LEDs, not so great for SPS?

[minus9]

Early October last year.

[ca1ore]

This is a picture from last week .....



.... and about 2 years ago.

[dohc97]

Originally Posted by ca1ore

Any point source light will have shading problems. MH got around this problem by using large reflectors. Kessil got around it with the AP700 in the same way. It is an issue with the Kessil pendants. Only way around it is to either add more pendants or a 'line source' light like T5 or reefbreeders LED.

I looked into buying an ap700 but it looks to me like the same problem. 2 pucks is not going to fix my issue. I can see where 4 would work. I'm hoping the 2 t5s help a lot if not I'll add 2 more for a total of 4. I would sell the Jessie but I like the shimmer. Going metal halide might not be an option for me at this time, due to heat

[ca1ore]

I've not used the AP700, but understood it to use different lenses/diffuser to get around the point source problem like MH does. Check the AP700 thread.

[timnem70]

Originally Posted by vhuang168

Top down of my 40b. At about the 1 year mark. Kessil AP700.

All started out as frags, most in the 1" size, some bigger.

Your lights are not the reason you have slow growth. 0 nitrates and 0 phosphates are not good for sps growth and color.

I believe if you run high light, you need more nutrients in the water.

I feed heavy and have 8 fish in the tank. I had to back off on my fuge light schedule , stop my skimmer for periods and not run socks to get my nitrates and phosphates over 0.


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+1. Too many have posted beautiful reefs using all forms of lighting. While your specific reef may seem to do better under different lighting, all lights produce. It's the other select parameters and such that Make your SPS grow. While LPS are mostly photosynthetic, SPS use what we think of as "bad" elelments i.e Phosphate in a hobby environment. The ocean has traceable amounts of a sorts of stuff that stony corals use to build themselves. One being Phosphate. It is hard to do a mixed reef if you have the mindset that having good, super clean water will help the SPS grow and thrive. It's a tight Balance. Too clean... Anemones and others grow really well, SPS survive but don't seem to grow. Too "dirty" LPS recede and SPS have their day.
There may be, and I am
Just guessing, more bacterial growth with MH or T5 because of the light source than LED? But no growth due to just a Lighting source? I don't buy into that.
All 3 sources, especially the time tried favorites will "grow" corals. And, there are far to many testimonials from AP700 and other LEDs, Especially if you supplement with the other 2 that blow me away
I hope you find a balance and find a happy place

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