Which light colour is best for corals!

[A. grandis]

This one got me, thx! Now I don't care about dimmable T5.

Yes, you would be surprised to see how good those black boxes grow corals!
Dimmable T5s isn't the way to go. I always tell people.. waste of time and money. Sunpower ON/OFF is totally the way to go.

 

[A. grandis]

This guy......

Reef metal halides are not full spectrum and he was just in the zoanthid forum telling people not to use LEDs for zoas /palys which is hysterically bad advice. A 6500k metal halide just puts out more green and yellow / orange spikes than a deeper blue reef halide, and I can post the spectral charts to prove it.

Halide bulbs have narrower bandwidth spikes than LEDs by far - industry fact, not an opinion. Again, google the spectrums for various reef halides and you will see how much color spectrum is missing . A 5600k LED has a far more gradual visible spectrum than tubes or halides. All are missing big chunks of color compared to the sun or true full spectrum artificial light sources like plasma sulfur.

Metal halides do produce some levels of true UV, but this level varies to a large degree depending on filter and jacket types. No proof UV of any sort is required for coral growth. In vitro spectral absorption myths are commonly debunked when the entire macro organism is taken in to account.

'White' is not a color or wavelength. White is a composite of colors that to our eyes looks 'white' (covered in grade school science class). I can produce an off white with just orange and blue. A little higher CRI if I use red green and blue.

Not going to comment on the "IR radiaton" other than do you pronounce 1.21 jigawatts or gigawatts?

If I compare the spectrums of 5600k CCT halide, LED and flourescent light sources they will all have a similiar component of blue with the LEDs having a smidge of far red if it's phillips based LEDs (Crees tend to stop around 630nm) while the tubes and halide have some short spikes below 400nm. The amount of any UV is still trivial.



All 5600 kelvin artificial light sources otherwise have massive amounts of 450nm blue. This is basically the same age old argument if 20k lights grow coral better than 10k lights with just different marketing terms thrown in. Both grow coral well, with water chemistry being far more important. The most amazing SPS tanks I've seen in person are all using black boxes on basic lamp timers with two modes - off / on. If you can't grow coral with simple black boxes the problem exists between keyboard and chair (PEBKAC).

You really want to make this thread a fight about the different types (LED, T5 and halides), don't you? Not this time... not this time!
This is a thread for everyone to tell what they think about what's the BEST. See all these as personal opinions. That is the way I want you to see my post!
Good try!

Edit: And this is for whoever is interested... The whole video is good!

 

[oreo54]

You really want to make this thread a fight about the different types (LED, T5 and halides), don't you? Not this time... not this time!
This is a thread for everyone to tell what they think about what's the BEST. See all these as personal opinions. That is the way I want you to see my post!
Good try!

Edit: And this is for whoever is interested... The whole video is good!

That doesn't say what you think it says..ever..

 

[A. grandis]

That doesn't say what you think it says..ever..

Well, read it again.

 

[oreo54]

90% of it I agree with..it's the personal "interpretation" of what he says that is.. err.. questionable..
He likes charts..

 

[A. grandis]

100% is what actual practice and experience tell me and what I say that is...
not questionable.
He likes videos...

 

[Sallstrom]

If you want to get close to sunlight spectrum, plasma is closer than metal halide in our measurements. Here's the spectrum from when we tested our plasma.

We've also done some experiments on O2 production under different diods. For most corals blue and red made the corals produce most O2, but close to white. Green also made then produce O2, but a little less.
It's not published yet, and I can't see the data right now so that's just from my memory. Could be wrong

I've also tested growing some corals under just blue and just red. Blue won

 

[A. grandis]

I know about that. No, I actually like 20K for my tank right now.

 

[Vu337]

Can someone give me a settings on Radion g4 pro that makes the coral look good when people show them on their webpage or pictures? I don’t care about growth. If possible thanks

 

[oreo54]

I know about that. No, I actually like 20K for my tank right now.

Which "20K" in MH's??

Real "20K" or just blue centric ??? or no K?

Hamilton 250 Watt 20,000K Bulb

Hamilton 250 Watt 20,000K Bulb

Aquarium Metal Halide bulb

hamiltontechnology.com

 

[ss30]

Can someone give me a settings on Radion g4 pro that makes the coral look good when people show them on their webpage or pictures? I don’t care about growth. If possible thanks

You just need more blue and less of everything else.

