UV leds

[thartsockpg]

how much does this type of LED affect the coral color?

 

[ReefLEDLights]

For SPS it gives a slightly better colour pop.

With Non Binned Royal Blue (>460nm) they really help.

Bill

 

[thartsockpg]

what does non binned mean?

 

[1.0reef]

First of all, UV is <400nm, they aren't meant for aquariums, TV (405-420nm) provide great "pop" and PUR, HV (430nm) are even better.

 

[ReefLEDLights]

how much does this type of LED affect the coral color?

The Cree XTE Royal Blue has a spectrum range of 450-465nm...This matters in looks

http://www.cree.com/~/media/Files/Cree/LED Components and Modules/XLamp/Data and Binning/XLampXTE.pdf

LEDs sadly have had a fashon trend set to them...

Most UV should be refereed to Ultra Violet.

410-430nm is what we want.

Bill

As far as how it affects coral colour this is really species specific. A lot of vendors have this spectrum in a couple LEDs only for marketing.

Personally based on our tests you need at least 8 420nm to make a difference. Our 450nm Royal Blue is way brighter and excites pigments 465nm cannot.

 

[mcarroll]

Found this great link that seems pretty relevant, but informative in general about lighting as well:
http://www.coralscience.org/main/articles/aquaculture-a-husbandry-4/insights-high-irradiance

For my own part, I have to say that any recommendation for UV has to come with reminders of a few things:
1) All the successful reefs being run on simply blue (~455nm) and white LEDs - no UV. Per this experience and the conclusions in the link above, UV should be considered experimental, not necessary to home reefkeeping. If you have not seen the effect of UV in person, it is not dramatic like adding ~455nm light is anyway.
2) As has been alluded, UV is a range of light (much like "actinic") not a wavelength. As a rule of thumb, if you experiment with UV, 420nm should be as low as you go without taking some safety precautions for your eyeballs and other animals/people in the area.
3) UV LED's are known to be much less long-lived than the blue LED's (and the whites which are all based on 'em) we're used to.
4) Now that the Razor's are out there "en masse" with 420nm chips, hopefully we'll all have some more conclusive observations as to uselessness or benefits! :-)

-Matt

 

[1.0reef]

chlorophyll a has a big photosynthetic peak at around 428nm, which is why HV's will help with growth.
Also LEDgroupbuy's HV's are better than other violets which usually have a much shorter lifespan.

 

[mcarroll]

I don't think the cause and effect you're assigning to ~420nm light are tightly linked, if at all. From my understanding, that curve represents something like the "able-to-be-used curve" and not much more. There are lots more factors to get all the way to coral growth....where UV light (see earlier link) doesn't generally seem to make much difference.

-Matt

 

[ReefLEDLights]

I don't think the cause and effect you're assigning to ~420nm light are tightly linked, if at all. From my understanding, that curve represents something like the "able-to-be-used curve" and not much more. There are lots more factors to get all the way to coral growth....where UV light (see earlier link) doesn't generally seem to make much difference.

-Matt

I've been experimenting with the "able-to-be-used curve" for over 5 years. Corals are found in varying depths which affects spectrum...They are highly adaptable provided proper acclimation.

The main reason to go all LED over MH/LED or LED/T5 is cost, efficiency and longevity.

For the price the XT-E Royal Blue is King of Growth.

I base this on the Intensity per Watt and all reasonably priced UV 410-430nm are much dimmer and produce much less PAR. The 450nm Royal Blue is about 60-80% effective but two to three times as bright. The math is easy and growth is proven.

This is just my personal experience growing SPS frags.

Bill

 

[mcarroll]

I've been experimenting with the "able-to-be-used curve" for over 5 years. Corals are found in varying depths which affects spectrum...They are highly adaptable provided proper acclimation.

The main reason to go all LED over MH/LED or LED/T5 is cost, efficiency and longevity.

For the price the XT-E Royal Blue is King of Growth.

I base this on the Intensity per Watt and all reasonably priced UV 410-430nm are much dimmer and produce much less PAR. The 450nm Royal Blue is about 60-80% effective but two to three times as bright. The math is easy and growth is proven.

This is just my personal experience growing SPS frags.

+1!

I haven't used that brand, but my experience with ~450nm light has been the same.

-Matt

P.S. For anyone wondering, this article provides deep insight into why these blue LED's are "where it's at" today. Skip down to the "Development of Multiple LED Colors" section for the meat of it.