Blue or white supplemental

[Nor'easter Reefer]

So i have a 4x2x2 120g mixed reef. I currently have 2 165w viparspectra. The newer ones that only do adjustments in 10% increments. They do well enough for now so I'm keeping them, but I'm looking into either a 4' orphek, or quanta strip light. That said, the viparspectra white channel is a waste. At 10% (bare minimum) it's as much white as I want. So I'm wondering what the general consensus is:

Do I get a couple white bars and turn off the viparspectra's whites and bunp only the blues? Do i get a couple blues to try and compensate for the amount of blue the vipars put out?

Im mostly interested in coral growth. Im no light expert by any means whatsoever, but from what I've gathered white isn't nearly as crucial as blue and violet. So i was leaning towards some quality blue/violet bars.

Thanks in advance and happy easter!

 

[tbrown]

If you do 2 of the Orphek Or4s, I'd go with a Reef Day Plus and a Blue Plus or 2 of the Blu Sky and turn the white off, but I like Windex. :beaming-face-with-smiling-eyes:

 

[Ooh fiddlesticks]

The white channel is fully capable of growing coral, so if you’re mostly interested in growth you can turn the white channel up. White leds produce white light through either phosphor conversion or RGB, either way there’s blue in the spectrum.
It kinda sounds like you’re unhappy with the viparspectra though, and that’s ok too.
From black boxes to orpheks, and nothing in between catches your eye?

 

[Nor'easter Reefer]

If you do 2 of the Orphek Or4s, I'd go with a Reef Day Plus and a Blue Plus or 2 of the Blu Sky and turn the white off, but I like Windex. :beaming-face-with-smiling-eyes:

I do like a bit more blue haha. The vipar doesn't leave much room for adjustment unless I want a super bright, white color. Or no white at all lol

 

[Nor'easter Reefer]

The white channel is fully capable of growing coral, so if you’re mostly interested in growth you can turn the white channel up. White leds produce white light through either phosphor conversion or RGB, either way there’s blue in the spectrum.
It kinda sounds like you’re unhappy with the viparspectra though, and that’s ok too.
From black boxes to orpheks, and nothing in between catches your eye?

I was thinking the orphek or quanta because I can get some good coverage as the vipars are a very focal point light projection, and because I'm not the biggest fan of the lights color esthetically. I figured, I can weld and fabricate, if i got a light bar or 2 I could build a rack system to mount the 2 bars and 2 vipars together with the bars on the outside pointing in a tad. Change the temperature of the light, get better coverage, and not spend $1200 on new lights.

 

[oreo54]

So i have a 4x2x2 120g mixed reef. I currently have 2 165w viparspectra. The newer ones that only do adjustments in 10% increments. They do well enough for now so I'm keeping them, but I'm looking into either a 4' orphek, or quanta strip light. That said, the viparspectra white channel is a waste. At 10% (bare minimum) it's as much white as I want. So I'm wondering what the general consensus is:

Do I get a couple white bars and turn off the viparspectra's whites and bunp only the blues? Do i get a couple blues to try and compensate for the amount of blue the vipars put out?

Im mostly interested in coral growth. Im no light expert by any means whatsoever, but from what I've gathered white isn't nearly as crucial as blue and violet. So i was leaning towards some quality blue/violet bars.

Thanks in advance and happy easter!

Keep in mind that those lights actually run only 110 watts.
Basically 55 watts per channel.
White at 10% is only 5.5 watts.
So add 11 watts to your 110 watts of blue.
121 watts of not that efficient LEDs but tight optics over your 120 gal tank.

Many believe "full spectrum" ( define it how you like) gives the best growth.
Which puts you in sort of a bind if you mostly care about growth but also care about how it looks to " you". Your tank your choice.

Just upping the white channel " should" improve growth, possibly moreso than just adding an equal amount of " blue".
So the white channel isn't a waste if one wants more growth.

Adding any led will increase par output and hopefully increase growth rates for you.
"Color" will depend on your preference.

from what I've gathered white isn't nearly as crucial as blue and violet.

As mentioned above white is all colors so plenty of blue especially with LEDs.

