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LED Lighting Schedule


Wade

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I searched the forums and couldn't find anything more recent than 2010. LEDs have changed quite a bit since then I think so lets revisit this topic. Since I've changed to LEDs from MH (due to heat problems) I've been running my LEDs maxed out at 60% blue, 45% white. I have a Reefbreeders Photon 48" fixture (less than 6 months old) hung about 7" above the water level. My schedule started at 6am at about 3% b 0%w, ramped up to 60% at noon and stayed at 60% until about 8pm and then went back down to 3% until midnight when it shut off completely. Some recent research has led me to believe that was a ridiculously long schedule and that it should really be no longer than 12 hours. I found this schedule on the Reefbreeders site and initiated it today. It uses an Excel spreadsheet to calculate the natural progression of light based on your input for the desired max blue and white intensities. My coral didn't see to be unhappy with what I was using, but I also wasn't seeing a tremendous amount of growth either. Maybe this will allow me to ramp up a little higher in intensity since I'll be staying at that intensity for a shorter period of time. Also, will shortening the lighting schedule by 4 - 6 hours cause any problems initially? Even though my schedule was 18 hours, the first few and last few were very low (3% - 5%). Thoughts?

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Is there any advantage or disadvantage to keeping your lights at peak intensity for several hours straight instead of ramping up and back down? Is there truly an optimal method, based on research or experience, that promotes the best health and growth for the coral?

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I am not sure if there is anything that suggests ramping up and down will promote any growth or not. I ramp mine up and down so as not to startle the fish every time they turn on and off. The fish freak out everytime, think about when you are sleeping and then BAM!!! someone turns the bright lights on

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Is there any advantage or disadvantage to keeping your lights at peak intensity for several hours straight instead of ramping up and back down? Is there truly an optimal method, based on research or experience, that promotes the best health and growth for the coral?

I haven't read any definitive results that conclude ramping up or down is better or worse than just turning your lights on and off using a lamp timer. My lights don't turn on until 10am and the fish are up before then anyway so they don't get startled. I suppose if you were turning your lights on at like 8am then you might startle the fish.

Ramping up and down became popular as MH became a more common form of lighting. Since you can't run MH all day, everyone uses LED or T-5 lights that run before and after peak times, at a weaker intensity. As far as I know, the ramping up and down is mostly aesthetic to simulate day/night cycles of night. Like I said, I'm no expert. I'm just a fish nerd that's on the internet too much.

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I sort of ramp by running actinics for about 12 hours a day and my MH for about 5.

My main concern would be bleaching or scorching them with LED's and I would think a thoughtful ramping schedule would be better on the coral since it would more naturally mimic sunlight intensity throughout the day. I haven't seen any actual study on this or anything, just seems logical.

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*NOTE* I have only been running my tank for about 4 months now (so not an expert by any means) */NOTE*

here is what my current lighting schedule is like for my main tank:

BML super actinic:

If Time 06:00 to 09:00 Then 10to35
If Time 09:01 to 15:00 Then 35to75
If Time 15:01 to 17:00 Then 75to35
If Time 17:01 to 20:00 Then 35to10

BML 14K

If Time 06:30 to 09:30 Then 10to35
If Time 09:31 to 14:30 Then 35to75
If Time 14:31 to 16:30 Then 75to35
If Time 16:31 to 19:30 Then 35to10

BML 12L

If Time 07:00 to 10:00 Then 10to35
If Time 10:01 to 13:30 Then 35to75
If Time 13:31 to 16:00 Then 75to35
If Time 16:01 to 19:00 Then 35to10

BML Refugium universal spectrum:

If Time 20:00 to 21:00 Then 10to35
If Time 21:01 to 02:30 Then 35to75
If Time 02:31 to 04:00 Then 75to35
If Time 04:01 to 06:00 Then 35to10

the 10to35 profile is a 120 minute ramp up

the 35to75 profile is a 60 minute ramp up

the 75to35 profile is a 60 minute ramp down

the 35to10 profile is a 120 minute ramp down

*note* very subject to change based upon feedback.

