The Optimal Light Spectrum in a Reef Aquarium

Beuchat

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The proper light for the reef aquarium is of extraordinary importance, not only for coral growth and health, but for the overall functioning of the food web. A large number of organisms involved in nutrient recycling, feeding corals and invertebrates, depend on light for survival. Photosynthetic bacteria, photo-autotrophic protists, cyanobacteria, diatoms, phytoplankton, zooxanthellae and algae perform photosynthesis to feed and build their tissues. To understand how corals take advantage of light, it is important to know that, for biological purposes, there is no difference between the light emitted by a HQI bulb, a T5 fluorescent tube or a LED fixture. In all cases it is a photon flux, which is used by zooxanthellae to perform photosynthesis, providing food to the coral.

Figure 1 shows the irradiance pattern according to time of day and sun elevation on an Australian coral reef. Phases of dawn, day and dusk are depicted. This universal pattern is the one that should follow, as far as possible, the luminous intensity that falls on a reef aquarium, for which it is necessary that the lights are dimmable.​


Imagen 1.png


Figure 1. Solar Irradiance over an Australian Coral Reef.

Depending on its location on the coral reef or in the aquaculture farm, a coral will be adapted to certain lighting conditions and water movement. In the ocean, depth determines the amount and type of light that strikes the zooxanthellae. This light is subject to very small variations. Variations are determined by the time of day, movement of clouds, water turbidity or sea swell intensity. Corals, anemones and giant clams respond very poorly to sudden increases in light intensity, so light acclimation is necessary before placing them in their final spot within the aquarium.

Throughout the day, there are specific moments where light intensity fluctuates rapidly, producing peaks and valleys of short duration (figure 1). These episodes are due to cloud movements and changes in atmospheric and meteorological conditions, being beneficial because they help corals and invertebrates harboring zooxanthellae to reduce their oxidative stress. As a result of exposure to intense light, photosynthetic activity of zooxanthellae leads to the production of large amount of superoxide radicals. These are highly toxic and can cause irreversible damage to the coral if not neutralized by specific metabolic reactions. The enzyme superoxide dismutase is involved in these reactions, where the toxic radicals are transformed into oxygen. These short periods of decreased light intensity can be easily simulated in modern reef aquarium lighting systems.

Corals located near the water surface receive a large amount of solar radiation so are forced to reduce their zooxanthellae population to reduce oxidative stress. This reduction results in a much lighter coloration. However, corals in deep zones, in order to maintain the same photosynthesis rate, must develop a higher density of zooxanthellae, presenting much darker shades. Another factor that significantly affects the coloration of corals, anemones and giant clams are the protective pigments they develop in response to UV and intense light radiation. These pigments provide them with very attractive colors, in shades of blue, mauve, yellow or pink, and their function is to reduce oxidative stress. In the reef aquarium, intense lighting, within reasonable limits, favors the formation of these pigments and the corresponding associated colors. These colors are a natural response and are consolidated when environmental conditions are extraordinarily stable. Frequent changes in the location of corals into a reef tank greatly limit the development of these pigment.

Light is an electromagnetic radiation that has the same nature as radio or cell phone signals. The only difference between them is their wavelengths. Each type of electromagnetic radiation is characterized by a different wavelength. For example, the radiation from a domestic WIFI router has a wavelength of approximately 12 cm. The human eye is not able to detect this wavelength, so WIFI radio waves are invisible to us. The energy carried by a light source is inversely proportional to its wavelength, i.e., the longer the wavelength the lower the energy.

If an electromagnetic radiation has a wavelength between 400 nm and 700 nm (1 nm being one millionth of a millimeter), it is perceived by the human eye in the form of light and colors. Each color corresponds to exactly one wavelength. This electromagnetic spectral range is known as the “visible spectrum”. Light from the sun carries all the wavelengths of the visible spectrum and additionally those corresponding to infrared and ultraviolet. Ultraviolet radiation is located before 400 nm and infrared radiation after 700 nm, i.e., at the borders of the visible spectrum above and below. The approximate equivalences between wavelengths and colors are described in table 1.​


Table 1.png


Table 1. Equivalence between wavelengths and colors

Figure 2 shows a plot of the spectrum corresponding to the average solar radiation incident on the ocean surface of a coral reef, at the hours of maximum illumination, which correspond with the closest position of the solar disk at noon. The data used to construct this plot were generated by the software WASI (“water color simulator”), a windows-based program developed for modeling and analyzing optical in situ measurements in aquatic environments.​


Imagen 2.png


Figure 2. Solar radiation incident on the ocean surface of a coral reef

Ultraviolet radiation is extraordinarily harmful to any organism and is filtered by the ozone layer that exists around the Earth. Ultraviolet-B and specially UV-C light radiation are very harmful to fish, coral and invertebrates. However, UV-A light is not destructive and, in fact, it is used by LEDs lights in reef aquariums to produce fluorescence on the corals. The light channels labeled as UV emit actinic light along with a small amount of ultraviolet-A light, generating this effect. Infrared radiation is emitted by all bodies in nature, depending on their temperature, and is harmless at low intensities.

