LED Intensity

[Aquattro]

Originally Posted by Delphinus

What you should do is try placing them in various different spots and seeing what you like best.

Well ya, but no. The question is rather than going with 4 or 5 or 6 lights at 50% intensity, why not go with less units, a little higher, at say, 80%? Most threads you read claim to run at much lower than full intensity. I'm sure visual coverage with three units in my case will be fine at 50 or 100, but what I'm concerned with is color of corals. I need to maintain that.

But more generally, just asking why most people run lower than 100. a single unit on a small tank is self explanatory, the lamp is clearly too powerful and you can't run less than one. But for 4' tanks, why run the lamp or multiple units at less than full, then buy additional lights to make up for it?

[jorjef]

Originally Posted by Aquattro

But more generally, just asking why most people run lower than 100. a single unit on a small tank is self explanatory, the lamp is clearly too powerful and you can't run less than one. But for 4' tanks, why run the lamp or multiple units at less than full, then buy additional lights to make up for it?

For me it's because I only have LPS and softies and I don't want to torch anything. I think this is the case in the other thread. There didn't seem to be alot of feedback from SPS only tanks. I increased the white by 5% one day and there seemed to be alot of corals less than fully opened, could have been fine in a few days after an adjustment period but I have way too many corals to take the chance. There will always be a give and take regarding coral colors when switching lighting systems...some will look better some won't.

[Aquattro]

Originally Posted by jorjef

For me it's because I only have LPS and softies and I don't want to torch anything. I think this is the case in the other thread. There didn't seem to be alot of feedback from SPS only tanks. I increased the white by 5% one day and there seemed to be alot of corals less than fully opened, could have been fine in a few days after an adjustment period but I have way too many corals to take the chance. There will always be a give and take regarding coral colors when switching lighting systems...some will look better some won't.

I guess that makes sense. Do you have multiple units? Or single fixture? If multiples, could you have gone less units at a higher intensity? Or would that still be too much, just more localized?

[Doug]

My fixture has 20- 3w lights, a combo of half blue and half white. They run full power all the time, unless I want a more blue look at times. I have acro,s less than a foot from them, near the top of my 20g tank

[jorjef]

Originally Posted by Aquattro

I guess that makes sense. Do you have multiple units? Or single fixture? If multiples, could you have gone less units at a higher intensity? Or would that still be too much, just more localized?

Two units on a 48" tank. No one unit would have never been enough to cover the 48 inches, even with increased intensity. It created uneven lighting, middle 24"-30" was fine but the ends were too shaded.

[Aquattro]

Originally Posted by jorjef

Two units on a 48" tank. No one unit would have never been enough to cover the 48 inches, even with increased intensity. It created uneven lighting, middle 24"-30" was fine but the ends were too shaded.

Makes sense.

[Cal_stir]

Have you considered a vertex or sunbrite?

[Aquattro]

Originally Posted by Cal_stir

Have you considered a vertex or sunbrite?

Not really. I don't want a large fixture, and we all know tanks get upgraded all the time, so I want to be able to expand on lighting if needed. I also insist that all my devices are controllable via my Apex.