Light program recommendation for maximum coral growt

[akalars]

Looking for some information about what kind of light program that is beneficial for the corals.

I got the following:

4x dimmable T5 2x54w (can only be dimmed in pairs of two and two T5 tubes, so I can regulate f)
Profilux 3ex
Skimmer
Alge Scrubber (so I'm not to worried about algea growth in the tank)
Assorted corals SPS, LPS and Soft.


I got some questions about which features to use, why and how much. My goal is to maximize the coral growth.


How many minutes should I use on sun rise / set?
How many hours per day should I run with full light?
Should there be a set reduction of light at any time during the day, for instance a dip in output from 100%-80% between 1 pm to 3 pm? If yes how much reduction and for how long, and why is this important?
Should I use the cloud functionality? How large probability, how much reduction?
Should I use rainyday? How many? How much reduction?
Should I use thunderstorms? Are they usefull for anything other than showing off to friends?

[BigAl07]

I got some questions about which features to use, why and how much. My goal is to maximize the coral growth.


How many minutes should I use on sun rise / set?
How many hours per day should I run with full light?
Should there be a set reduction of light at any time during the day, for instance a dip in output from 100%-80% between 1 pm to 3 pm? If yes how much reduction and for how long, and why is this important?
Should I use the cloud functionality? How large probability, how much reduction?
Should I use rainyday? How many? How much reduction?
Should I use thunderstorms? Are they usefull for anything other than showing off to friends?


A) Algae Turf Scrubber wont guarantee no algae growth so be careful there.
B) Sunrise/Sunset wont benefit the coral or harm them so it's entirely up to what makes you happy.
C) Hours per day of FULL light depends on your tank. I ramp up the lights for 1 hr, then ALL lights on for 8 hr then ramp back down for 1 hr
D)All of the last(4) questions have the same answer . . . it's up to you... doesn't do anything for the coral one way or the other.

[Blahenazo]

+1 on the aboe , but thunderstorms does have benefits, thunderstorms personally I don't care about the light effects (don't have dimmable T5, so I never see the effetcs during the day), but runningthe pumps on higher then normal does help with keeping the dedritus in the water colom and transfer its to your filter socks. I run multiple thunderstorms per day just for that.

[BigAl07]

+1 on the aboe , but thunderstorms does have benefits, thunderstorms personally I don't care about the light effects (don't have dimmable T5, so I never see the effetcs during the day), but runningthe pumps on higher then normal does help with keeping the dedritus in the water colom and transfer its to your filter socks. I run multiple thunderstorms per day just for that.

I plan to do the exact same thing later this year when I invest in the "Vortech" module. When the storm comes on I want all pumps on HIGH and surging to be able to export as many loose nutrients as possible.

[samyueru]

The vortech module is awesome, you'll like it. Kind of a PITA to set up, but once it's there, it's great!