Will the Orbit grow macros (and one other Q)

[cosmicbread]

I'm just beginning a planted marine 12g long. It receives a bunch of natural light (intentional) but I think it will need supplementation. It has/will have shoal grass and different varieties of macros, and some softies down the line.

 

- Will a Current USA Orbit Marine light grow Macroalgae in a 12 gallon?

 

- Due to my setup, I'm also starting to think that I should do clip-on lights or a gooseneck fixture, or two, instead. Should I do a 6500k daylight LED (or other sort of bulb?) alongside another lamp with something more geared for coral? Would that work with my plans for this tank? Thanks in advance!

[mcarroll]

If you're trying to do grass and coral in the same 12 gallon, that sounds like a lot to me. I would consider focusing on one or the other.  IMO the Current light should be fine on that tank.

 

Consider getting the freshwater version tho if your focus ends up being the green plants and a shallow water habitat.

 

Stick with the marine version if you end up going with corals.

 

Do you have any books, articles or example tanks that you are using for information?  (links?)

[cosmicbread]

Thank you so much for your response, mcarroll 🙂

 

The following have been major points of inspiration, although I realize that they are all run by amazing reefers eons of lightyears more experienced than I (and in some cases, with super fancy lights a bit out of my budget).

I wouldn't mind focusing on the plants, but if I could successfully keep a hardy soft coral, sponges, and/or even gorgonians down the line -- well, that would be a goal.

 

Brad's "natural reef" 

GR's 12L

Metrokat's display refuguim: 

https://reefbuilders.com/2013/01/08/macroalgae-display/

 

EC's Waterbox (and their other 150 as well)

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/waterbox-130-4-macroalgae-display.517365/

 

Halophila's seagrass/softie tank:

https://reefbuilders.com/2012/08/06/seagrass-aquarium/

 

Edit: JUST now found this one, can't wait to read it for hours:

http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2391470

 

There are definitely many more, including WV Reefer's astounding "long and dirty" 12g, although it wasn't plant-centered.

 

A few of the articles and threads I've been studying:

http://www.wetwebmedia.com/ca/volume_3/cav3i3/seagrasses/seagrasses.htm

http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2006-04/sl/index.php

 

 

 

Some pic inspiration:

 

 

 

[billygoat]

I have experimented with growing macros under "weak" lights as well (in my case a 15w Kessil A80 Tuna Blue), and have had mixed results with them so far. Red macros seem to do very well but greens like Caulerpa, Halimeda, etc. struggle a bit in the long run and tend to get rather leggy as they grow longer. However I think that the fact that your aquarium is right in front of a window changes everything quite dramatically. My instinct is to say that the Orbit Marine should be just fine with the window right there to supplement it, and I have strong confidence that leathers and gorgonians will do well in such an environment too.

 

My only concern would be the seagrass. I think Halophila does not require quite as much light as Thalassia etc., but it likely still needs quite a bit more than a tank with only macroalgae would require. I'd try it out with just the Orbit Marine and maybe supplement the seagrass with a 6500k spotlight down the line if you notice they are not doing well.

 

Lovely pictures and great job documenting your inspirations! Those are definitely some breathtaking displays. I can't wait to watch your tank grow in and join their ranks. 😊

[cosmicbread]

12 minutes ago, billygoat said:

I have experimented with growing macros under "weak" lights as well (in my case a 15w Kessil A80 Tuna Blue), and have had mixed results with them so far. Red macros seem to do very well but greens like Caulerpa, Halimeda, etc. struggle a bit in the long run and tend to get rather leggy as they grow longer. However I think that the fact that your aquarium is right in front of a window changes everything quite dramatically. My instinct is to say that the Orbit Marine should be just fine with the window right there to supplement it, and I have strong confidence that leathers and gorgonians will do well in such an environment too.

 

My only concern would be the seagrass. I think Halophila does not require quite as much light as Thalassia etc., but it likely still needs quite a bit more than a tank with only macroalgae would require. I'd try it out with just the Orbit Marine and maybe supplement the seagrass with a 6500k spotlight down the line if you notice they are not doing well.

 

Lovely pictures and great job documenting your inspirations! Those are definitely some breathtaking displays. I can't wait to watch your tank grow in and join their ranks. 😊

Thank you, that means a ton. Hopefully I won't crash and burn too spectacularly much, haha. The tanks I mentioned above are all mindblowingly lovely and if I can even achieve a fraction of that, I would have further cause to die happy. 