As a result of the interaction of light with water molecules and dissolved substances such as phytoplankton, zooplankton, detritus and organic matter, there is an attenuation in intensity and a spectrum change. The change is produced because attenuation is selective with wavelength, affecting more to the colors close to red and yellow. This phenomenon is shown in figure 3, where it is verified that the red, orange and yellow wavelengths suffer a greater attenuation than the blue and violet tones, with the green color remaining in an intermediate place. As a result, as the depth increases, the available light becomes bluer and less red.

The spectrum of sunlight incident on the fish, corals and invertebrates submerged in the coral reef would be the result of "multiplying" the figures 2 and 3. This spectrum is represented in the figure 4 and corresponds to the existing light at about 5 meters depth. This would be type of light to replicate on a reef tank, however, there are other important considerations that make this spectrum less than optimal for aquarium lighting.​

Imagen 3.png


Figure 3. Attenuation produced by seawater according to light wavelengths.


Imagen 4.png


Figure 4. Spectrum of light existing at about 5 m depth in a coral reef.

First of all, zooxanthellae do not use all colors equally for photosynthesis. For solar radiation to be transformed into available energy for photosynthesis, it is necessary for organisms to possess certain absorption pigments. These pigments would be a kind of “organic photoelectric cells”, i.e., molecular structures that absorb certain wavelengths, converting light energy into chemical energy. The most abundant absorption pigment among photosynthetic organisms is chlorophyll, present within zooxanthellae in the A, B and C forms. Zooxanthellae also possess carotenoid absorption pigments, such as beta-carotene, peridinin and diadinoxanthin. The absorption response for all these pigments is very high in the violet/blue (400-500nm) and red (650-700 nm) range, ensuring that all available light on the reef is utilized. In figure 5 we can verify that the range between 550 nm and 650 nm (green and yellow colors) is of rather little importance for the metabolism of these symbiont algae. Therefore, in our aquarium lighting system, we can greatly attenuate the green and yellow colors without significant impact on the biology of corals, clams and invertebrates harboring zooxanthellae.

Imagen 5.png


Figure 5. Absorption response for photosynthetic pigments.

Secondly, there is considerable scientific evidence of the detrimental effects of intense red-light radiation on corals (R.A. Kinzie & T. Hunter 1987). Intense red light frequently produces photosynthetic photoinhibition reactions in zooxanthellae, triggering their expulsion by the coral host and subsequent death. It has also been verified in laboratory studies with corals that blue light produces higher photosynthesis rates, zooxanthellae density, chlorophyl content and overall growth, than red light.

The type of light depicted in figure 4 has everything biologically necessary for the health of fish, corals, invertebrates and the associated food web of a reef aquarium. However, es explained, we can optimize this spectrum attenuating greens, yellows, oranges and reds, without any detrimental effect on fish, corals and invertebrate’s health. The attenuation of wavelengths near to red, not only protects our corals from oxidative stress, but also minimizes the probability of occurrence of unwanted algae. In tide pools, close to the reef, the light received has a large amount of red color, which is used by hair and macro algae for colonization and growth. The same thing can happen in the aquarium if a lot of red-light radiation is used.

Figure 6 shows what the reference light spectrum would look like for reef tank application. HQI bulbs, fluorescent tubes and commercially available LEDs fixtures are designed to provide this spectrum to a greater or lesser extent, with slight modifications. Taking this spectrum as a baseline, if we wish to recreate shallow areas or even intertidal pools, it is recommended to increase the content of green, yellow and red colors. In the case of recreating deeper areas, we can attenuate the greens, yellows and reds as much as necessary, without limiting the health or growth of the corals, giant clams and invertebrates.​


Imagen 6.png


Figure 6. Reference light spectrum for a reef tank.

