and I am trying to blast them with light with no food
The only thing they can do is turn pale
To let me know something is wrong

But the experiment is still going
Will keep you posted

 

[russ-iv]

leds are more intense so they need more food. if they pale out your nitrate and phosphate is too low and you should go back to halides or t5.

if they are browning you gave in to that whole "add 20% par" thing for leds which is kinda true but not really.

im bombing my corals with 5-600 par with a meter just fine. i supplement nitrate or phosphate when they pale out and all is well again.

i would take a mars aqua over a kessil or an ai any day of the week.

 

[grouper therapy]

Russ-IV;1075267 wrote: leds are more intense so they need more food. if they pale out your nitrate and phosphate is too low and you should go back to halides or t5.

if they are browning you gave in to that whole "add 20% par" thing for leds which is kinda true but not really.

im bombing my corals with 5-600 par with a meter just fine. i supplement nitrate or phosphate when they pale out and all is well again.

i would take a mars aqua over a kessil or an ai any day of the week.

Explain please. More intense how?

 

[russ-iv]

grouper therapy;1075279 wrote: Explain please. More intense how?

leds are like laser pointers pointing down. halides and t5 have a great spread but i will burn a sheet of paper with a magnifying glass and an led before a halide and a magnifying glass. the concentration of the beam makes it more intense.

hard to explain but you get my gist.

 

[grouper therapy]

Laser verses flood light.

 

[russ-iv]

grouper therapy;1075287 wrote: Laser verses flood light.

yeah. exactly

halides and t5 are more uniform.

 

[snowmansnow]

Russ-IV;1075267 wrote: leds are more intense so they need more food. if they pale out your nitrate and phosphate is too low and you should go back to halides or t5.

if they are browning you gave in to that whole "add 20% par" thing for leds which is kinda true but not really.

im bombing my corals with 5-600 par with a meter just fine. i supplement nitrate or phosphate when they pale out and all is well again.

i would take a mars aqua over a kessil or an ai any day of the week.

just learning here,
but why does a more intense light dictate that your coral needs more food?

 

[russ-iv]

SnowManSnow;1075514 wrote: just learning here,
but why does a more intense light dictate that your coral needs more food?

so....

you ever ask yourself why a certain coral like a red planet or (insert coral name here) can only take 300 par while others running 1600 par have great color and growth?

same coral. different par.

just food for thought

 

[jvb89]

Photosynthesis cannot happen without nitrate and phosphate. And if my thinking is correct. ... more light more fuel, less light less fuel needed