Best Growth - Blue Light, White Light, or a Combination of the Two?

[Lunger50]

6500k, 10000k, 14-20000k.....spectrum

Running LEds, is there way for us simpletons to measure the color temperature we have our fixtures set at? It sure would be nice to know that what looks good to us is also in some sort of acceptable spectrum range.

 

[User1]

6500k, 10000k, 14-20000k.....spectrum

Running LEds, is there way for us simpletons to measure the color temperature we have our fixtures set at? It sure would be nice to know that what looks good to us is also in some sort of acceptable spectrum range.

I hear Seneye is reasonable. I'll know more later next week after I get to play with the one I recently bought. Just a quick test it was giving me some rather interesting par readings color graphs. BRS has a video somewhere on the various meters which also included this unit. It didn't do too bad all things considered.

 

[vetteguy53081]

I use a combination of both. Spent years with mixed reaction from others. Some said all blue, so I did. Then I was told nice and bright and lost **** of the amount of coral I burnt up. My success is approx. 75% blue, 18% white and remaining green and red.
Also found red to be a contributor of algae ( result the same as for chaeto lights) and pure color and growth ever since

 

[Denniswbliss]

I did 50/50 untill I hooked that bad butt radion up, with the coral lad a%b setting.

 

[Bugsy_Barboza]

I had 2 led fixtures, got a new clam. Just didn’t know or not if the clam was truly happy. What if it was only get 85% the light it needs and dies in 6-9 months.... so I added a 250watt radium 20k that I put in the middle of the leds. So halide and whites and blues run 4 hours a day and just blues for a 10 hours total. Clam opened more the first day... if it wasn’t for drawbacks like heat, electric bill, etc... I’d run just halide. I love the look of this 20k. And 250watt on a electronic ballast is not so blue.


Read a study Sanjay did on kelvin before deciding 20k or 14k.... the 14k showed no better growth than 20k but showed better color.... so just to think it’s but about par than kelvin. But than looking at wwc tanks on the brs YouTube they had low par. So I’m not 100% sure.

 

[Subsea]

Food & light grow coral. I watched BRS TV video series using WWC corals in an SPS dominate 160G tank with a 25G maro refugium with 1700PAR. I have neer seen a reef tank feed so much raw fish protein. It looked to be 8 oz each day. For lighting, they used T5 & LED. The use of T5 tells me that full spectrume is desirable. With LED technology, white as a kelvin number indicating color is seperated ito specific spectrum of red/green/blue. Photosynthetic organisms get peaks in red & blue. I think coral grow well with both spectrums but red spectrum encourages nuisance competition.

IMO, the best to grow coral is not what motivates me with lighting options on my display tanks. I like my display to highlight the red, yellows and greens in my mixed garden. For me, 12K Kevin as a color works. The corals get what they need and I get what I want to see. To maximize photosynthesis on growout tanks, I use red & blue in a ratio 4:1. With the pink color that it produces, I cannot distinguish what I am looking at, so I also have a 6500 kelvin light source to inspect cuttings for healthy growth.

 

[saltyhog]

Surely it depends on the depth at which the coral lives

I agree but it also puzzles me when I see the same coral growing well at 20' and at 60'. There's a world of difference in the spectrum at that those two depths. Granted that is largely with soft and LPS corals.

 

[golfer88]

I love this topic

 

[Michael Reef 8]

What gives the Best Growth?

All Blue Light
All White Light
A Combination of the Two (50/50 White to Blue Maybe).

I ask because in the Past I was Always Told

"White Light is Needed for Coral Health and Growth and Blue Light was for Visual"

"You cannot keep Coral Under All Blue Light"

"You need Full Spectrum Lighting (50/50 White Bulbs to Blue Bulbs)"

But Now people are Telling me the Opposite.

"Blue has Even More Photosynthetic Activity than the White"

"The Zoanthelae the Coral Host Utilize alot of Blue Light and Less with any other Part of the Light Spectrum"

"Yes, Blue is what is Needed for Coral Growth. White is Added for Visual"

So Which is it?

Please take Part in My Poll.

And Please Post Why you Voted the Way You Did.

Thanks in Advance.

I’m kind of new to reefs but I’ve done a lot of research. I think the confusion is the new led light produce full spectrum all the way though. Meaning the intensity of my light is what’s important. The color is to find what you like. I have the a80 led. It says on the website that the color is irrelevant its about having intensity level right but either way you’re getting full spectrum. Also on my a80 the blue light is always on. Even when the white light is all the way on

 

[AshServe]

What gives the Best Growth?

All Blue Light
All White Light
A Combination of the Two (50/50 White to Blue Maybe).

I ask because in the Past I was Always Told

"White Light is Needed for Coral Health and Growth and Blue Light was for Visual"

"You cannot keep Coral Under All Blue Light"

"You need Full Spectrum Lighting (50/50 White Bulbs to Blue Bulbs)"

But Now people are Telling me the Opposite.

"Blue has Even More Photosynthetic Activity than the White"

"The Zoanthelae the Coral Host Utilize alot of Blue Light and Less with any other Part of the Light Spectrum"

"Yes, Blue is what is Needed for Coral Growth. White is Added for Visual"

So Which is it?

Please take Part in My Poll.

And Please Post Why you Voted the Way You Did.

Thanks in Advance.

I run the WWC mixed reef program on my Radions and it do not utilize white at all aside from the first 30ish minutes in the day. 100% blue, uv, royal and violet. 0% on everything else.

 

[Timfish]

So many variables. What species genotype are we talking about? What zooxanthellea species are we talking about? What intensity are we talking sbout? Which fluorescing protein(s) are we wanting to excite (some need green, yellow, orange or red light)? Which chromo protein(s) are we wanting to promote (red AND blue spectrums may be needed for a coral to look purple or pink)? And lets not forget with leds the white ones are providing roughly a third of the blue light available.

 

[Uncle99]

Corals can be very light forgiving if that light is consistent and of full spectrum. Many poor growth rates/deaths due to lighting result from the aquarist continually playing with colour, intensity, height and mix.
Set them and forget them.
Let your corals tell you.

 

[Thjhiggins]

I run my actinics and leds in the for the first hour then they go off and halide comes on runs 6 or so hours then back to actinics , led. I believe coral grows and thrives best under light that replicates the sun. That would be 6500k. But since most don't like that yellow look 10k light looks nice, a nice white. SO run those daylights lol then you get to look forward to that led look, like a treat at the end of the day.

White lights are simply not needed, if you have a good light that offers blues, purple, pink...you will not need to turn on those white lights, they just harm coral more than help. Try it!