2 Months under G4 Pros

[d2mini]

Thank you

Intresting I'm running higher PAR and also having crazy growth

Bottom, ~230 .... Middle ~420 .... Top ~560

Your using AB+, me too. How did you handle the new channels?

I personally got the Violet to 100% and left the Warm White at 5%

I matched the par of the violet to the other blues and the par of the white to the other colors.
In the evening I do stray off the AB+ for a couple hours going more white so I can see more of the "real" color of the coral. And it's an easier wb to take pics. haha

As far as PAR... yeah, I don't really get it. I've heard that with LED, the mid to high 200's is the sweet spot so that's what I went with.
With the shallow tank, even with these numbers I have to be careful with chalice placement on the sand bed because they get too much light. So i figure no need to go higher.

 

[PmRg]

I matched the par of the violet to the other blues and the par of the white to the other colors.
In the evening I do stray off the AB+ for a couple hours going more white so I can see more of the "real" color of the coral. And it's an easier wb to take pics. haha

As far as PAR... yeah, I don't really get it. I've heard that with LED, the mid to high 200's is the sweet spot so that's what I went with.
With the shallow tank, even with these numbers I have to be careful with chalice placement on the sand bed because they get too much light. So i figure no need to go higher.

Oh so your running WW at 24% as well

Yes less blue is easier for the pictures, and might give a different look sunset like.... good idea, I might give it a go

PAR is complicated and there is a direct corelation between PAR and Nutrients so I have an idea of High Nutrients ... more PAR, less nutrients .... less PAR. But it's just my understanding what really matters is we finding the correct balance for our tank apparently your balance is great, the growth is amazing!!!

Keep the amazing pictures coming I'll try to keep up as well

 

[MoneyMike1987]

Awesome mate installed my G4's 1 week ago... can't wait for the results

what's your PAR readings ?

BTW. great photography, as always

Pedro

A quantum sensor/meter is designed to measure the total number of photons between 400 nm and 700 nm, the photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) range. This works best for LED's

 

[Jeffdstafford]

Hey Dennis, I know you run the Profilux; did you ever consider the new GHL Mitras LX7 lights? I'm going to be starting a new build next year, and I'm either going with the G4's or the Mitras lights..seems like they are both great lights so it's a tough decision. Thanks!

 

[griff500]

Oh so your running WW at 24% as well

Yes less blue is easier for the pictures, and might give a different look sunset like.... good idea, I might give it a go

PAR is complicated and there is a direct corelation between PAR and Nutrients so I have an idea of High Nutrients ... more PAR, less nutrients .... less PAR. But it's just my understanding what really matters is we finding the correct balance for our tank apparently your balance is great, the growth is amazing!!!

Keep the amazing pictures coming I'll try to keep up as well

I thought it was opposite to that? High nutrients means you need lower PAR and low nutrients means you need higher PAR, on the basis that when there are less nutrients then they need energy from somewhere and it obviously comes from the light. Incorrect? If incorrect could you explain why and provide some source for the information?

When I have had nutrients spike up I have lowered PAR and it seemed to help.

 

[TonapahNorth]

Excellent update. Thanks for that.

Do you have growth shots for any softies? How do you feel they are doing? I read above that you thought chalices might be getting too much PAR?

 

[BluewaterLa]

I thought it was opposite to that? High nutrients means you need lower PAR and low nutrients means you need higher PAR, on the basis that when there are less nutrients then they need energy from somewhere and it obviously comes from the light. Incorrect? If incorrect could you explain why and provide some source for the information?

When I have had nutrients spike up I have lowered PAR and it seemed to help.

Think of it this way
Plain and simple the symbiotic algae within the coral tissue provides sun screen and nutrition they produce from photosynthesis. They are brown in color and also use dissolved organics in the water for food as the coral does soaking it up through their skin / flesh.

When we lower the nutrient levels in our reef system the symbiotic algae scale back in population within the coral tissue leaving behind the more colored pigment to show of the coral tissue.
This colors up the sps and at the same time reduces the amount of sunblock and food source for the coral

So with coloring up sps you lower nutrient levels, lower alkalinity toward natural seawater and lower the light intensity so you don't cook them with intense light or burn the coral with high alk.
Accelerated growth and extreme coloring up of sps is keeping your chemistry and parameters on the brink of disaster. It's best to do one or the other or just settle for what most are figuring out as a balance of nutrients and chemistry with the right amount of light to have GOOD growth and GOOD colors.
Best of both worlds in many aspects

Good luck and happy reefing
BluewaterLa / Mike

 

[reefwiser]

Dennis why the mounting of the lights so high above the tank 17"? When ecotech says to mount at 8 inches. Doesnot this change the optics of the lenses on the fixture which is designed for a 9" mounting?

 

[edosan]

With G3s and CoralLab studies, they found that the optimal high is 24" (very high), with the G4s 17" sound about right (probably best colour combination), studies are very new 2016...way after ETM build the mounts for the fixtures.

http://ecotechmarine.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/Ecotech_CoralLab_WP1.pdf

 

[d2mini]

Excellent update. Thanks for that.

Do you have growth shots for any softies? How do you feel they are doing? I read above that you thought chalices might be getting too much PAR?

I don't really have any softies, just sps and lps. The gorgonians are all doing very well though. I'm not sure if they've grown, but I know one of them rapidly recovered all it's lost tissue from when it first arrived.
The chalices are doing ok.