As an example, figures 7 to 10 show the spectrum provided by the manufacturer Giesemann in four HQI bulb models, together with their corresponding color temperature. We verify that the color temperature increases with blue light content, decreasing when there is a greater amount of red and yellow components.​


Imagen 7.png


Figure 7. HQI Geisemann Megachrome Marine. 12.000 ºK. With "rippling sun reflection effect”. There are a lot of red and yellow components.



Imagen 8.png


Figure 8. HQI Geisemann Megachrome Coral. 14.500 ºK. “Natural sunlight effect”. By decreasing the amount of red components, the color temperature increases.


Imagen 9.png


Figure 9. HQI Geisemann Megachrome Crystal. 17.500 ºK. “Great growth in SPS and LPS corals effect”. The decrease in yellow components increases the color temperature.


Imagen 10.png


Figure 10. Geisemann Megachrome Blue. 22,000 °K. “Accentuates the blue components effect”. There is a significant decrease in the red, yellow and green components, producing a blue-dominant light with high color temperature.

In figure 11 the spectrum provided by a Ecotech Radion XR30w G5 LED is also depicted. We can see that the spectrum is similar to the one in figure 6, which is the reference spectrum, as explained.


Imagen 11.png


Figure 11. Spectrum provided by Ecotech XR30w G5 PRO LED fixture.


Concluding.

When an aquarist wonders what type of light is appropriate for a reef aquarium, the immediate tendency is to mimic as closely as possible the natural light that fish, corals and invertebrates receive in nature. The spectrum of this light includes many of the colors that the human eye is capable of perceiving, for example violets, blues, greens, yellows, oranges and reds. However, zooxanthellae do not use all of these wavelengths equally, but mainly colors close to blue and red. It is therefore possible to decrease the intensity of colors close to green, yellow and orange, without having a negative impact on their health. On the other hand, we know that intense red light causes great oxidative stress in corals and additionally, favors the appearance of unwanted algae in the aquarium. Also, blue light produces in corals a higher rate of photosynthesis and a higher density of zooxanthellae than red light. The optimal spectrum for a reef aquarium therefore has a large amount of blue light, with other colors such as green, yellow, orange and red, significantly attenuated with respect to the natural light. This type of spectrum is the one implemented by modern lightning system for reef tanks.​

This thread is for the general discussion of the Article The Optimal Light Spectrum in a Reef Aquarium. Please add to the discussion here.
 
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Timfish

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Good introduction to lighting. I wouldn't say there's an "optimal spectrum" however. The photobiology is too variable in corals and the spectrum one coral likes may not work for another coral with different photobiology.

This paper by Feldman is one example


Also, while there may not a difference in photon flux between different lighting technologies there certainly are difference spectral output and how it affects coral growth as demonstrated in this paper:

 

Nano sapiens

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It looks like the article has been compiled based on the article Dmitry Karpenko and I wrote for Advanced Aquarist (feature article) some 10 years ago. It looks like even the diagrams have been borrowed. Light in the Reef Aquaria

I noticed the similarity since I used much of your article's information when building my DIY LED array a number of years ago.

Fantastic reference material and it's great that I can say 'Thank You' to one of the authors directly! :)
 

rgulrich

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@vahegan - Thank you for posting the link - that article still makes for a great read. The extensive work that went into it is still very apparent and extremely relevant for today's reefkeepers.
Cheers,
Ray :cool:
 

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This may sound strange, but assuming solar spectrum is the best for corals may not be 100% correct. One spectrum may contribute to pigmentation, and another may promote better growth. For example, the AB+ spectrum is preferred as a good compromise between growth and coloration. 6500K was considered midday sun spectrum, but the hobby has progressed toward blue for multiple reasons. If 6500K was the best possible, we'd still be using it.
 

Shooter6

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This isn't exactly true! The bluer spectrum lighting is only used for the purposes of getting the glowing pigments of the corals to be more noticeable, vibrant, or to change the colors of the corals to our eye and to a lesser degree suppress algae growth and to hide it by making the rock appear a different color lol.

65k still grows corals fast, faster then the heavy blue lit tanks.

Maybe leds struggle to produce real 65k spectrum is part of the issue..
 

Nonya

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That
This isn't exactly true! The bluer spectrum lighting is only used for the purposes of getting the glowing pigments of the corals to be more noticeable, vibrant, or to change the colors of the corals to our eye and to a lesser degree suppress algae growth and to hide it by making the rock appear a different color lol.

65k still grows corals fast, faster then the heavy blue lit tanks.

