AquaStyleOnline Club

[jedimasterben]

ALGAE ALERT!!!

 

 

 

I have had my 36 LED dim-able running for about two months. I built it with the 4500K whites, RB's and Violets. I have been battling hair algae for some time, not a big outbreak, just small patches.

 

I soon found that algae grows best in the light range of 3500K and 5100K. I was researching algae scrubbers and that was the light range they were now using to see fast, large growth in their scrubbers. YES! I am now pulling hair algae out of my tank daily instead of bi-weekly. I just can't seem to find the reason GHA started growing in the first place. Now it is in heaven and growing like the weed it is all over the place.

 

If you have any algae problems I would avoid the 4500K lights till you get rid of it. If not, your in for a longer battle then you have now.

 

on the plus side: I do love the color control and corals are growing great as well.

I've got much more red spectrum that you do in my array and I don't have algae issues. As I've been trying to explain to people for the entire time I've been recommending neutral whites, get your nutrients under control or algae will keep growing no matter what lighting you have.

 

And FYI, in my algae scrubber, I have a mixture of deep red, royal blue, true violet, and some 6500k that I had laying around. I've got algaes of all kinds growing in it there, but not in the display, which has the same wavelengths over it. There is a noticeable difference after adding royal blue and true violet to the scrubber light, algae grows much more quickly and is much thicker, which means that algae efficiently uses those spectra, as well.

[kenziesnano]

Don't use any cool white, and don't need to use warm white. Stick with all 4500k, or you'll regret it over time, even if you add back to the spectrum.

 

As Stated, I only used the 4500K for my white lighting. The problem is that if you have a problem in the tank right now, when you change to this lighting it will only make the algae happier to be there. I have been trying to find the nutrients problem to get rid of my algae. (thought is was the old bulbs causing increases)

 

These are great lights, once you don't have any algae issues. Better yet, they are GREAT LIGHTS!!!! For growing and color. (Algae just loves them as well.)

 

And FYI, in my algae scrubber, I have a mixture of deep red, royal blue, true violet, and some 6500k that I had laying around. I've got algaes of all kinds growing in it there, but not in the display, which has the same wavelengths over it. There is a noticeable difference after adding royal blue and true violet to the scrubber light, algae grows much more quickly and is much thicker, which means that algae efficiently uses those spectra, as well.

 

The difference between a successful tank running a scrubber or cheato is: that they got their algae to grow outside of the display and those of us battling it were not been so lucky. I am building an upstream scrubber currently.

[pompeyjohn]

Just wanted to thank all that have posted here - great thread. In particular, Jedi - wow, amazing information - thank you.

 

I have the 24RB and 12NW over an ada 60p - that is 24"x12"x14. I have tried them at various heights. Right now I have them five inches above the water level with no optics. The best setting so far. I regret not buying the dimmable drivers so I could do an arduino project. Perhaps I'll add another string of exotics and pick up some drivers.

[hung8489]

Any updates from the guys that had their setups for some time? Do anything different this time around?

[JeffYoshiyuki]

are aquastyle LEDs even worth it anymore?

[Trogdor447]

are aquastyle LEDs even worth it anymore?

 

I dont see why they would not be? what are you comparing it to?

[Bock]

Hi everyone, i need some help and advice from Aquastyle led user. I bought a 24 led dimmable fixture last year. 11 white 11 blue and 2 UV. I do not remember how much "K" are my white led i thing 6500k but not sure. Last year there was no option for white leds.

 

So i run the fixture few mouth and had a bad algae problem using the fixture so i came back to my old t5 fixture ( The one a still run now ). But i would really love tu put my led back, color was really good. But im still afraid to get another explosion of algae.

 

Question is, should i buy new led to have other kind of white leds and green/pink/red ones? Is my current ratio good or not? ( 1:1 )

What you guy suggest me? Do i need to put the Optics? My tank is a 20g and water level is 12".

 

Thank you

[Trogdor447]

How long are you running the Leds? And do you have algae problems with the current light? Sometimes it takes a while for nutrients to build up so it could have been deceiving

[Bock]

I had the led fixture on for maybe 3-4 month. I tryed different setting, more bleu, more white. with and without optics. I need to say that i didnt test my water parameter during these month.. and was not running gfo. Maybe i had a lot of nitrate and phophate.

 

This is when i fisrt put the led

and after a few week here is the nightmare

 

Now i have my old t4 light ( bulb are 2yr old..) everything is fine, still have some cyano but nothing huge. I should receive my BRS GFO monday and i will start dosing a carbon source. I still want to put the led back( dont want to buy 6 new t5 bulb ) So any advice guys?

[jedimasterben]

You really think it was your lights that were the issue?

[Trogdor447]

I really cannot see how lights would have effected a tank to this measure.. to let it build up that bad..

 

First I would like to point out in Picture A - > This was already building up in the surface of the sand in the corners of the tank - which to me indicates a lack of flow in those areas.. and then it just continued to spread.

