Acclimate New Corals to Leds
My current tank specifics are a 65 gallon mixed reef (eventually) tank currently cycled with a 2-3 inch sandbed and about 50 pounds of live rock. I have a hob reef octopus 1000, a hob, and multiple powerheads. There is a very modest cleanup crew, I am aware these few snails and crabs do ultimately add bioload so numbers will remain sparse. My parameters are ammonia 0, nitrites 0, nitrates under 10 ppm, alkalinity 8.0, temperature 79 F. I am writing because after much deliberation I purchased two Kessil 160s to serve as primary lighting for a range of soft corals and perhaps, conditions permitting, a few lps. Specifically I am looking for advice on how to allow newly acquired specimens to adjust properly to the lighting.
<Ahh; thank you for providing such detail. The Kessil Pendants will work well here; including for light acclimation. IF you have available (perhaps a fish store or club will lend you) a PAR or PUR meter... to measure out the useful light arrangement in your system. I would place new "corals" of most any species on the edges, borders.... at depths... that yield some values in the 50's... in weeks time if they're hermatypic types that require/appreciate intense illumination (e.g. Acroporids, Poritids, Pocilloporids...) moving them to areas with PAR/PUR values higher than 100>
Most will be arriving from a lfs that uses a mixture of metal halides and some tanks with t-5's. I know this would have to be a broad generalization
<Yes>
but, for instance, how long do I run the Kessils per day and or at what intensity?
<Can only be determined with a meter; your using a probe at depths, making a detailed drawing of values you measure>
Is there a standard or this primarily a try and troubleshoot method?
<The latter; empirical is best>
Is there an order of addition of coral to the tank by estimating the individual light requirements?
<Oh yes indeed.... and more to this... You want to be studying, placing the less allelopathogenic species first....>
I know I will be starting with polyps, xenia, and mushrooms, unless you suggest otherwise?
<Depends on what you intend to add later... Also; I would isolate all incoming for a couple, plus weeks (in another system) to give them a chance to rest up (treat w/ Iodide-ate here), allow you to examine for possible hitchhikers, pests... and to see if the colonies are going to live>
Future success might lead to the addition of a hammer, torch, or bubble coral.
<Oh! Am currently writing a series for the UK mag. UltraMarine on this family... can be rough on other Cnidarians... need to be placed distal... with several inches gap twixt others>
As is usually the case, I don't have the financial means to stock the tank to capacity from the onset of suitable conditions so much thought will be given to adding them in a way which doesn't stress previous inhabitants while considering the needs of potential newbies.
<Best to take your time period.... look into buying, trading frags....>
I have searched and researched and I may be more confused than I was prior to internet surfing. I realize there isn't a hard and fast answer but any advice or knowledge or even steering in the direction of factual information would be so appreciated and well received. Thank you in advance.
<Oh! There's a bunch of avenues for knowledge, inspiration. DO consider joining a club or more... and chatting w/ other like-minded folks on the Net, or better, face to face... DO develop good relations with local stores. Mmm; and do remain a bit skeptical (even of my spiels) re what you experience other than first-hand. There is also much disinformation and phony products to be had. When, where you can, read w/ a discerning mind. Bob Fenner>

Led lights; effect/s on stony corals      1/1/15
This may be a strange question. I have 140 reef set up lots of Lps and some sps. I was running vertex illuminlux led lights and recently switch to 2 Kessil 360w lights. The color to my eye is a little different but I have probably 5x more shimmery then before. My corals seem much happier now. My question is: Have the corals improved due to more shimmer or is it only dependent the spectrum of light???
<It will/would take a few weeks for the corals to change... so my guess the difference is primarily the lighting. Bob Fenner>

