How to best emulate this beautiful tidepool lighting in an aquarium? Can it be done?

[Seancj]

For my next tank upgrade (shallow tide pool scheme), I want to come as close as possible to the natural lighting as seen in this video.
Of course, metal halides are the first to come to mind. Go with 6500K or 10,000K? 250/400/1000 watt bulbs? How many reflectors to cover 78" x 78" foot print?
Kessil lights also come to mind and with enough fixtures tuned full spectrum, maybe they could come close.

 

[KrisReef]

Natural Sunlight Beauty!

You cannot beat natural sunlight to show off a fish's true beauty! Check out our natural sunlit reef.

www.reef2reef.com

SolaTube comes to mind, but there are a few available.

 

[A. grandis]

For my next tank upgrade (shallow tide pool scheme), I want to come as close as possible to the natural lighting as seen in this video.
Of course, metal halides are the first to come to mind. Go with 6500K or 10,000K? 250/400/1000 watt bulbs? How many reflectors to cover 78" x 78" foot print?
Kessil lights also come to mind and with enough fixtures tuned full spectrum, maybe they could come close.

Solar tubes, or metal halides.

Either 6500K or 10000K metal halide bulbs. Use T5 ATI Blue Plus too!
To reproduce the video a 10000K/ ATI Blue Plus is the best combo.
Sometimes I think about making some videos like that...

6 X 36" Giesemann Spectra would work for a 78" X 78" footprint.

How high is the system?

No LEDs will substitute the qualities of metal halides. Not even those Kessils!

No other artificial light beats the combination of the qualities of a metal halide/ T5 fixure!

 

[dansyr]

Make your own LED arrays!

 

[oreo54]

For my next tank upgrade (shallow tide pool scheme), I want to come as close as possible to the natural lighting as seen in this video.
Of course, metal halides are the first to come to mind. Go with 6500K or 10,000K? 250/400/1000 watt bulbs? How many reflectors to cover 78" x 78" foot print?
Kessil lights also come to mind and with enough fixtures tuned full spectrum, maybe they could come close.

Basically what you need.. Doesn't matter on the source..
6500k high CRI lights.
Going w/ say LEDS and you won't have that small UV component from MH's but you also wouldn't have much with a sonotube either. Plastic filters out a lot of UV.

Dansyr actually has the right idea.. There are some very good LEDs that quite the high natural color rendering to sunlight.
In the visible range more than any other "common" light source that I can think of.

If you don't want "natural" per se than you can always use the RGB trick to emulate a white type light with a more extreme color rendering and you can "lean" it into the cool white area.

 

[buruskeee]

No other artificial light beats the combination of the qualities of a metal halide/ T5 fixure!

Metal halide and T5 are just as artificial as LEDs . Want to put some substance/logic to what you’re trying to proclaim?

 

[A. grandis]

Basically what you need.. Doesn't matter on the source..
6500k high CRI lights.
Going w/ say LEDS and you won't have that small UV component from MH's but you also wouldn't have much with a sonotube either. Plastic filters out a lot of UV.

Dansyr actually has the right idea.. There are some very good LEDs that quite the high natural color rendering to sunlight.
In the visible range more than any other "common" light source that I can think of.

If you don't want "natural" per se than you can always use the RGB trick to emulate a white type light with a more extreme color rendering and you can "lean" it into the cool white area.

Humm.. "small UV component"? In comparison to what? LOL!
The UV from halides is the best amount for home applications, in comparison to LEDs!

..."in the visible range" as in PAR range, or in terms of aesthetics, as in the abilities of a human eye for the pleasure?

 

[oreo54]

Humm.. "small UV component"? In comparison to what? LOL!
The UV from halides is the best amount for home applications, in comparison to LEDs!

..."in the visible range" as in PAR range, or in terms of aesthetics, as in the abilities of a human eye for the pleasure?

Why annoy your corals with UV?
A R(f) of close to 100% is THE BEST one can achieve in visual "perfection".

No MH comes close to 100%..

 

[A. grandis]

Why annoy your corals with UV?

Why not? The sun does with much stronger intensity in that tide pool.
If that's what he wants to reproduce...

 

[oreo54]

Why not? The sun does with much stronger intensity in that tide pool.
If that's what he wants to reproduce...

The "benefit" is an opinion not a fact.Therefore unnecessary.
Nature is always trying to kill you.

EDIT.. Yes given a certain set of conditions the UV output of a MH can actually exceed that of the sun but again, is it what one would want?

Playing With Poison – Ultraviolet Radiation

This article documents the results of an experiment designed to examine the effects of artificially-produced UVR on symbiotic zooxanthellae. We'll also examine inexpensive ways to test your system and, if necessary, corrective measures one can take.

reefs.com

Corals have a limited number of responses to UVR. They can cope with UVR and expend energy for repair, they can adapt by developing (or obtaining through diet) MAAs, or they can avoid UVR.

