Led Noob questions..help...pleaseee..

Couldnt this potentially bleach or brown corals out?

 

Lots of info in this thread is slightly off.

It's actually a 2:1 ratio of blues to whites, the standard I think in most cases. They are Crees a mix of XP-E and XP-G's.

Too much blue can not lead to bleaching in coral alone, it can however contribute. Blue penetrates water easier than white spectrum resulting in more par at deeper levels. Bleaching is either water quality related or an over abundance of lighting in general typically. Bleaching in corals is a result of the Zoox all jumping ship leaving the coral behind to starve with no form of creating nutrients on it's own.


To answer your OP:
1. Is this enough light for a mixed reef.. zoas and sps?

This is mostly a concern for spread, it is definitely enough light, it is just a question if the spread is suitable for your personal preference.

2. If so, how high would you hang them off the water. I saw someone else did 8".

10-12" would be a good starting place, watch your stuff closely and move em up or down accordingly.

3. What % should I run the whites and blues at depending on your answer above?

Personal preference for the most part. You will want to blend your colors to something that is pleasing to your eye, however you will likely want to start lower (less power) and acclimate your coral over time to increased lighting.

4. What would be a good percentage to start with once I transfer from T5's? And how fast should I increase the percentage (if this is the right thing to do? or should you just set a % in the beginning and stick to it?)

Start at the lowest setting the PWM controller allows and work up over the course of several weeks IMO.

5. How difficult would it be to replace some whites or blues with 1 or 2 red or violet UV or cyans? I want the red color to come out a little more in my corals than they do with just the 50/50 white blue.

I sent this to you in a PM

6. Are led's like halides where you shouldnt blast corals with them for over 8hrs a day? I thought I read that you cant do that with with mh's and thought led's might be similar.


The controller you mentioned already allows for sunrise sunset and it will depend a lot on your system requirements. I have seen some people run AI sols at 30% power and only ramp up to 100% for an hour or two, then back down. This is definitely a consideration to be made, but the run time will ultimately need to be decided by you.

 

Thanks again andrew.