Mixed LED (Kessil A360WE) and T5s question (1 Viewer)

[oguzman]

Good afternoon everyone,

I've been running only Kessil A360WE's on my 75g for about 2 months now and my softies LPS and SPS have been coloring up beautifully! Unfortunately, I've noticed one issue, the shadowing has killed out parts of my SPS and is causing uneven growth. Because of that I decided to add a pair of T5s that I will run in the middle of the day to supplement my LEDs. I purchased a relatively affordable reflector the Coral Life 48'' Aqualight. Reading reviews online I've also decided to use ATI bulbs (The Blue Plus and the AquaBlue Special) does anyone have another recommendation in terms of bulbs I can switch to later on?

My current lighting schedule is the Kessils turn on at 8am and ramp up for 3 hours (until 11am) to 75% intensity at around 40% color until 7pm where they begin to ramp down. I want to have the T5s turn on around 12 and go until 4pm to give it about 4 hours.

My question is will this type of lighting bleach my lower light corals over time (I have a gorgeous meat coral that sits at the center of the tank away from the lights)? My acclimation will be to start out with one hour of T5 lighting this week and then add on one hour a week afterwards until I hit about 4 hours? Does this sound like a solid approach?

Thank You!!

 

[flipside]

I don't think those fixtures will be good enough for SPS, but you're on the right path. I have a friend that runs 2 T5 bulbs on the front and 2 on the back of his 6ft tank. In the middle are 3 A360WE's, and he loves this combo. Great colors, and even better pop. The only thing is, those A360WE's pack a wollop, so you really need to get a PAR meter and get the height off the water dialed in. I think he's 16" from the water surface on his tank, but his tank is only 18" tall. You really need to borrow/purchase a good PAR meter to dial in LED's, IMO.

However, when you do get it setup, it will be an experience you won't regret.

T5's have this "thing" about them. Scientifically speaking, you can get all the PAR and spectrum(s) you could ever need. Bro science wise, they have a way to "wrap" their lighting around a coral, to provide a "framed picture" kind-of effect. With the Kessils on, you'll get a very desirable shimmer.

As far as bulb combinations go, that's totally relative to your tank. SPS, I'd run two ATI B+ and 2 ATI C+. That'll throw down quite a bit of the PAR and spectrum you need, too. Again... you'll need that PAR meter. I like to aim for 100-120 PAR on the sandbed, if that helps. I'm an SPS kinda' guy, too.

Geismann makes an interesting kit that I've been wanting to try. It's retrofit, though... don't know if you're into that. Here's a link to BRS' site, with what I'm talking about:

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The thing about T5's is it's not just the bulb that is important. The ballast is a pretty big deal too. Geismann makes good products, so I'd assume that their ballasts are spot on. Of course, be sure to research for yourself if you do go this route.

Now... that all being said, you should have more than enough coverage with your Kessils to light up your tank with minimal issues. You may need to raise the lights a bit. Again, they pack more of a punch than you think. Of course, a sure fire way of making 100% sure is to get that PAR meter. I believe our club has one of the newer models you can borrow, so that's the route I'd recommend first. You may be cooking your corals.

Side note: BRS just did a special on reef lighting that I believe covers lighting better than most have done in the past 10 years in this hobby. I'm looking forward to what they find, and recommend watching this video when you get a chance. Good stuff!

https://youtu.be/FHVFMPHayPw

Good luck to you!

 

[oguzman]

Thank you for the response flipside. I think I need to find a comfortable medium between bleaching out my lower light corals and keeping my SPS healthy.