Low Lighting reef?

[FlyTekk]

I love the look of the display reefs at manhattan aquariums. The tanks are light by LED's placed very high above the tank giving a shaded dimm shimmer glow that i just love. Corals pop due to actinic but nothing is bright. Looks very nice and relaxing.

If all i am keeping is lps and softies, and only sps is monti caps, how low can i go as far as lighting is concerned. Like what signs should i look for that will tell me the lights are to low?

 

[fishman1069]

If the monti caps start to brown out, it a good sign of insufficient light. LPS usually dosent open up all the way with in low light. Zoas will start " stretching" ( their stalks will get longer)to reach the light if its not enough light . These are some things I noticed on these types of corals when I had pc bulbs that were old on my 75.

 

[FlyTekk]

I know exactly what you mean. i hate it when coral looks fluffier, or streched. And in turn become more translucent. I would want the dimmest look possible while avoiding what you mention. All while, popping the colors.

I have a radion so i think i could do this for 8 hours and then peak the whites and brightness for 1-2 hours just to be safe.