 

Details about tank husbandry source of water, would be benificial and how long was the tank setup overall? It does not appear like you have much live stock at all.. Are you feeding the corals?

[jedimasterben]

I need to say that i didnt test my water parameter during these month.. and was not running gfo. Maybe i had a lot of nitrate and phophate.

[Bock]

Ok so i should try another time to see what happen?

 

I was thinking it was the LED because i happen right after i put the led on and go off when i put back my t5 fixture..

Flow always be the same before led and after. Same as now.

i use a rodi. Tank is almost 3yr old

Only have 2 fish and a shrimp and corals and i do not feed coral right now ( maybe in the futur.. )

 

I would like to put the led back but im afraid a bit! Last time a lost my BTA, zoa, GSP at the same time.

I still have some cyano that's why i order brs GFO and a dosing pump to dose vodka/vinegar.

Should i drop ma phospate and nitrate to 0 before switching light?

And you guy do you run the led at max output from the dimmer ? what combination do you use? and do i put optics on? Thank you

[Trogdor447]

I would like to put the led back but im afraid a bit! Last time a lost my BTA, zoa, GSP at the same time.

I still have some cyano that's why i order brs GFO and a dosing pump to dose vodka/vinegar.

Should i drop ma phospate and nitrate to 0 before switching light?

And you guy do you run the led at max output from the dimmer ? what combination do you use? and do i put optics on? Thank you

First off take it easy on the dosing.. all things come in time.

 

I would put the LED back over the tank as it is not the cause of your problem entirely.. What is your light schedule i just knocked mine back drastically again.

 

Cyano... that does not look much like cyano to me - none the less how big of a tank and whats the powerheads rated at.

 

Drop phosphate and nitrate before switching like?? This would be priority overall - the gfo reactor is going to help alleviate the majority of your system.

 

Running the Lights at 100% is kind of silly and will likely cook/fade corals if not kill them on its own depending on how intense/where it is.

 

 

I use 50/50 CW/RB combination - I have optics over the majority of my bulbs.. My current light schedule.

9am-7pm blues, 11am-5pm whites.. Its fade in fade out w/ the new controller that i just got.

 

Overall my tank still is rough but it is coming along great with the help of the gfo reactor and a little bit of reduced light. My battle is from negligence, my skimmer burning up, 2 months of not having a skimmer working + not enough time to manual remove the stuff. I also dont have a turbo snail at all anymore

 

 

The GFO reactor is going to help tremendous dont get too excited here though. if you change the media every 3-4 days until its all gone you'll likely crash the tank.. run it for the recommended length of time and be patient with it. How long have the GSP been clsoed up? They can likely have survived through worse.. so dont count them out yet

[Bock]

Light are on from 9h to 18h.

And right now i have cyano on the sand, the pics i put are 1yr old.

Here is right now ( sorry picture is from my phone )

Tank is a 20g, Koralia 1 and Nano + water return from sump

I tryed to check my phosphate with a salifer test and i think this is shit... It gave me 0? I dont think so. I'll go buy a hanna checker this weekend.

 

So i should i put the led right now and run the dimmer at like 50% or 75%? ( Maybe start lower and slowly increase ) Or should i fight cyano first? Thank you very much!

[lukeedey]

hi all im going to be placing my order soon for my juwel vision 180 ray said to go with a 48 dimable kit and 2 heatsinks first question is how hard is it to solder them? secondly how high should i suspend them from tank with wich optics soo so happy theres a link for this

[Trogdor447]

hi all im going to be placing my order soon for my juwel vision 180 ray said to go with a 48 dimable kit and 2 heatsinks first question is how hard is it to solder them? secondly how high should i suspend them from tank with wich optics soo so happy theres a link for this

The soldering/wiring for these is pretty simple - if you have any practice at all with a soldering iron it should be a snap.. if not.. get a few scrap wires and start playing.. should only take you about 5 minutes to pick up on it what is the tank dimensions for the tank? would help figure otu a better idea how to elevate. And which optics are going on it plays a huge factor as well.

 

I'm assuming your going to do 2- 24 LED heat sinks and kinda suspent them at the 'quarters' of the tank so to speak not put both together half way?

 

 

Right now on my 40b mine are only suspended about 6-7 inches above the surface of the water.. In time I'll have to suspend them higher. Overall not too big of a deal though everything loves it. I just upgraded to the sunrise/sunset controller which is totally amazing!

[Bock]

Right now on my 40b mine are only suspended about 6-7 inches above the surface of the water.. In time I'll have to suspend them higher. Overall not too big of a deal though everything loves it. I just upgraded to the sunrise/sunset controller which is totally amazing!

 

Hey Trogdor i finally put my led fixture back on my tank. I still trying to find the best height of the fixture from water level. I have 12" of water in my 20g. I put my led 10" from water level with 60 optics( Only on the white ). I still think that i have some dark spot. Every corals seems to like the led exept for my sarco. What should i do?