I'll be updating my journal as soon as the light is good enough in here for decent pics. The mangroves and Halophila were planted yesterday. I'm worried about the mangroves doing well in here perhaps moreso than I am worried about the Halophila, but it'll all be part of the learning process I suppose. Definitely am game to turn a spotlight on that side of the tank if needed.

[Seadragon]

My 2 cents.

 

PAR info on the Orbit Marine:

 

 

I own and use the Orbit Marine on my School NR and the Orbit IC PRO on my Office NR.  The Orbit Marine is being used as the sole lighting for Macro Algaes (Chaeto & Red Dragon's Breath) and Soft Corals (GSP & Pom Pom Xenia).  The Orbit IC PRO is being used as the sole lighting for Macro Algaes and Soft, LPS & SPS corals.

 

13 hours ago, cosmicbread said:

different varieties of macros, and some softies down the line.

 

30 minutes ago, cosmicbread said:

if I could successfully keep a hardy soft coral, sponges, and/or even gorgonians down the line -- well, that would be a goal.

 

Personally, I would stick with the Orbit Marine or something similar in their line up and not get their freshwater versions of lights.  I made the mistake of getting a freshwater light by accident and it ended up costing me with dying or no growth for macro algae and corals.

[cosmicbread]

2 minutes ago, Seadragon said:

My 2 cents.

 

PAR info on the Orbit Marine:

 

 

I own and use the Orbit Marine on my School NR and the Orbit IC PRO on my Office NR.  The Orbit Marine is being used as the sole lighting for Macro Algaes (Chaeto & Red Dragon's Breath) and Soft Corals (GSP & Pom Pom Xenia).  The Orbit IC PRO is being used as the sole lighting for Macro Algaes and Soft, LPS & SPS corals.

 

 

 

Personally, I would stick with the Orbit Marine or something similar in their line up and not get their freshwater versions of lights.  I made the mistake of getting a freshwater light by accident and it ended up costing me with dying or no growth for macro algae and corals.

Thanks for this! btw, your tanks are also now on my "wow" list. Interesting that the Current freshwater version doesn't cut it for macroalgaes in what I am assuming is a similarly sized tank. I come from a planted freshwater background, but I still find myself a bit confused and overwhelmed at the world of marine lighting. Part of me feels like a plant is a plant(-like organism) and this stuff should carry over...but 😳

[Seadragon]

1 minute ago, cosmicbread said:

Thanks for this! btw, your tanks are also now on my "wow" list. Interesting that the Current freshwater version doesn't cut it for macroalgaes in what I am assuming is a similarly sized tank. I come from a planted freshwater background, but I still find myself a bit confused and overwhelmed at the world of marine lighting. Part of me feels like a plant is a plant(-like organism) and this stuff should carry over...but 😳

 

Just trying to save you some money and grief, lol.  I love experimenting in all directions to see how far I can push the envelope of known knowledge.  And I love reporting back on my findings.

[Seadragon]

This is a great time to buy the Orbit Marine too due to the price drop on Amazon.  On Amazon, the Current USA Orbit Marine Aquarium LED Light now costs $65.86.  That same light used to cost $111.54 for the longest time.

 

The green line represents Amazon's price and the blue line is third party pricing.

 

I also enjoy the other perks of the Orbit Marine which include a built-in lighting program that creates a 24-hour natural biorhythmic lighting cycle where the Orbit Marine gradually mimics the effect of a slow sunrise, bright daylight, dimming sunset and moonlight.

[mcarroll]

3 hours ago, Seadragon said:

  I made the mistake of getting a freshwater light by accident and it ended up costing me with dying or no growth for macro algae and corals.

I certainly do not doubt that you had this experience and appreciate/support your recommendation, but the experience still seems quite surprising so has left me with questions!  🤔

 

Pardon the mini-tangent...

 

Were the old lights (freshwater version) and new lights (marine version) of the same wattage?  (and were they run with comparable intensity settings…)

 

Were nutrients and chemistry levels both replete and stable (and the same) during both lights timeframes?  

 

Is it possible that all of the organisms that had trouble were pre-acclimated to blue light and could have benefited from a longer acclamation over to the white lights?

 

I would expect corals to generally look pretty yellowish-brown under the freshwater lights, but that's about the worst I would have predicted.

 

Thanks for any/all insights!

[Seadragon]

32 minutes ago, mcarroll said:

I certainly do not doubt that you had this experience and appreciate/support your recommendation, but the experience still seems quite surprising so has left me with questions!  🤔

 

Pardon the mini-tangent...