Maybe leds struggle to produce real 65k spectrum is part of the issue..

LOL. That isn't true at all. I know you're just trolling (because you're a big LED user yourself) , but that's ok. Since most corals have adapted primarily in a red-deficient, blue-violet environment, Chlorophylls a and c2, as well as several accessory pigments and the PCP antenna protein, are adapted to collect the higher energy photons in the 400-500nm range; that is, the wavelengths that penetrate deep in the water.

Blue light doesn't suppress algae growth. Plants benefit from blue and red (as you can see in plant LEDs). I just read an article that even suggests some coral proteins absorb blue light and re-emit it as orange-red, which is more easily absorbed by the coral tissue.

Blue-violet light definitely enhances colors due to the Stokes shift. That's why people like the Radium 20,000Ks and blue-violet-UVA LEDs so much. They make colors pop, and even make colors appear that would not be visible at all under the "warmer" daylight lights. The fluorescence is thought to be a way of eliminating excess high energy, keeping it from interfering with the photosynthetic mechanisms, acting as a kind of sunscreen for corals.

I remember an experiment published a very long time ago in which halides of various Kelvin ratings were tested, and the 14,000K and 20,000K bulbs grew corals at something like twice the rate of "cutting edge" 5,500K and 10,000K bulbs. I think it was in Advanced Aquarist well over a decade ago. Based on that, I wouldn't like ay light to reproduce a pure daylight spectrum.
 
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Doctorgori

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I’ve posted this a few times, I think it is interesting and Sanjay has a decent tank and knows a little about light.:)


corey

That


LOL. That isn't true at all. I know you're just trolling (because you're a big LED user yourself) , but that's ok. Since most corals have adapted primarily in a red-deficient, blue-violet environment, Chlorophylls a and c2, as well as several accessory pigments and the PCP antenna protein, are adapted to collect the higher energy photons in the 400-500nm range; that is, the wavelengths that penetrate deep in the water.

Blue light doesn't suppress algae growth. Plants benefit from blue and red (as you can see in plant LEDs). I just read an article that even suggests some coral proteins absorb blue light and re-emit it as orange-red, which is more easily absorbed by the coral tissue.

Blue-violet light definitely enhances colors due to the Stokes shift. That's why people like the Radium 20,000Ks and blue-violet-UVA LEDs so much. They make colors pop, and even make colors appear that would not be visible at all under the "warmer" daylight lights. The fluorescence is thought to be a way of eliminating excess high energy, keeping it from interfering with the photosynthetic mechanisms, acting as a kind of sunscreen for corals.

I remember an experiment published a very long time ago in which halides of various Kelvin ratings were tested, and the 14,000K and 20,000K bulbs grew corals at something like twice the rate of "cutting edge" 5,500K and 10,000K bulbs. I think it was in Advanced Aquarist well over a decade ago. Based on that, I wouldn't like ay light to reproduce a pure daylight spectrum.
the issue is still debate worthy

my eyeballs and experience points towards the daylight spectrums working better for growth but admittedly color temperate is a appearance thing of no direct biological value…
 

Koh23

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Back in days, lights was "built" (both leds, and bulb combination) with ratio of 2:1, or 3:1 in favor of blue.....

Simply because blue light gives less "punch" than white, so, basically white light was in charge of giving power to corals, blue light was to give that bluish hue to water and things in water...

For example, 3w royal blue led is app 3-4 times weaker in visible light compared to same 3w 10-30000k led.

And thing worked great, light was bluer than daylight, or light for freshwater.... corals grows, had good colors.... everyone happy....

Then, manufacturers reverse logic, and starts to build lights where power is on blue chips (not by actual power, simply by number of leds), and white is used just to tone things down, to "lighten" the scene a bit....

And trend follows, so everyone starts to use heavy blue, like i said many times, simply don't understand what is seen in tanks which runs white channel at 1-5%... Then, to confuse us all more, they started to throw par numbers as rule how much light we should have, and which spectrum is best... Yet, manufacturers cannot agree what spectrum is the "one", so everyone offers they vision of what reef tank spectrum should look like. And to be in spirit of 21 century, and of course putting more money in pocket, everything is customizable to the point of absurd, so, even the best and "correct" spectrum is left to the user to be totally ruined with customization....

For me, white light is not enemy, white light grows coral, blue is just supplement, to achieve better overall look, and to some point actually benefit coral, everything else is just good marketing....

