Do actinic Reef Brites grow corals

[Madimod]

Would adding 2 actinic reefbrites to a existing light fixture aid in coral growth or just provide “pop” to the corals

 

[reefrf]

Would adding 2 actinic reefbrites to a existing light fixture aid in coral growth or just provide “pop” to the corals

I believe both. But not sure...

 

[Ron Reefman]

At one watt per led they will certainly add pop to the coral. But whether they will help with coral growth depends on how deep the corals are under the water surface.

Good led fixtures use 3w and 5w leds driven at lower power like 2.2w and 4w so they run cooler and last longer. At these power levels they will get PAR levels of 150 or more to the bottom of a 24" deep tank. At only 1w per led the reefbrites will add a good amount of PAR to a depth of 12", some PAR to 18" and very, very little PAR at 24" or deeper.

If you need/want deep PAR you might check out the Reef Breeders sponsor forum here as I know they are introducing a new line of led strips using better leds.

 

[A. grandis]

Only "pop".

 

[Sabellafella]

Would adding 2 actinic reefbrites to a existing light fixture aid in coral growth or just provide “pop” to the corals

The actinic strips really do showcase your corals, I've always had one supplementing all the bulbs I've been using since I've been in the hobby Lol! Aiding in coral growth - I assume based on spectrum and par output, it should aid in coral growth+color. I'll have to check my thread, but I get about 200 to 150 par blanketing all my corals. I used to use 2, removed one for aesthetic purposes. Fixture is about 11 inches from the top of my tank. 30' from the sandbed. I use the reefbrite tech actinic strip

On the other hand, the vho puts out over double the par then the tech puppys put out. Most likely can grow coral with just them alone.

The regular tech reefbrites are worth it, I feel that they do aid in coral growth and color. Now to grow coral on their own, I'm not sure. I never ran a tank without them as a supplement, you just cant match the look your corals give you at night. You can find them sometimes used for like 100 bucks on local clubs/forums. Either way they're worth every penny

 

[Sabellafella]

Sorry I just realized the lights aren't in the photo Lol! I'll give a look to see if I can find my photo with the par readings i took. Otherwise i just bought the par monitor kit from neptune apex. Once I'm done setting up my new controller, i will get some photos up

 

[DMG Reef]

The Reefbrite XHO actinic LEDs most definitely grow coral. I had a 6-bulb T5 fixture for 3 years before I added the Reefbrite XHO actinic bar to my lighting system.

For some reason, I can't get my pics to load below my text. They always post at the top. But pic #1 is my ORA Shortcake acro when I got it in March 2016, pic #2 is same acro in March 2017, and pic #3 is in March 2018. I added the Reefbrites in July 2017, so there was significant growth from July 2017 to March 2018 with the RB strip.

I think the RB strip was definitely worth the cost!! I love it.
;Cat

 

[DSC reef]

Only "pop".

Have you used them? I've seen tanks solely with reefbrites grow coral??

 

[jda]

There is no way that they can emit wavelengths in the visible spectrum and not provide some nourishment. How much is debatable, but some coral do not need all that much. Adding them will certainly add some PAR.

 

[A. grandis]

Any light would add some PAR.
Most of the time people add those ReefBrite actinic just for the pop.
That's what I meant.

 

[Madimod]

I was thinking of getting a 24 in 4 bulb ATI fixture (3 AB+ , 1coral plus ) two XHO reefbrites . I like the shimmer so I was curious how effective it would be vs the 6 bulb fixture

 

[DMG Reef]

I was thinking of getting a 24 in 4 bulb ATI fixture (3 AB+ , 1coral plus ) two XHO reefbrites . I like the shimmer so I was curious how effective it would be vs the 6 bulb fixture

I have the ATI Sunpower 6-bulb fixture with 1 Reefbrite XHO on a 75 gallon tank. I considered getting 2 RB but my LFS said that 2 would be overkill. I'm very happy with just the one. I think your plan of having less T5s with more LEDs would probably work out fine. It just comes down to personal preference since either setup will provide plenty of light for your corals. I think you'll really like the RBs. Also less expense in changing bulbs frequently.

 

[A. grandis]

Guess what? I was searching for something else, came across this video, and remembered about this thread...
This guy says his XHO ReefBrites "does a great job for color and growth".
He said it's usually only on it's blue settings, but I can see some white LEDs there also. Could be the camera?
How much does he know about all that I don't know, but he runs his halides only for an hour and a half a day and say his corals are growing because of the LEDs. I would think that if his statement is a bit true those LEDs would add enough to grow corals in a "normal supplementation setting", yes.
He has no skimmer, therefore it's what many would call a high nutrient system.
He thinks he has a good water flow there.
How long it has been and how long will it be ok/acceptable we don't know.
His Montipora, zoanthids and specially the clam are all struggling to say the least IMHO.
To me it look like the nicest corals were probably recently introduced to the system.
I would run the halides at least for something like 4 to 6 hours a day there.
Just my observations and opinion, of course.
I've seen much better results with T8s in the old days.
Please take your own conclusions about the video!!
Have fun!

 

[Madimod]

Guess what? I was searching for something else, came across this video, and remembered about this thread...
This guy says his XHO ReefBrites "does a great job for color and growth".
He said it's usually only on it's blue settings, but I can see some white LEDs there also. Could be the camera?
How much does he know about all that I don't know, but he runs his halides only for an hour and a half a day and say his corals are growing because of the LEDs. I would think that if his statement is a bit true those LEDs would add enough to grow corals in a "normal supplementation setting", yes.
He has no skimmer, therefore it's what many would call a high nutrient system.
He thinks he has a good water flow there.
How long it has been and how long will it be ok/acceptable we don't know.
His Montipora, zoanthids and specially the clam are all struggling to say the least IMHO.
To me it look like the nicest corals were probably recently introduced to the system.
I would run the halides at least for something like 4 to 6 hours a day there.
Just my observations and opinion, of course.
I've seen much better results with T8s in the old days.
Please take your own conclusions about the video!!
Have fun!

Thanks ! I’ll check this video out .