 

Were the old lights (freshwater version) and new lights (marine version) of the same wattage?  (and were they run with comparable intensity settings…)

 

Were nutrients and chemistry levels both replete and stable (and the same) during both lights timeframes?  

 

Is it possible that all of the organisms that had trouble were pre-acclimated to blue light and could have benefited from a longer acclamation over to the white lights?

 

I would expect corals to generally look pretty yellowish-brown under the freshwater lights, but that's about the worst I would have predicted.

 

Thanks for any/all insights!

 

4 hours ago, Seadragon said:

I made the mistake of getting a freshwater light by accident and it ended up costing me with dying or no growth for macro algae and corals.

 

The freshwater light that I was using on both of my Nano Reefs was the "NICREW ClassicLED Aquarium Light, Fish Tank Light with Extendable Brackets, White and Blue LEDs, Size 18 to 24 Inch, 11 Watts".

 

The ClassicLED 18" has the following:

LEDs: 60 White + 12 Blue

Lumens: 640 lm

Watts: 11 W

 

As I mentioned, I upgraded the lighting on the School NR to the Current USA Orbit Marine Aquarium LED Light, 18 to 24-Inch.

Orbit Marine Model 4100 info:

Watts: 18

Total LED's: 82

445NM Blue: 19 // 460NM Blue: 20 // 8,000K White: 14 // 6,500K White: 19 // RGB: 10

 

Here's what my Duncans looked like using the freshwater LED lights in the Office NR:

 

Here's what my GSP looked like using the freshwater LED lights in the School NR:

NR:

 

And also to mention, I had a Finnex 10" FugeRay Ultra Slim Aquarium LED Light over the Chaeto to help it grow (which it did so fine).  But, the moment I removed the Finnex 10" FugeRay Ultra Slim Aquarium LED Light from the School NR, I noticed the Chaeto started disappearing when it only had the freshwater light.  This all changed when I upgraded the lighting to the Current USA Orbit Marine Aquarium LED Light.

 

So yeah, as far as light acclimation, I don't really venture into any of that.  All the params were left the same during these changes.  I just noticed more growth and better color under lighting made for Reef tanks vs Freshwater tanks.  Not to mention, it wouldn't even grow the chaeto without the help of additional lighting (Finnex 10" FugeRay Ultra Slim Aquarium LED Light).

 

Does that answer everything?  Or give it a try, maybe you'll get different results! 😄

 

[mcarroll]

2 hours ago, Seadragon said:

The ClassicLED 18" has the following:

LEDs: 60 White + 12 Blue

Lumens: 640 lm

Watts: 11 W

 

As I mentioned, I upgraded the lighting on the School NR to the Current USA Orbit Marine Aquarium LED Light, 18 to 24-Inch.

Orbit Marine Model 4100 info:

Watts: 18

Total LED's: 82

445NM Blue: 19 // 460NM Blue: 20 // 8,000K White: 14 // 6,500K White: 19 // RGB: 10

Awesome!  Thanks for the detailed answer!

 

I think the shift to blue-dominance in the color on the Orbit would have made all the difference for your corals.

 

But for the macro I think the difference was the near-doubling of intensity when you took them from 11 watts to 16 watts when you added the Finnex support light.

 

Corals looked healthy to me, but there is little florescence, as would be expected under low-Kelvin lighting.  As a result, brownish-yellow is the dominant color.  (Keeping nitrate levels low can help reduce the level of brown over time...don't redule phosphate levels tho.) 

 

That coral color is not a bad thing even if it's not aesthetically pleasing....just goes to show why 20,000K lighting became popular.  😎
 

Your results totally make sense to me based on the power of the lights being used...

• 11 watts was just barely enough for corals, but not quite enough for the fast-growing chaeto.  (It's possible that this growth-slump could have been improved with higher nutrient levels...but that may or may not be desireable.)   
• Raising light power to 16 watts by adding the Finnex was enough to make the chaeto happy.
• Raising light power to 18 watts AND changing the color profile to ~20,000K probably made the chaeto even happier PLUS the ridiculous amount of blue is now creating a ridiculous amount of fluorescence in your corals. 👍

All that said (technicality), I still support the recommendation to stick with the Orbit Marine.....if your macro's are really happy, that was the only real consideration toward the freshwater light.  Why not opt for nice fluorescence AND healthy algae, right?  👌