If wish is white, then white color is what needs to be seen.... ;)
 

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The opposite is true for me. I built a DIY LED system: 1/3 460nm blue, 1/3 475nm blue, 1/3 cool white. I ran the blues at 100% power and the whites at about 30% power. My corals went crazy growing.
 

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I think LED technology using “channels” confused people …white is a composite color spectrally ..so when people say things like “white light causes algae” and “blue light is better for corals” I think is a misapplication of terms and biology..
I also believe the whole “color temperature” references add to the confusion as that’s more a visual reference with no direct spectral or biological metrics involved… does 20k even mean anything biologically speaking ?
….which leads me to, if faster coral growth does depend on just a few specific spectra, who said “faster growth” equates to optimal biology/lower mortality/stress resistance?
faster = optimal isn’t a absolute..
seems all these studies on coral growth skip over that part
 
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Shooter6

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That


LOL. That isn't true at all. I know you're just trolling (because you're a big LED user yourself) , but that's ok. Since most corals have adapted primarily in a red-deficient, blue-violet environment, Chlorophylls a and c2, as well as several accessory pigments and the PCP antenna protein, are adapted to collect the higher energy photons in the 400-500nm range; that is, the wavelengths that penetrate deep in the water.

Blue light doesn't suppress algae growth. Plants benefit from blue and red (as you can see in plant LEDs). I just read an article that even suggests some coral proteins absorb blue light and re-emit it as orange-red, which is more easily absorbed by the coral tissue.

Blue-violet light definitely enhances colors due to the Stokes shift. That's why people like the Radium 20,000Ks and blue-violet-UVA LEDs so much. They make colors pop, and even make colors appear that would not be visible at all under the "warmer" daylight lights. The fluorescence is thought to be a way of eliminating excess high energy, keeping it from interfering with the photosynthetic mechanisms, acting as a kind of sunscreen for corals.

I remember an experiment published a very long time ago in which halides of various Kelvin ratings were tested, and the 14,000K and 20,000K bulbs grew corals at something like twice the rate of "cutting edge" 5,500K and 10,000K bulbs. I think it was in Advanced Aquarist well over a decade ago. Based on that, I wouldn't like ay light to reproduce a pure daylight spectrum.
M9st corals have not adapted to a mostly blue spectrum. That is a lie being pushed by led users!

Here's a few pics, tell me what light these corals are living in
 

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Koh23

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We try to imitate nature, sun intensity at various depths, which is not easy in such small scale, and really, any tank size is small scale compared to natural habitat of corals and fish....

Second, in our rooms we have stationary source of light, and stationary object, and in nature, things is far more complicated.....

Many lights dont have separate control of intensity and spectrum, meaning you can't adjust blues to 100% power, and 20% intensity.... also, same on other channels, on all of them intensity equals power in wats, which is ok, but much easier to set up things in wrong way, affecting par in favor of "color".....

Maybe high end lights have way to work around this, but, lower end units don't, so, wanna more natural color? Sure, reduce blue channel, and loose 30-60% of actual par.....

Personal preference and believes is something that i respect, and don't touch, but for me, that is main reason to have stronger white channel, well, stronger than modern lights have...

So that u can regulate color "temperature" with increasing blue channel power, and have good par numbers, instead of regulating color with reducing blue channel, and loose par....

Like i said, i bought popbloom lights, where is exact situation, white channel is weak, so, if i want more natural look instead of washed dark blue color, i need to crank white up, but also lower blue, and most par power of these lights are in blue channel....

On the other hand, chinese black box have app. same ratio of blues and white, so, i can set white channel (and par) to what i like, then add or subtract blue channel how i want, and loose, or add, smaller amount of par...
 

Shooter6

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We try to imitate nature, sun intensity at various depths, which is not easy in such small scale, and really, any tank size is small scale compared to natural habitat of corals and fish....

Second, in our rooms we have stationary source of light, and stationary object, and in nature, things is far more complicated.....

Many lights dont have separate control of intensity and spectrum, meaning you can't adjust blues to 100% power, and 20% intensity.... also, same on other channels, on all of them intensity equals power in wats, which is ok, but much easier to set up things in wrong way, affecting par in favor of "color".....

Maybe high end lights have way to work around this, but, lower end units don't, so, wanna more natural color? Sure, reduce blue channel, and loose 30-60% of actual par.....

Personal preference and believes is something that i respect, and don't touch, but for me, that is main reason to have stronger white channel, well, stronger than modern lights have...

