Red LEDs

thewackyreefer

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In what way? I've got a couple in each of my fixtures from Reef Filtration, can't really tell what effect they have but they're there.
 

Troylee

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there life span are shorter than the others.... i truly believe if your going all leds for a display light, it should contain red, green, and blue..... this will allow you to adjust the kelvin temperature without losing spectrum....
 

wld1783

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I'm undecided.

I have them on my 570gal Mixed Reef. They make the colour look warmer so I only have them on during the high noon light schedule.

They do help in photosynthesis as the Zooxanthellae Algae are receptive to this spectrum, unlike the greens which are only for appearance only.

Over all I think they help a little in growth based on the photosynthesis research, but for looks I think its personal preference.

Bill
 
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Laird

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there life span are shorter than the others.... i truly believe if your going all leds for a display light, it should contain red, green, and blue..... this will allow you to adjust the kelvin temperature without losing spectrum....

Thats my thinking too, I've just never seen it with my own eyes. I kind of want to add what I would call a "color strip" that has some red and green LEDs on it. Maybe do like 6 greens and 6 reds alternating over 48in.
 

evilc66

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there life span are shorter than the others.... i truly believe if your going all leds for a display light, it should contain red, green, and blue..... this will allow you to adjust the kelvin temperature without losing spectrum....

Strictly lighting a tank with just red, green, and blue LEDs is a poor way to go. While the visual appearance may look right, the spectral quality for the corals will be quite poor. You would be missing massive chunks of useful spectrum that white LEDs cover. While by themselves, white LEDs aren't particularly appealing to look at, they do produce light in beneficial areas that RGB wouldn't. Plus, the color shadowing, which is an irritant to many, would be even worse with three distinct colors.
 

evilc66

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Thats my thinking too, I've just never seen it with my own eyes. I kind of want to add what I would call a "color strip" that has some red and green LEDs on it. Maybe do like 6 greens and 6 reds alternating over 48in.

Green will do absolutely nothing for you. Most white light sources, be they T5, MH, or LED, all contain decent amounts of green to begin with. Red can add some warmth, but can also lead to a lot of distraction in the tank, with very intense red shimmer lines. If you want to use red LEDs, they should be run at a very low current, and with a dimmable driver.

For anyone looking to add more red tones to the tank, you should do so by using warmer white LEDs. It's a much more subtle effect that isn't nearly as distracting.
 
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Green will do absolutely nothing for you. Most white light sources, be they T5, MH, or LED, all contain decent amounts of green to begin with. Red can add some warmth, but can also lead to a lot of distraction in the tank, with very intense red shimmer lines. If you want to use red LEDs, they should be run at a very low current, and with a dimmable driver.

For anyone looking to add more red tones to the tank, you should do so by using warmer white LEDs. It's a much more subtle effect that isn't nearly as distracting.

The point of adding the reds is not for their visual look. Its to add a larger spectrum and make the corals happy.
 

evilc66

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Again, that can be done in a more subtle way with warmer whites. Discrete red LEDs can make the tank very distracting if not set up properly.
 

evilc66

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I tried a single red LED in one of my PAR38s once, and it seriously made me want to barf. It was like one of those visually induced halucinations that you hear about, but not fun.
 

kevinpratt823

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BRS 926.jpg
BRS 929.jpg
BRS 923.jpg
BRS 958.jpg
BRS 928.jpg

Here you go.
I put 2 reds in the 72bow, and 4 in the 155bow. The ones in the 155 have no optics on them, to spread it more evenly, it blends a lot better than the pics show. I have them on with a secondary string of blues so I can control it seperately. Wasn't sure how I felt at first, but now I like them. In daytime, they give the tank a bit more natural look, as opposed to my radiums before, which washed out a lot of colors and made it all look blue. All of these pics are with the whites off, and varying levels of blues. I'll try and get some full daylight pics soon.
 

steve99999

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Reds grow algae /potplants and help a freshwater planted tank.
Some purple leds can add some pop to your corals.
Sps under leds should always have a light mover with them....
You will have problems with color and growth with the beam effect with leds unless you move the light with a mover.
IT is so simple and cheap to add one yet no one seems to get it yet.
 

evilc66

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You should never have to rely on a light mover at all. There will never be any color or growth issues from using LEDs if the array is set up correctly, so I'm not sure where you are getting the idea that a light mover is necessary. With the spacing rules that are generally accepted by most, the beam of each LED is overlapped by at least two other LEDs by 60% or more, and that's even with optics. At any given point in an aquarium, the spectral properties will be about the same as any other point in the tank. They will fluctuate slightly with the change in water surface movement, but no differently than with any other light source.
 

kevinpratt823

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Reds grow algae /potplants and help a freshwater planted tank.
Some purple leds can add some pop to your corals.
Sps under leds should always have a light mover with them....
You will have problems with color and growth with the beam effect with leds unless you move the light with a mover.
IT is so simple and cheap to add one yet no one seems to get it yet.
Ummm, OK? My tank is covered end to end with about 250 led's, there IS nowhere to move them, they are 2" apart at the most. Not sure what you're basing the statement on anyway?
Besides, my potplants grew just fine without a light mover, but that was many moons ago, in another lifetime..............
 
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