Chaeto, what colours to use?

GHOSTLY

2500 Club Member
View Badges
Joined
Feb 26, 2021
Messages
3,333
Reaction score
2,709
Location
vancouver BC
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
I'm not looking to spend too much money on a chaeto light but I have this nicrew light that comes with 4 settings. A cool white that you'd see in a reef tank, a warm planted light, blue, and off. I was wondering what would be best between the 3 colours for chaeto?

167020749474099561015518940632.jpg
 

mdb_talon

2500 Club Member
View Badges
Joined
Dec 6, 2010
Messages
4,938
Reaction score
7,753
Location
Illinois
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
If you can have them all I would say go that route. Plants in general (and in my experience cheato specifically) do best with a full spectrum light. It is of course generally has more reds/whites than we would do in a reef tank, but again full spectrum is ideal. We usually dont see the blues when looking at a grow light as they are drowned out by the other spectrums, but a good multi-purpose grow light is also going to have quite a bit of blue spectrum in it also.
 

Gregg @ ADP

Valuable Member
View Badges
Joined
Sep 20, 2018
Messages
1,208
Reaction score
2,985
Location
Chicago
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
If you can have them all I would say go that route. Plants in general (and in my experience cheato specifically) do best with a full spectrum light. It is of course generally has more reds/whites than we would do in a reef tank, but again full spectrum is ideal. We usually dont see the blues when looking at a grow light as they are drowned out by the other spectrums, but a good multi-purpose grow light is also going to have quite a bit of blue spectrum in it also.
We have a lab we do for photosynthetic rate measured by accumulation of O2 gas in a closed beaker.

Students compare p-synth rate by growing aquatic vegetation (I typically use Caulerpa) under blue, red, green, yellow, and full-spectrum lights.

Honestly, the only spectrum that doesn’t really drive much p-synth is green (obviously). All other colors do roughly the same, although full-spectrum typically does nominally more. Enough to make a difference? Probably not.
 

Spare time

10K Club member
View Badges
Joined
Apr 12, 2019
Messages
12,038
Reaction score
9,673
Location
Here
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
I don't think color matters so much unless it's a low intensity light. Just avoid lights that are primarily greenish (500-600nm in particular)
 

mdb_talon

2500 Club Member
View Badges
Joined
Dec 6, 2010
Messages
4,938
Reaction score
7,753
Location
Illinois
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
We have a lab we do for photosynthetic rate measured by accumulation of O2 gas in a closed beaker.

Students compare p-synth rate by growing aquatic vegetation (I typically use Caulerpa) under blue, red, green, yellow, and full-spectrum lights.

Honestly, the only spectrum that doesn’t really drive much p-synth is green (obviously). All other colors do roughly the same, although full-spectrum typically does nominally more. Enough to make a difference? Probably not.

I would argue it certainly makes a difference over time. I mean you can get a plant to grow and measure very high photosynthesis with just a single wavelength of red in the mid 650s. However longterm you are going to end up with a less healthy plant lacking in chlorophyll production that blue light helps provide.
 
Back
Top