 

I need to put my white to the max and the blue to the lowest to have a light not to "dark/blue" is it normal? My ratio is 1:1 and i see some people talking about 2(blue):1(white) ? this should be lot of blue..

[Trogdor447]

my toadstool does not mind it at all.. I would try to get him in a shady spot and slowly introduce him to the light. I am 1-1 ratio myself.. and with the leds both turned up to 100% i dont seem to have a coloration problem that a lot complain about. There is also a lot of people that prefer a much bluer look in the tank. If you are overall happy with it ... the corals are happy with it.. Why mess with it?

[jedimasterben]

my toadstool does not mind it at all.. I would try to get him in a shady spot and slowly introduce him to the light. I am 1-1 ratio myself.. and with the leds both turned up to 100% i dont seem to have a coloration problem that a lot complain about. There is also a lot of people that prefer a much bluer look in the tank. If you are overall happy with it ... the corals are happy with it.. Why mess with it?

You don't have any colorful corals in your tank, that is why you are not having any issues. You've got brown and blue with a bit of fluorescent green, which royal blue and super-high-kelivn whites do well at accenting. Add a red or orange coral and you'll see what I have been talking about.

[Trogdor447]

You don't have any colorful corals in your tank, that is why you are not having any issues. You've got brown and blue with a bit of fluorescent green, which royal blue and super-high-kelivn whites do well at accenting. Add a red or orange coral and you'll see what I have been talking about.

Jedi, I'm not disputing you by no means! I have a Pink/Teal candy cane that looks pretty normal to me - I do plan to get this when i get my algae under control. And I will likely add some more LED's to my current setup. As I can add like 35 more lights with this driver

[misbar]

I am about to Build a 24 Led Kit that i bought last year

 

I have 16x RB

12x 4.5k

12x 10k (got these in the kit, But then orderd the 4.5k instead)

 

This is going over a RSM130D

 

My thoughts

12-14 RB and the 8-10 4.5k should I do 2 Clusters? how should I space them?

[jedimasterben]

Jedi, I'm not disputing you by no means! I have a Pink/Teal candy cane that looks pretty normal to me - I do plan to get this when i get my algae under control. And I will likely add some more LED's to my current setup. As I can add like 35 more lights with this driver

i didn't see a candy cane in there

 

But keep at it with that damn algae - it may seem like it doesn't quit, but soon you'll see the tipping point! Just gotta beat it at its own game.

 

 

Also, to Bock, the reason people are doing 2:3 and 1:2 ratios of the LEDs are because they're using different whites. The 10,000K LEDs (which are absolutely not 10,000K, the name is misleading to sell more LEDs) are horrendous when it comes to colors, specifically shades of reds, oranges, yellows, pinks, etc. You'd be best to stay far, far away from them. When you use a lower-kelvin white LED, you need more royal blue to make up for the lower color temperature - where you only need one white and one royal blue when using cool white, with neutral white you need to have two whites and three royals or one white and two royals.

 

I am about to Build a 24 Led Kit that i bought last year

 

I have 16x RB

12x 4.5k

12x 10k (got these in the kit, But then orderd the 4.5k instead)

 

This is going over a RSM130D

 

My thoughts

12-14 RB and the 8-10 4.5k should I do 2 Clusters? how should I space them?

Don't space them. Just cluster them together.

[Trogdor447]

i didn't see a candy cane in there

 

But keep at it with that damn algae - it may seem like it doesn't quit, but soon you'll see the tipping point! Just gotta beat it at its own game.

 

 

Also, to Bock, the reason people are doing 2:3 and 1:2 ratios of the LEDs are because they're using different whites. The 10,000K LEDs (which are absolutely not 10,000K, the name is misleading to sell more LEDs) are horrendous when it comes to colors, specifically shades of reds, oranges, yellows, pinks, etc. You'd be best to stay far, far away from them. When you use a lower-kelvin white LED, you need more royal blue to make up for the lower color temperature - where you only need one white and one royal blue when using cool white, with neutral white you need to have two whites and three royals or one white and two royals.

 

Don't space them. Just cluster them together.

 

Agree with the dont space it out.. clustering them will be good - but also what heat sink do you have with it?

 

 

Jedi - I do have a kit in my sump with a variety of LED's running down there - I'll be able to get pretty good judgement on coloring in top tank vs low tank. My one green zoa did not look near as 'green' as the display tank. Waterchange 3 is taking place today since adding GFO reactor - also going to probably change out the media at 3 weeks

[jedimasterben]

Jedi - I do have a kit in my sump with a variety of LED's running down there - I'll be able to get pretty good judgement on coloring in top tank vs low tank. My one green zoa did not look near as 'green' as the display tank. Waterchange 3 is taking place today since adding GFO reactor - also going to probably change out the media at 3 weeks

I'd imagine the green color is being provided by a green fluorescent protein, which is excited by violet and royal blue light. The more light you have in those wavelengths versus other light, the 'brighter' those colors will appear.