LED lighting and Kessil A350     6/3/13
Hello!
<Hello Nathan>
I have read your other discussions about LED lighting in larger aquariums and still have a specific question about my aquarium's lighting needs.
Here are the details:
My system is a 65 gal (36"w x 24"tall x 18" deep) display tank on a 46" custom base with an open to the ceiling 12" tall hood. The lighting would be mounted above the water anywhere from 6" to 12" (open hood and pendant hung allow flexible options). My goal is to have mostly SPS 16" or less from the water surface then LPS below that. The tank came with a Kessil A350 (narrow lens).
My question, after reading your other LED discussions, is will two of these fixtures be sufficient for my SPS and LPS plan? I want to have a very good lighting set up for SPS growth and color so if the one Kessil it came with plus one more is very good (as opposed to decent or worse) then I will purchase another one. If not, I will sell the one and look into an Orphek or other for deep 24" tanks.
A comment on Kessil's website, they do not give clear PUR and PAR ratings/information which is a sign to me that they may be more about selling versus willing to be compared and chosen by educated buyers.
<Yes, beware of companies that cannot provide PAR charts and most importantly, a spectrograph.  Intensity means nothing if the needed spectrum is not provided by the light. Have you contacted Kessil for this information?>
 Do you find the same lack of detail on their products?
<Yes to some degree.  For example, if you go to the Kessil site and look at the A350, they show a chart of degree of coverage vs. lumens intensity but they do not show what the actual lumens intensity is.
http://www.kessil.com/aquarium/A350.php
In no way am I bashing Kessil, there are many customers who are happy with them but in my opinion, for tanks over 24", I would need to see a PAR/spectrograph chart to convince me.>
Thank you very much for any help :-)
P.S. I will not be putting any coral in before the water quality is excellent and has been that way for many many months. I have been running other nano systems on T5HO with SPS and LPS for over 5 years with great results but this is my first larger tank, thus the move to non-fluorescent lighting.
<I have copied this information from the Neptune Aquatic website.  Do the math and decide for yourself.
12" from light to sensor: 475 (sensor 6" below water line)
 18" from light to sensor: 250 (sensor 12" below water line)
 24" from light to sensor: 225 (sensor 18" below water line)
Notice that the light is never hung more than 6 inches above the water line for the test.  I do not know how valid this information is or who actually did the test on it so take it with a grain of salt.  I am also a sales rep for Orphek and we always provide this information to our customers when asked.  Regardless of the brand you may be interested in, ensure the company can provide the information you desire.  James (Salty Dog)>

Re: Lighting Change 12/11/12
James/Bob, Would the Kessil A150W 10k be a good investment then? And, since I have a standard 55 would two of these be a better investment for even distribution of light, or could one be tilted at an angle to cover a majority of the tank? Would tilting a light be negative for the corals, because in theory it could starve one side from light?
<Yes, it is much better with two fixtures.  I looked at the specs and they do not provide coverage details so I cannot help you there.  I would also go with the 15K model rather than the 10K.  For the price this unit appears to be a good buy, just be sure that two will effectively cover a 4 foot long tank.  I would also want to know what kind of PAR the fixture puts out if I were to buy it.  James (Salty Dog)>
Bryce
LED Kessil A150W 12/31/12
Dear Crew,
<Bryce>
I was advised to get an LED Pendant instead of the PAR 38. I did a bit of research, and believe that the Kessil A150W is probably the best LED for me to experiment with. I was planning to get 2 of these, both in the 10k range from Marine Depot.
<Unless you plan on supplementing with actinic, I would opt for a higher Kelvin temperature.  I have never saw a spectrograph or a PAR chart on this LED and if it were me, I would contact the company and ask if these charts are available.  Especially interesting would be to see the spectrograph and see if it produces a decent PAR in the PUR (photosynthetic usable radiation) spectrum which is the spectrum corals favorably respond to.  PAR readings cover the visible light range and corals do not need or respond to the entire range of visible light.>
I would mount them to the tank with the Gooseneck also sold at Marine Depot. I was going to keep the pendants at least 6 inches from the water. Is this appropriate for keeping species like Porites cylindrica, Montipora digitata, Acropora millepora, Stylophora sp, Seriatopora stellata, Pocillopora damicornis, and Tridacna crocea?
<Not at the bottom of the tank but that depends on how deep your tank is.  At 19" I have heard that the PAR value is 100 with the 10K model and even less with their higher Kelvin model, somewhere near 70.  A PAR of 100 is fine for most corals providing the spectrum falls into the PUR range.  This is why spectrographs are a useful tool when selecting LEDs.>
I would not be keeping all of these, but I would like to know if the lighting would be strong enough for these species. I also was planning to move the existing LPS to a different tank when I upgrade; as I would not want to scorch them.
<You shouldn't scorch them.  My understanding is that this light is equivalent to a 150 watt HQI lamp.
James (Salty Dog)>
Bryce