How important is red and green light?

BestMomEver · Aug 13, 2018

I have always been told that too much red and/or green light causes algae blooms. Recently, however, I read an article that suggested that a higher red/green light intensity can, in some situations, increase coral color.

I am currently running a modified AB+ schedule on my Radion (only modified for a longer day), which means my red/green channels only go to around 30% if I remember correctly. If I were to increase those colors do y’all think my corals would show better colors or would I just be asking for trouble? Is anyone running red/green full bore with good results?

Thanks,

Elizabeth

Crabs McJones · Aug 13, 2018

@Dana Riddle can best answer that question. From my understanding is that corals do utilize green and red spectrum for growth and coloration.

BestMomEver · Aug 13, 2018

Crabs Mcjones said:
@Dana Riddle can best answer that question. From my understanding is that corals do utilize green and red spectrum for growth and coloration.

That’s what I read. @Dana Riddle what’s your take on this? Should I consider raising the red/green intensity on my Radion?

reeferfoxx · Aug 13, 2018

https://www.reef2reef.com/search/3984961/?q=Red+light&o=relevance&c[node]=956&c[user][0]=18120

rock_lobster · Aug 13, 2018

Not very. corals can utilize many different spectrums but those tend to have the least photosythetic activity.

Lasse · Aug 13, 2018

I do not run a radion but GHL LED bar 2. 80 gallons tank and I run the reds and greens and all blues between at 95 -100 % for more than 7 hours a day. The white only run around max for only 3 hours a day.

In W - Of my 300 W of my configuration at 100 % will consume 40 W red, 40 W green. 148 W blues (439, 450,455 and 470 nm) 70 W white (8000, 6500 and 4500 K (only around 10 w as 4500 K)

You can see my tank in my build tread.

IMO red - greens - algae bloom - myth

A thread about red light

Green is important because is ability to pass living tissue, hence promote photosynthesis further down in the tissue. Not the most effective wavelengths but because they penetrate more (both in water and tissue) and that natural sunlight content many photons in the green wavelength indicate that the green wavelengths is more important for photosynthesis than previously thought in both plants and corals

Sincerely Lasse

Lasse · Aug 13, 2018

rock_lobster said:
Not very. corals can utilize many different spectrums but those tend to have the least photosythetic activity.

I doubt that this is true - see the link and the text in my post above.

Sincerely Lasse

jda · Aug 13, 2018

You can grow algae plenty well under blue, violet, orange, yellow, etc. This is a decade old myth that needs to die. Keep in mind that T5, MH all have a good amount of red and green (not a ton, but some) and stuff seems to do better than under just blue. Also, sunlight has a lot and stuff thrives under it. I might recommend that instead of asking for proof that green and red are not needed or do not cause algae, ask for proof that they are not needed and proof that they do cause algae... trust that nature got this right.

IMO, if you are struggling with any particular color with a LED, then do not discount the actual diode and not the range that it is supposed to be representing... not all diodes are the same.

The root of the myth was that people were starting to get a lot of algae after about the one-year mark which is when their bulbs needed to be changed. Instead of realizing that their lack of maintenance is just not starting to manifest, people blamed the bulbs. Keep in mind that this was before organic carbon dosing was prevalent and before GFO was available.

rock_lobster · Aug 13, 2018

Lasse said:
I doubt that this is true - see the link and the text in my post above.

