Quote:
Originally Posted by slay
Can someone explain to me the reasons and needs for running LEDs at less than maximum power and how to dial in my needs? How and why should I go about tuning the intensity of the lighting cycle?
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The reason for running many/most led fixtures at less than 100% power is because at that level you would bleach/burn your corals. Especially corals that are in the upper part of the water column. The led is 'focused' light and therefore much brighter than you would think given the lower wattage.
Set your initial power levels low and adjust them to a color (shade of white/blue) you like. I'd suggest you start at something like 50% blue and 25% white (or even less) and then bump it up 10% every week or two. I run my fixture at 100% blue and 50% white.
But understand, that is after a full 3 years of slowly bumping up the power levels from the 50% blue and 25% white when I started. Put a sacrificial coral as high in the tank as your highest coral and when it starts to show signs of bleaching, dial the power back a touch and you are good to go.
Even after you have hit a 'final' power level, you can still bump up the power again after a few months. You can dial up the power another 2% to 5% as the corals will have acclimated to the old max level.
If you have access to a PAR meter the whole process is much easier. Put the sensor at the bottom of the tank and set the power level so you get a reading of 100 to 200 and you should be good to go. PAR meters very easy to use but they are also quite expensive and not very useful otherwise, so try to borrow one from an LFS or a fellow club member in your area. I loan mine out a lot in exchange for a coral frag.