 

[oreo54]

100% is what actual practice and experience tell me and what I say that is...
not questionable.
He likes videos...

1) The NEED of uv is at best overblown, at worst unnecessary..
2) Besides cost the ony difference in lensing is either a) using glass.. (ohh how techy) or b) newer optical resins..
Neither of which are "bank breaking" ...

20000kvsreallife

Underwater Light Field and its Comparison to Metal Halide Lighting

This article presents some data on the underwater light field on a reef and compares it to the artificial light field over our reef aquaria, along with discussion of other features of natural lighting that are often not simulated in our aquariums.

www.advancedaquarist.com

Clearly there is a wide discrepancy between the spectral irradiance provided by MH and the natural under water light field. We know from experience that we can grow coral under all the 3 major classes of metal halide lamps 6500K, 10000K and 20000K, so the corals must either adapt to the spectrum or ignore the spectral quality. Unfortunately I do not have any definitive answers to this, hopefully further research will be able to provide more definitive answers.

 

[A. grandis]

1) The NEED of uv is at best overblown, at worst unnecessary..
2) Besides cost the ony difference in lensing is either a) using glass.. (ohh how techy) or b) newer optical resins..
Neither of which are "bank breaking" ...

20000kvsreallife

Underwater Light Field and its Comparison to Metal Halide Lighting

This article presents some data on the underwater light field on a reef and compares it to the artificial light field over our reef aquaria, along with discussion of other features of natural lighting that are often not simulated in our aquariums.

www.advancedaquarist.com

Time for you to show us in practice then. Do it. Put all that in practice and show us. I would love to see the actual application of your ideas.

 

[A. grandis]

If you want to get close to sunlight spectrum, plasma is closer than metal halide in our measurements. Here's the spectrum from when we tested our plasma.

We've also done some experiments on O2 production under different diods. For most corals blue and red made the corals produce most O2, but close to white. Green also made then produce O2, but a little less.
It's not published yet, and I can't see the data right now so that's just from my memory. Could be wrong

I've also tested growing some corals under just blue and just red. Blue won

That's kinda playing with crayons, man.
Remove the halides and get those LEDs over those systems once for all. Come back in a year or 2 and let us know the differences in growth speed / structure, and colors. Have fun.
Tip: avoid playing with the spectrum too much cause the results will be worse than you think.

 

[A. grandis]

I wonder why some of you just love to hear what I have to say over and over again. LOL! You never get tired? Another thing: Why so many people say "can't bit halides"?
I'm glad you know that I don't hate LEDs nor any of you.
Lets allow others to come and tell us what they think is the "BEST lights for corals". Everyone has their own preferences, right?

 

[oreo54]

Another thing: Why so many people say "can't bit halides"?

That's funny...

 

[Sallstrom]

That's kinda playing with crayons, man.
Remove the halides and get those LEDs over those systems once for all. Come back in a year or 2 and let us know the differences in growth speed / structure, and colors. Have fun.
Tip: avoid playing with the spectrum too much cause the results will be worse than you think.

I didn't say LED is better, or plasma is better, or MH is better. I just showed a picture of our meassument of the spectrum of a plasma light so people could compare with the spectrum of sunlight. I think it looks closer to the graphs I've seen on sunlight. Compare yourself.

What is playing with crayons? Experiments?

 

[oreo54]

Time for you to show us in practice then. Do it. Put all that in practice and show us. I would love to see the actual application of your ideas.

Which part?
First there are 1000's of tanks running w/out UV or IR.
As to the lenses..
Just look at bluacro and the use of specialty plastics to allow UV in their diodes..

optical resin. UV transparent...

https://www.epoxies.com/_resources/common/userfiles/file/20-3401.pdf

Spectral Transmission@300 nm≥94%
@400-1,200 nm≥99%
@1,200-1,600 nm≥98%

got a free pint sitting here..

 

[A. grandis]

Which part?
First there are 1000's of tanks running w/out UV or IR.
As to the lenses..
Just look at bluacro and the use of specialty plastics to allow UV in their diodes..

Your part, Oreo. Set up a tank with LEDs and another with halides and show us the differences, practically.

 

[oreo54]

Your part, Oreo. Set up a tank with LEDs and another with halides and show us the differences, practically.

Why re-invent the wheel.. It's already been done.. over and over again..
I have nothing to prove to myself..

I know what bugs you.. but that's your issue not mine.