Sincerely Lasse

Sure it is. the same species can thrive at 30ft or 1ft deep. Most coral are very adaptable. Light isnt like an essential amino acid where a coral will die if it doesnt get a specific spectrum. It is more like a carbohydrate and just like you and I we can survive off of many different types of carbs. Some pathways may be more efficient than others but mostly it doesnt really make a difference maybe 10-20% more effective at any given time. It also depends on which light source the coral has been previously acclimated to before the study takes place because coral can increase or decrease photopigments that are already expressed. So basically when it comes down to it your coral will thrive under any of these: Red light, white light, green light, blue light, UV light.... or any combination.

rock_lobster · Aug 13, 2018

jda said:
You can grow algae plenty well under blue, violet, orange, yellow, etc. This is a decade old myth that needs to die. Keep in mind that T5, MH all have a good amount of red and green (not a ton, but some) and stuff seems to do better than under just blue. Also, sunlight has a lot and stuff thrives under it. I might recommend that instead of asking for proof that green and red are not needed or do not cause algae, ask for proof that they are not needed and proof that they do cause algae... trust that nature got this right.

IMO, if you are struggling with any particular color with a LED, then do not discount the actual diode and not the range that it is supposed to be representing... not all diodes are the same.

The root of the myth was that people were starting to get a lot of algae after about the one-year mark which is when their bulbs needed to be changed. Instead of realizing that their lack of maintenance is just not starting to manifest, people blamed the bulbs. Keep in mind that this was before organic carbon dosing was prevalent and before GFO was available.

Yup absolutely true. Just like coral, algae can thrive under just about any light spectrum as long as the nutrients are there. I think its actually the phosphate saturation point at 1 year where there becomes excess free phosphate which is most likely causing algae blooms. BRS did a nice study on T5 bulbs and while the intensity did decrease a little at 1 year there was very little spectrum shift. Even then it shouldnt have any different effect on algae growth.

jda · Aug 13, 2018

Elizabeth, do a search for Dr Sanjay Joshi reef tank. He runs his Radions at 100% on all channels, but he has them up really high over the tank. While his tank is only now about 80% of what is was, I think that his tank is one of the best examples of what you can achieve with Radions, but he runs them differently than most people do. I think that EcoTech and even ReefBuilders have videos (err, advertisements) of his tank. You will not see very much algae... not any more than a normal tank of which all have some amount of algae and cyano.

rkpetersen · Aug 13, 2018

Although it may seem obvious, I'd like to point out that, even if your red and green LEDs are off, if you are running white LEDs or bulbs, you're still providing quite a bit of red and green spectrum radiation to your reef.

rkpetersen · Aug 13, 2018

jda said:
Elizabeth, do a search for Dr Sanjay Joshi reef tank. He runs his Radions at 100% on all channels, but he has them up really high over the tank. While his tank is only now about 80% of what is was, I think that his tank is one of the best examples of what you can achieve with Radions, but he runs them differently than most people do. I think that EcoTech and even ReefBuilders have videos (err, advertisements) of his tank. You will not see very much algae... not any more than a normal tank of which all have some amount of algae and cyano.

But Joshi is a magician; he would be successful with any and all setups. I don't think his results really have much relevance to the rest of us.

lapin · Aug 13, 2018

Here is just one of many articles on coral and light
https://theconversation.com/revealed-why-some-corals-are-more-colourful-than-others-36866

BestMomEver · Aug 13, 2018

All you guys are great and have given me a lot to think about. I think the loudest message here is to educate myself better, which is really cool cause I love learning new things! I will take all the info here and read further. Does anyone have a link to Sanjay’s tank or can I find it here?

Dana Riddle · Aug 14, 2018

esimison said:
I have always been told that too much red and/or green light causes algae blooms. Recently, however, I read an article that suggested that a higher red/green light intensity can, in some situations, increase coral color.

I am currently running a modified AB+ schedule on my Radion (only modified for a longer day), which means my red/green channels only go to around 30% if I remember correctly. If I were to increase those colors do y’all think my corals would show better colors or would I just be asking for trouble? Is anyone running red/green full bore with good results?

Thanks,

Elizabeth

Could you provide a link to that article? I'd like to review it. Anything to help out someone from L.A. (Lower Alabama.)

Cory · Aug 14, 2018

All i can say is red leds grow algae very easily. In my algae area under red led, algae grows a lot. But in my tank with a kessil ap700 algae barely grows.