LED advise

[tanweisong]

Hi, I am customizing a 4ft 102 leds for my coming 4ft x 2ft x 1ft zoas tank (which I may be introducing other corals in future). Attached below is my led layout



Is my spectrum ok? I am looking at 3:1 blue to white ratio. Should I replace some of the 4500k NW with 3500k CW? Feedback are welcome to make this even better. Thank you guys in advance for the help!!

 

[mcarroll]

At 3:1 it does sound like it would be fairly blue to me....depends how you power it though.

I would look at fixtures that have light you like and "steal" their emitter combo. Here is one to check out.

 

[trido]

3:1 Sounds real blue to me as well. I've built most of my fixtures at 1.5:1 but prefer a more 14K look for peak daylight. I also believe that despite trends over the last five years. Corals need white light to be healthy. Most have forgotten MH trends. 10K for fast growth, 20K for less growth but better color.

 

[ReefLEDLights]

Spectrum is OK if your using Cree X Series LEDs.

The 420-450nm are your primary grow LEDs The Cree X Series White has plenty of 500-600nm depending on Bin

660nm or Deep Red is limited in the ocean past 10 meters. Its perfect for terrestial plants and shallow algae....Make sure you can control this intensity. Having a little may improve looks...Too much will promote nuisance algae.

If this is a custom Chinese Black Box "Caveat Emptor"...Personally I like to have anything associated with 110 or 240VAC UL or CE Approved and as an extra step IP67 for the Power Supply and Drivers...

Ensure you have enough intensity. I like to see 200 PAR on the sand bed for Anemones and Clams...Many higher end fixtures fall well short of this over a 24" deep and especially a 30" deep tank

Bill

 

[mcarroll]

10K for fast growth, 20K for less growth but better color.

Yes....but there's apparently a yin for every yang...

"Fast Growth May Impair Regeneration Capacity in the Branching Coral Acropora muricata"
http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0072618

...and...

"Is the coral-algae symbiosis really ‘mutually beneficial’ for the partners?"
https://www.researchgate.net/public...really_'mutually_beneficial'_for_the_partners

To me these suggest that the "bluer light scenarios" (which, in nature at least, are also less intense lighting scenarios) are better for the animal.