Best Lighting for Zoes
 

What is the best Lighting to run for Zoes??

thx

T5 is usually the best

T5 work.
Led work.
Metal Halide Work.
Fluorescent work.

Different zoas and palys respond differently to different light.

The general approach is to start colonies on the bottom of the tank and move them up. Especially if the appear to be reaching for the light.

Good luck.


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I was under the impression that their light requirements are about the same as other LPS.. lots of my friends use generic leds so they're not that picky

Have seen the same colony of zoas under all lights. I currently run LED and they do fine. They will do fine under most lights. All explosive growth I have seen usually is affiliated with a T5 fixture.

I’ve own high end LEDs and T5s and found that T5s are much better.


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Tagging along. Surprised to see that T5s are favored over LEDS

Based on what? Two replies? Corals aren't programmed to prefer one light source over another. It's just that reefers are more likely to blame lighting over water params because they don't understand that later.

Here's a 6month old 10gal I had running a 10watt custom LED build. Growth was obnoxious and I resorted to throwing away colonies of gobstoppers, king midas, green implosions (ok, weeds), and other because I couldn't give them away.

<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/42148466@N04/6373991443/in/dateposted-public/" title="_MG_2310"><img src="https://farm7.staticflickr.com/6224/6373991443_d168c1b8a1_b.jpg" width="1024" height="683" alt="_MG_2310"></a>******** async src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

My zoas did excellent under my Radion LEDs. Under T5 I find they get fried unless they are in the corners or on the bottom of the tank. But I am running 8 bulbs, perhaps less would be better for zoas.

For looks, I think LEDs in a blue shade make zoas pop more than anything else.

I’ve been doing this for longer than 2 months or even 10 years.
Used every single conceivable light to grow corals out.
LED’s work, T5 Work, Fluorescence Work, halides Work.

The bottom line is these corals will survive under any light. It’s not just the light. Your alk and calcium matter. So does your nutrient load.
Know this, it’s not uncommon for tanks to do incredible and then suddenly crash. Know that ultimately, that is the end game. We do not have infinite systems that can maintain these animals forever and ever. The tanks crash, it’s how you deal with that.

Read, learn, get ready to restart the tank 10 times over the next 20 years.





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Have never heard that. A stable tank can't crash if you do not interfere with the bacteria population. If tanks crash it's because of power outs or because of people letting things slip.

There is always a reason a tank crashes. Which can come from a completely unknown issue.
If you’ve never heard this before, then you need to stick around. Seen it happen to tanks with solid regimens, but typically it’s from a missed or unrealized issue.
:thumbsup:

If your tank is crashing every two years, you need to re-evaluate what you are doing. No way it should crash that often.

Yeah, definitely, but guess what? It happens.
Some people have tanks that run for 20 years straight.
Though, most of us have experienced a crash or five.
Know that it is an inevitable reality, it’s totally natural.

All lights work. Just what you like. I like less.

Wow, this page made me look at things from a whole different angle. I just assumed LED was better just because it is newer tech. The more I read I'm starting to think that I might go with T5 instead.

Yes, leds are newer, AND they are a lot more adaptable than t5's for sunrise/sunset and even color control (dimmers rather than changing out t5 bulbs). Oh, and they run cooler if they are designed properly (mine run very close to room temperature).

But all light sources (MH, t5, led and combo) are just making light. Newer fixtures don't make better light.

my zoas always grew slower with my LED's t5's were best for me as far as growth but nothing beats leds in colors