Coral Coloration & Trace Element Experiment

[taricha]

As you near the end of this study, are you thinking there should be a “2.0” version of the study utilizing what you learned in this study? Or are you ready to move on? I was thinking a study of 16 nubbins in separate containers from the same species would remove variability seen in an aquarium study.

While I don't immediately have a great idea on how to set up two+ parallel frag boxes in my space in a controlled coral-happy way...the idea of now knowing what to look for, and how to observe it, and being able to have experiment vs control side by side instead of months apart in time would be soooo much nicer.
So I'll ponder this for a while.

 

[taricha]

Thanks for the study, taricha!

As a separate question for folks following fluorescence of corals, is there much evidence of fluorophores in corals that need excitation below 400 nm to give visible fluorescence?

Reason for asking is thinking about possible lights for my tank, and the lowest led available is listed as:

AI blade has 405 nm plus a 415 nm
GHL LB3 has one called 385/405 nm and 425 nm
Straton Pro has 405 and 420 nm

The issue is whether the 380 nm on the GHL is useful/important

here's a chart from an article that seems lost to the abyss.
the url of the chart used to be....
https://www.advancedaquarist.com/2012/10/aafeature_album/image014.jpg/image_full

These are the excitation peaks, the absorbance curves are wide and you don't have to hit the peaks to see fluorescence. There are very few with peaks <400nm, I don't know what corals they are in and I expect even those very few would be easily excited by ~405nm. The big mass in the center represents the super-common GFPs which although it has a peak at 490-510, is well driven by typical royal blues at ~450nm.
I think 405s and 420s would be plenty to excite even the pickiest coral Fluorescent Proteins.
380nm is probably just fun for a blacklight effect.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

here's a chart from an article that seems lost to the abyss.
the url of the chart used to be....
https://www.advancedaquarist.com/2012/10/aafeature_album/image014.jpg/image_full

These are the excitation peaks, the absorbance curves are wide and you don't have to hit the peaks to see fluorescence. There are very few with peaks <400nm, I don't know what corals they are in and I expect even those very few would be easily excited by ~405nm. The big mass in the center represents the super-common GFPs which although it has a peak at 490-510, is well driven by typical royal blues at ~450nm.
I think 405s and 420s would be plenty to excite even the pickiest coral Fluorescent Proteins.
380nm is probably just fun for a blacklight effect.

Excellent, thanks. :)