Dennis why the mounting of the lights so high above the tank 17"? When ecotech says to mount at 8 inches. Doesnot this change the optics of the lenses on the fixture which is designed for a 9" mounting?

Better light spread.
The facility in that Coral Lab article has their lights mounted 24" above the water of their grow out tanks.



Here's another couple SPS growth shots...

2 Months for this one...

And this Horrida has been much slower...
2 months growth again.

 

[edosan]

Think of it this way
Plain and simple the symbiotic algae within the coral tissue provides sun screen and nutrition they produce from photosynthesis. They are brown in color and also use dissolved organics in the water for food as the coral does soaking it up through their skin / flesh.

When we lower the nutrient levels in our reef system the symbiotic algae scale back in population within the coral tissue leaving behind the more colored pigment to show of the coral tissue.
This colors up the sps and at the same time reduces the amount of sunblock and food source for the coral

So with coloring up sps you lower nutrient levels, lower alkalinity toward natural seawater and lower the light intensity so you don't cook them with intense light or burn the coral with high alk.
Accelerated growth and extreme coloring up of sps is keeping your chemistry and parameters on the brink of disaster. It's best to do one or the other or just settle for what most are figuring out as a balance of nutrients and chemistry with the right amount of light to have GOOD growth and GOOD colors.
Best of both worlds in many aspects

Good luck and happy reefing
BluewaterLa / Mike

Well said!

 

[PmRg]

Think of it this way
Plain and simple the symbiotic algae within the coral tissue provides sun screen and nutrition they produce from photosynthesis. They are brown in color and also use dissolved organics in the water for food as the coral does soaking it up through their skin / flesh.

When we lower the nutrient levels in our reef system the symbiotic algae scale back in population within the coral tissue leaving behind the more colored pigment to show of the coral tissue.
This colors up the sps and at the same time reduces the amount of sunblock and food source for the coral

So with coloring up sps you lower nutrient levels, lower alkalinity toward natural seawater and lower the light intensity so you don't cook them with intense light or burn the coral with high alk.
Accelerated growth and extreme coloring up of sps is keeping your chemistry and parameters on the brink of disaster. It's best to do one or the other or just settle for what most are figuring out as a balance of nutrients and chemistry with the right amount of light to have GOOD growth and GOOD colors.
Best of both worlds in many aspects

Good luck and happy reefing
BluewaterLa / Mike

That's it very nice.

 

[Heymoose]

Thank you

Intresting I'm running higher PAR and also having crazy growth

Bottom, ~230 .... Middle ~420 .... Top ~560

Your using AB+, me too. How did you handle the new channels?

I personally got the Violet to 100% and left the Warm White at 5%

PmRg-
I'm also running my new XR15 G4's
For about a month now. Mounted 9" above on the RMS mounts. Using the AB+ at 40% intensity. What do you mean by "how are you handling the new channels"?

 

[PmRg]

PmRg-
I'm also running my new XR15 G4's
For about a month now. Mounted 9" above on the RMS mounts. Using the AB+ at 40% intensity. What do you mean by "how are you handling the new channels"?

Hello,

I ment AB+ schedule was made for the G3's so the violet and warm white is 0% so apparently @d2mini matched the other channels violet 100% and Warm White 24%

I personally got violet to 100% and Warm White at 5%.

Pedro

 

[Heymoose]

Hello,

I ment AB+ schedule was made for the G3's so the violet and warm white is 0% so apparently @d2mini matched the other channels violet 100% and Warm White 24%

I personally got violet to 100% and Warm White at 5%.

Pedro

I got ya - how do you customize that within the AB+ template?

 

[d2mini]

I got ya - how do you customize that within the AB+ template?

Just like any other graph. Log into ecosmart live in your browser, make your changes and click program lights.

 

[Lewis burks]

Wow! My G4 Pros are on an RMS (so 8-9", I think) on the AB+ at 65%. I reduced the intensity because my coralline growth stalled and my two test SPS STNed. I'm working on getting the balance of nutrients and parameters.

The test was performed with them 24 inch off the water i believe. this is where i hung mine at the full intensity. so far so good

 

[Larry L]

With G3s and CoralLab studies, they found that the optimal high is 24" (very high)

That study didn't exactly say that the optimal height is 24", it said:

"... Lighting is mounted 24 inches above the water to optimize spread and accessibility. ..."

So the 24" is partly due to needing access to the corals, since (I assume) they need to be working in and around the holding tanks all day without the lights getting in the way. For a home tank I don't think you really need 24" space above the tank for normal maintenance and feeding.

And then because of the lights being mounted so high, they need to run them at 100% intensity:

"... Reef Wholesale runs all of their LED lighting at 100% schedule brightness - this is due to the height of the fixtures above the water. ..."

Nothing there indicates to me that you can't run the lights on e.g. the standard 9" height RMS mounts, lower the intensity accordingly, and still be able to get results that are just as good as theirs.

 

[d2mini]

Nothing there indicates to me that you can't run the lights on e.g. the standard 9" height RMS mounts, lower the intensity accordingly, and still be able to get results that are just as good as theirs.

It's been my experience, that 8-10" is not optimal for SPS, especially if you are going by the typical recommendation of one unit per 24"-36" of tank length. Which many people are due to cost.
Look at the coral lab photos and notice how far apart the lights are from each other.
You don't need 24" of height, but the higher you go, the better/more even spread and color mixing you will have.

 

[FDAWG]

Wow great photo! The 105mm lens is on my xmas list.