10 gallon tank (12" deep) with Current USA Orbit Marine question

[dlaunde]

Hey all,

 

I just setup a 10 gallon tank (12" deep with glass top) tank and am using a Current USA Orbit Marine 18-24" model (36 Blue 425/460nm LED's and 36 White 8/12k LED's) light sitting on top of the glass (so about 3" off the water surface). Tank has 9lbs live rock and I just added three soft coral frags on Saturday (a mushroom, leather, and zoa). I placed the mushroom near the bottom of the LR, the zoa near the middle of the LR/tank, and the leather is about 65% up on the LR/tank. Water parameters are all spot on except Ammonia which is 0.25ppm but I am constantly checking and working on lowering it (my mistake as my cycle seemed complete but ammonia spiked and I didn't catch it before going to my LFS).

 

I originally just had the light set to 12 hour cycle (8am to 8pm with 30 minute ramp up/down and 6 hours moonlight at 2% Blue) with 100% Blue/75% White but noticed the zoa and the leather barely opened during the day time and instead opened more during the ramp up/ramp down times. The mushroom, however, was always open during this cycle and was only ever closed after the moonlight went off and right before the ramp up time in the mornings. So I switched to 60% Blue/30% White with the same 12 hour cycle/ramp/moonlight times this morning.

 

I know for deeper/bigger tanks there is a lot to take into account setting light output/intensities but for a 12" deep tank it seems there are more easily advised settings to use. Any input on my new 60/30 settings? Still too much or now not enough? Did I place any of the corals too high or low (all of the readings say soft corals do best near the bottom or middle)? What should I be looking for to see if the light output is too much or not enough?

 

Thanks!

[dlaunde]

Came home from class just now and the zoa and leather are open and look like they did at my LFS before I purchased them. This is with 60/30 lighting.

[dlaunde]

I've now settled on 50/40 due to looks and light output. Assuming all other tank parameters are perfect, what's the easiest way to tell if coral is not receiving enough light?

[sam_the_reefer]

With zoas, they will be flush when expanded if they're getting enough light. Otherwise they will be streched out.

[Bcb577]

Yeah I agree the zoas will really stretch,I have also just purchased the same light for the same size tank,and I'm using the default settings on the m1 program.this has the light set to maximum on the whites and I was wondering if this may be too much light.my soft corals have never seemed happier but am worried that this will cause unwanted lag growth?I did knock down the whites to 90%white to 30% blue,but am open to suggestions and ideas?

[debbeach13]

Following. Now that it is a couple days later are you staying with that last adjustment? Are the corals happy?

I just put the pro series on my cycling 20L tank. Right now I am just using the pre-programed M3 for coral assimilation. Which is 60% on both ch1 and ch2 but there are only a few snails in the tank right now.

[Clown79]

More blue than white is preferred.

 

I run my whites on 1 tank at 30% and blues, violets are 80%.

 

On my other tank white is 40% and blue is 80%.

 

White and reds effect algae growth.

 

Blue is very important and allows the colour to pop.

 

There is a LED thread by Evil explaining each colour and its uses/needs.

 

Zoas - stretch when needing light and sheink melt away with too much. You rarely see zoas having too much light.

 

Leathers- like light but if its too much it will start to shrink, possibly get white patches, polyps won't extend, and eventually melt away. The more brown a leather looks, the less light its getting.

 

Mushrooms- same. They will shrink and melt away with too much light and with not enough light(depending on species) it will expand to get more light. Some mushrooms like low light others like moderate to higher.

 

Corals need to acclimate to any changes which can take days or weeks to achieve.

[dlaunde]

Thanks clown!

 

I was just about to post back reiterating that, from what I have read, blue is the most important light corals need, not white. I am now using 75% blue and 50% white. I cannot believe how big my hairy mushroom has already gotten. At night it is closed up to the size of a half dollar but during the day it is the size of a teacup saucer! The leather toadstool is staying open the entire day now and seems to have started growing a few more polyps. The zoa isn't stretched or melted...just seems content.

[Clown79]

Sounds good! You could even do less white if you like the blue look.

 

For leathers. Don't get worried if once in a while it closes up for days. They do that when peeved or any changes are made.

They will close up, hang over, look shiny- its not dying. Its shedding. They do this to often get detritus off them.

It will then start shedding the shiny skin, i help it by using a turkey baster at that point.

 

If this happens weekly, then the leather isn't happy where it is.

[dlaunde]

Sounds good! You could even do less white if you like the blue look.

 

For leathers. Don't get worried if once in a while it closes up for days. They do that when peeved or any changes are made.

They will close up, hang over, look shiny- its not dying. Its shedding. They do this to often get detritus off them.

It will then start shedding the shiny skin, i help it by using a turkey baster at that point.

 

If this happens weekly, then the leather isn't happy where it is.

 

So I have actually dialed White down to 25% as I put in a few more fluorescing corals and love the blue look more to show them off.

 

When I end up adding my Clownfish...will he care if the tank is more blue or does he need some white light? I noticed at the LFS all of his fish are in bright "holding tanks". Not sure if there is anything where eyesight and color spectrum comes into play with fish or anything.

[Clown79]

No. The lighting doesn't effect the fish.

 

The only time lighting effects fish is during stressful times, its best to turn lights off when adding a fish.

[dlaunde]

Thanks!