So that u can regulate color "temperature" with increasing blue channel power, and have good par numbers, instead of regulating color with reducing blue channel, and loose par....

Like i said, i bought popbloom lights, where is exact situation, white channel is weak, so, if i want more natural look instead of washed dark blue color, i need to crank white up, but also lower blue, and most par power of these lights are in blue channel....

On the other hand, chinese black box have app. same ratio of blues and white, so, i can set white channel (and par) to what i like, then add or subtract blue channel how i want, and loose, or add, smaller amount of par...
The popbloom you bought are the redsea led ones?

Is the use of led bars out of the question due to aesthetics?

Look at these or the one above it on the website, it's a way to add whites and have more par then you could ask for lol

Allows you to also stay with all leds if thats a priority as well!
 

Shooter6

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Back in days, lights was "built" (both leds, and bulb combination) with ratio of 2:1, or 3:1 in favor of blue.....

Simply because blue light gives less "punch" than white, so, basically white light was in charge of giving power to corals, blue light was to give that bluish hue to water and things in water...

For example, 3w royal blue led is app 3-4 times weaker in visible light compared to same 3w 10-30000k led.

And thing worked great, light was bluer than daylight, or light for freshwater.... corals grows, had good colors.... everyone happy....

Then, manufacturers reverse logic, and starts to build lights where power is on blue chips (not by actual power, simply by number of leds), and white is used just to tone things down, to "lighten" the scene a bit....

And trend follows, so everyone starts to use heavy blue, like i said many times, simply don't understand what is seen in tanks which runs white channel at 1-5%... Then, to confuse us all more, they started to throw par numbers as rule how much light we should have, and which spectrum is best... Yet, manufacturers cannot agree what spectrum is the "one", so everyone offers they vision of what reef tank spectrum should look like. And to be in spirit of 21 century, and of course putting more money in pocket, everything is customizable to the point of absurd, so, even the best and "correct" spectrum is left to the user to be totally ruined with customization....

For me, white light is not enemy, white light grows coral, blue is just supplement, to achieve better overall look, and to some point actually benefit coral, everything else is just good marketing....

If wish is white, then white color is what needs to be seen.... ;)
While a blue led looks weaker to our eyes, the wavelengths are actually stronger then white so carry more real punch!

I think that is part of the reason manufacturers used more blues, to get higher par out of their fixtures for marketing. People bought into the blues is king they were sold and now that is the have to have look lol.
We see it in every aspect of life.
 

Koh23

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Yes, they are red sea "clone"....

Aesthetic is not a problem, problem is that all of these manufacturers are in usa, don't ship internationally, and when they do, that cost's more than item itself.

Also, don't mean to be rude, but.... 160 or so dollars for few $ worth of leds and aluminum bar..... no thanx! ;)

10w for example of white have more par than 10w of blue....if you look only numbers, wavelength is something different, i agree....

But, i simply said, i like more natural colors, not daylight, not white, but not so heavy on blues, and that is not easy to achieve with most of lights, without loosing too much par.
 

Shooter6

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Yes, they are red sea "clone"....

Aesthetic is not a problem, problem is that all of these manufacturers are in usa, don't ship internationally, and when they do, that cost's more than item itself.

Also, don't mean to be rude, but.... 160 or so dollars for few $ worth of leds and aluminum bar..... no thanx! ;)

10w for example of white have more par than 10w of blue....if you look only numbers, wavelength is something different, i agree....

But, i simply said, i like more natural colors, not daylight, not white, but not so heavy on blues, and that is not easy to achieve with most of lights, without loosing too much par.
Oh ok if your out of the country I would look at the orphek or3 reefday bars or on ebay theres either evergro or popbloom bars in a blue white mix to supposedly mimic 10k bulbs. The ebay ones are under 100.00 depending on size needed.

As a side note ive been seeing 4 ft sps reefs lit with 3-4 of the bars in the link, blue, qblue heavy and reef day mixes and no additional light needed. That's pretty impressive if you compare the cost of some other options.
 

A worm with high fashion and practical utility: Have you ever kept feather dusters in your reef aquarium?

  • I currently have feather dusters in my tank.

    Votes: 73 37.8%
  • Not currently, but I have had feather dusters in my tank in the past.

    Votes: 66 34.2%
  • I have not had feather dusters, but I hope to in the future.

    Votes: 25 13.0%
  • I have no plans to have feather dusters in my tank.

    Votes: 28 14.5%
  • Other.

    Votes: 1 0.5%
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