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@jestep: That was my thought as well. LEDs seem to be more intense, but I'm not even close to an expert on lighting (other end of the spectrum is more likely) so what seems logical to me may make an expert cringe. Either way, i'll keep the 12 hour schedule I've changed to I think (actually 14 hour because I run the moon lights (3% blue) from 9p - 11p) and then maybe slowly increase my intensity (5% a week) until I reach 75 or 80% on the blues to give me some more light for my new SPS. May take me longer than that because i"m going to take a month to slowly move the ones that are used to MH up from lower-mid where they are now to the top half of the tank. Then I'll start to increase the intensity a small percentage each week.

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on my main tank i run all three channels (blue, white, and royal blue evenly). i think on my main tank i ramp up from 0 - 100% from 1PM - 3PM then ramp it back down from 100% - 0 from 11PM-1AM. zero actually varies because my lights have moon phase feature so it runs 0 to 4% royal blue overnight depending on the fullness of the moon.

i'm 99.9% sure that the moon light is for me only, and i doubt it has any significant affect on the inhabitants. leaving the light in the room on results in higher PAR readings than my full moon lights. and with our schedules, those lights are often on for 24 hours a day. anyway, the ramp up for the sun may be for us or may be for them.

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Your schedule seems similar to mine. I have been pretty satisfied with it for now. the max is at 80% on two channels for about 4 hours and the one channel is set to 50% max( it is rated as a 14 kelvin multi chip thingy) then there is the ramping up and down schedule part. from the looks of it via the reefbreeders website, my light is similar, well at least the controller is, but maybe the leds as well. dunno. Since, install these lights 3 months ago. i have had great growth and great colouration as well. I am getting ready to adjust the schedule for less time on, but more intensity. The only draw back that I have noticed since, is a little algae out break, but I have been able to control it and it is getting better, knocking on wood. Of course I know there are other factors contributing to growth besides light.....water quality......flow....oh....me staringdribble.gifat tank daily!!!

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Your schedule seems similar to mine. I have been pretty satisfied with it for now. the max is at 80% on two channels for about 4 hours and the one channel is set to 50% max( it is rated as a 14 kelvin multi chip thingy) then there is the ramping up and down schedule part. from the looks of it via the reefbreeders website, my light is similar, well at least the controller is, but maybe the leds as well. dunno. Since, install these lights 3 months ago. i have had great growth and great colouration as well. I am getting ready to adjust the schedule for less time on, but more intensity. The only draw back that I have noticed since, is a little algae out break, but I have been able to control it and it is getting better, knocking on wood. Of course I know there are other factors contributing to growth besides light.....water quality......flow....oh....me staringdribble.gifat tank daily!!!

Don't forget classical music..... oh that may make the algae grow faster, nevermind.

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My schedule is pretty simple. Light are on for about 11 hours, but only at "full" being 90% of my fixture for about 6 hours.

My BMLED custom Blue/UV come on at 10% at 10am, and ramps to 90% over an 100 minutes, so by 11:40 they are at 90%.

My BMLED reef spectrum comes on at 10:15 at 10% and ramps to 90% over 2 hours, so by 12:15 both lights are at 90% until 5:45.

Then the ramp up "schedule"

at 5:45 Reef spectrum from 90 to 10 for 3 hours

at 7:00 the Blue/UV goes from 90 to 10 over two hours.

So lights are out at 9:00pm. I did that, thinking that was not to much different that the sun light they would get in the ocean, granted the schedule would start way earlier in the day in "real life" but then they would be off too soon for me to enjoy, so I rotated the "earth" a little to offset the light schedule. :)

Given that I am just starting back up, I still don't have many coral in the tank, but it seems to serve me well before. The only time a make a change was when I had a cyano outbreak, I reduced both length and intensity until it was under control.

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So lights are out at 9:00pm. I did that, thinking that was not to much different that the sun light they would get in the ocean, granted the schedule would start way earlier in the day in "real life" but then they would be off too soon for me to enjoy, so I rotated the "earth" a little to offset the light schedule. smile.png

i make sure to get all my fish and corals from hawaii and then have adjusted my schedule for them.

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The sun sets at 6:30 in Hawai'i and there is no Day Light Savings Time.

i was trying to make a joke about not shifting their time, since they don't know about timezones...well, time for that matter. so my tank wakes up around 7:00 HST.

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