Hobbyists, as masters of these unique ecosystems we call reef aquaria, can choose how their corals are treated. Some corals will be just fine in coping with relatively high UVR doses (which has led to the myth that UVR is harmless). Others will offer silent testament to the effects of UVR, and may grow relatively slowly or perhaps not at all. We do not know the long term effects of artificially-generated UVR on coral health. Some could die as a result of prolonged exposure.

Gleason (1993) shows the ability of Porites astreoides to adapt to varying degrees of UVR. Even after an adaptation period of ~3 months, some Porites and their zooxanthellae failed to adapt to the higher UV environment and demonstrated less growth than ‘adapted’ corals.

 

[Seancj]

I don't want an LED vs Halide battle here guys! State your recommendations but don't argue or try to dispell someone else's ideas or opinions. I've read through too many of those types of threads tonight already.
Thanks everyone for the input so far.

 

[Seancj]

Natural Sunlight Beauty!

You cannot beat natural sunlight to show off a fish's true beauty! Check out our natural sunlit reef.

www.reef2reef.com

SolaTube comes to mind, but there are a few available.

I do wish that I could use these! Unfortunately, the tank will be in a finished basement.

 

[buruskeee]

I don't want an LED vs Halide battle here guys! State your recommendations but don't argue or try to dispell someone else's ideas or opinions. I've read through too many of those types of threads tonight already.
Thanks everyone for the input so far.

lol for sure! It’s always the anti-LED cult spewing misinformation like this when it wasn’t even the topic:

No LEDs will substitute the qualities of metal halides. Not even those Kessils!

No other artificial light beats the combination of the qualities of a metal halide/ T5 fixure!

And can’t even explain the logic from what is more “artificial” from one technology to the other.

Anything that produces the color temperature and shimmer you’re looking for to cover the footprint you had in mind cost effectively will work. Solar tubes would be the ultimate replica.

 

[oreo54]

I don't want an LED vs Halide battle here guys! State your recommendations but don't argue or try to dispell someone else's ideas or opinions. I've read through too many of those types of threads tonight already.
Thanks everyone for the input so far.

Right any light source as long as it has high CRI or the new R(f) of close to 100 will do.
There are dozens of "freshwater" leds that can emulate that. About 2 reef centric t5's but some 6500k ones thogh, at best, you get 80CRI (865 tubes. With some luck one can find 965's). Usable but not ideal.
80cri in t5 is better than 80cri in led.. Nature of the tech.
As to MH's well 10000k or less. quality ??? nowadays. would probably look fine.

 

[Reefering1]

Metal halide and T5 are just as artificial as LEDs . Want to put some substance/logic to what you’re trying to proclaim?

No other artificial light beats the combination of the qualities of a metal halide/ T5 fixure!

That's why he said no OTHER artificial light sources.. to be inclusive of mh as artificial...

 

[buruskeee]

That's why he said no OTHER artificial light sources.. to be inclusive of mh as artificial...

No I’ve went back and forth before with him, he truly meant and was implying that T5 and MH were not artificial and LEDs are “laser lights” to quote something said in a prior thread.

 

[A. grandis]

The "benefit" is an opinion not a fact.Therefore unnecessary.
Nature is always trying to kill you.

EDIT.. Yes given a certain set of conditions the UV output of a MH can actually exceed that of the sun but again, is it what one would want?

Playing With Poison – Ultraviolet Radiation

This article documents the results of an experiment designed to examine the effects of artificially-produced UVR on symbiotic zooxanthellae. We'll also examine inexpensive ways to test your system and, if necessary, corrective measures one can take.

reefs.com

If you want to defend your personal preference for LEDs... or try to justify your LED purchase... cause no one can go against the truth that metal halides IS in FACT the best representation of sunlight over ANY aquarium!

 

[Reefering1]

No I’ve went back and forth before with him, he truly meant and was implying that T5 and MH were not artificial and LEDs are “laser lights” to quote something said in a prior thread.

Regardless, if nothing else, this time he said no other.. referring to all in the group of artificial- which I'm sure everyone would agree(I think), that the sun is the only source that is not artificial..

 

[Reefering1]

No I’ve went back and forth before with him, he truly meant and was implying that T5 and MH were not artificial and LEDs are “laser lights” to quote something said in a prior thread.

And in all fairness- aren't lasers, in fact, a type of led?

 

[buruskeee]

If you want to defend your personal preference for LEDs... or try to justify your LED purchase... cause no one can go against the truth that metal halides IS in FACT the best representation of sunlight over ANY aquarium!

I dont prefer LED, actually - I don’t have a preference and like different tech for different applications.

You can state your opinions all you want - trying to proclaim nonsense as fact is where I step in.

Just say you enjoy the spectrum of MH and keep it moving.