Aquabeam 2000 too much white light?

[chuckprivi]

I have a 60 gallon mixed reef tank that is 48 inches long and 24 inches deep.  I have two Aquabeam 2000 tiles mounted on a custom canopy about 12 inches above the water that run for 8 hours every day.  I don’t have a controller to adjust the light intensity so both tiles run at full power for 8 hours every day.  I have always had trouble with GHA and I’ve tried everything to control it.  A fellow reefer took a look at my tank and opined that it looks like there is “way too much” White light.  A controller will cost me $300 - $400 and may or may not make a difference.  Should I just unplug the White lights and see what happens or spring for a controller and tone the white lights down to ~50%?  Looks like I would need 2 Standard controllers for 2 tiles.  Is it worth the extra $100 to get the Smart Controller instead?  I don’t want to spend $400 on a controller just as a guess.  Thanks for any advice.

[devonjohnsgard]

Aug 15, 2021 13:18:47 GMT -5 chuckprivi said:

I have a 60 gallon mixed reef tank that is 48 inches long and 24 inches deep.  I have two Aquabeam 2000 tiles mounted on a custom canopy about 12 inches above the water that run for 8 hours every day.  I don’t have a controller to adjust the light intensity so both tiles run at full power for 8 hours every day.  I have always had trouble with GHA and I’ve tried everything to control it.  A fellow reefer took a look at my tank and opined that it looks like there is “way too much” White light.  A controller will cost me $300 - $400 and may or may not make a difference.  Should I just unplug the White lights and see what happens or spring for a controller and tone the white lights down to ~50%?  Looks like I would need 2 Standard controllers for 2 tiles.  Is it worth the extra $100 to get the Smart Controller instead?  I don’t want to spend $400 on a controller just as a guess.  Thanks for any advice.

Is it a new tank? I would expect this really with any amount of light. What you have is high light. Ive seen it with just blue light also as it's also intense. If it's a new tank, I would suggest taking a long while to ramp your lights up to 8 hours. Maybe start at 2 and work up. You could also think about raising the lights or just using one. The controller is an option, but if the tank is new or the lights are new to the tank, I think that could be the problem.

[chuckprivi]

Tank is about 3 years old and I’ve had this lighting configuration for 2 years. I’ve tried reducing the number of hours per day as low as 4 hours but it’s pretty boring to have the tank dark most of the time. Without a controller, the lights are just on or off but I do start the East side one hour earlier and stop it one hour earlier to simulate sunrise and sunset. A controller would certainly allow longer ramp times and/or less light intensity. The past couple of days I started running blue only but still full intensity. Looks cool and corals seem OK. Not sure about my BTAs though. I’ve read that they prefer white lights but not sure it matters, Still not sure if the controllers are worth it. Anyone have experience with this upgrade?

[devonjohnsgard]

That all sounds good. I use the smaller controller to make the longest ramp 3 hrs up and down. It's a separate controller, because LEDs are supposed to be dimmed with PWM.

Here some ideas to think about what could be causing the issue also. I've had better success with high amounts of bio filtration like true live rock plus with low nutrients.

www.aquarium-pond-answers.com/2008/04/aquarium-algae.html

[chuckprivi]

Thanks Devon. I ordered one Standard controller to implement the ramp up and down that you suggested on the white channels only. I’ll max out at about 50% power and see how that works. I’ll leave the Blues as they are since everything looks pretty good as it is. The Blue channel has a fair amount of White in it anyway but the nems might like a bit more.

[devonjohnsgard]

Aug 19, 2021 17:29:18 GMT -5 chuckprivi said:

Thanks Devon. I ordered one Standard controller to implement the ramp up and down that you suggested on the white channels only. I’ll max out at about 50% power and see how that works. I’ll leave the Blues as they are since everything looks pretty good as it is. The Blue channel has a fair amount of White in it anyway but the nems might like a bit more.

Sounds like a great plan!