[ quote]AI Overview


The action spectrum of zooxanthellae photosynthesis in coral tissues shows a broad maximum in the range of 620 to 680 nm, primarily due to chlorophyll a (peak at 675 nm and a shoulder at 620 nm) and chlorophyll c (small peak at 580-590 nm and a shoulder at 640-650 nm). In the blue part of the spectrum, photosynthetic activity is observed due to the absorption of light by chlorophyll a (430-450 nm), chlorophyll c (460-470 nm), and peridinin (490-540 nm).[/ quote]
Also .

Lighting the Reef Aquarium – Spectrum or Intensity?

This month Dana and Miguel discuss the importance of spectrum and intensity of aquarium lighting.

reefs.com

And adding say a blue bar with 420-30 nm heavy will also allow you to use more of your white.

 

[Nor'easter Reefer]

Keep in mind that those lights actually run only 110 watts.
Basically 55 watts per channel.
White at 10% is only 5.5 watts.
So add 11 watts to your 110 watts of blue.
121 watts of not that efficient LEDs but tight optics over your 120 gal tank.

Many believe "full spectrum" ( define it how you like) gives the best growth.
Which puts you in sort of a bind if you mostly care about growth but also care about how it looks to " you". Your tank your choice.

Just upping the white channel " should" improve growth, possibly moreso than just adding an equal amount of " blue".
So the white channel isn't a waste if one wants more growth.

Adding any led will increase par output and hopefully increase growth rates for you.
"Color" will depend on your preference.


As mentioned above white is all colors so plenty of blue especially with LEDs.

[ quote]AI Overview


The action spectrum of zooxanthellae photosynthesis in coral tissues shows a broad maximum in the range of 620 to 680 nm, primarily due to chlorophyll a (peak at 675 nm and a shoulder at 620 nm) and chlorophyll c (small peak at 580-590 nm and a shoulder at 640-650 nm). In the blue part of the spectrum, photosynthetic activity is observed due to the absorption of light by chlorophyll a (430-450 nm), chlorophyll c (460-470 nm), and peridinin (490-540 nm).[/ quote]
Also .

Lighting the Reef Aquarium – Spectrum or Intensity?

This month Dana and Miguel discuss the importance of spectrum and intensity of aquarium lighting.

reefs.com

And adding say a blue bar with 420-30 nm heavy will also allow you to use more of your white.

Huh, is "blues the only one that matters" a common misconception? Just curious how I came to that conclusion. Swear I've seen it. That said, my vipars aren't even cranked right now, so i got plenty of power i can still put out of them. I didn't realize they didn't actually pull anywhere near what they claim as far as wattage. My only real "I'm not happy with this light" is the coverage. And even then I'm not super unhappy with them

 

[oreo54]

Huh, is "blues the only one that matters" a common misconception? Just curious how I came to that conclusion. Swear I've seen it. That said, my vipars aren't even cranked right now, so i got plenty of power i can still put out of them. I didn't realize they didn't actually pull anywhere near what they claim as far as wattage. My only real "I'm not happy with this light" is the coverage. And even then I'm not super unhappy with them

Well the " blue only matters " is a bit heavy handed, not exactly wrong.
https://reefs.com/magazine/light-in-the-reef-aquaria/

There's a lot of leeway here when it comes to growth.

Arguably historically one of the best growth bulbs is an Iwasaki 6500k metal halide. A far stretch from only blue light though it does have a high proportion of blue in its spectrum.

Increase in photons vs the "color" of those photons.
Growth, coloration, and ones own preferences all come into play.

The popularity of add on bars is currently more to add spread. In the past adding them ( t5's, vho) was more to add the blue color to see it when the halides weren't washing out the florescence. Well my opinion.

Ask 10 people get 10 answers.
Also can be a bit species dependent

Tidal Gardens - Reef Aquarium Lighting

Lighting is important because it directly affects how we visually enjoy the hobby and more importantly the vast majority of the corals in our tanks are photosynthetic. In this article we will first cover some of the basics of the light itself and then discuss the various lighting technologies...

tidalgardens.com