JFox stressed blue lights, but why is AB+ so white?

[Zeal]

Im going to tone down the whites/warm whites to 10% and green and red to 5%

edit: maybe ill do warm/white 4 hours out of the day when im at work

 

[Bpb]

Im going to tone down the whites/warm whites to 10% and green and red to 5%

edit: maybe ill do warm/white 4 hours out of the day when im at work

Why not just leave it as it is, run the white red and green at 25%, blues and violets at 100% and crank the intensity to about 500 par for your top corals for 4 hours while you’re at work and never have to see it, and just dim them down to all blues and violets for the remaining 8 hours of the photoperiod, scheduled to be that way when you’re home and enjoying the tank, Surely you can endure a few hours of bright white on your off days for the sake of the livestock?

 

[Zeal]

Why not just leave it as it is, run the white red and green at 25%, blues and violets at 100% and crank the intensity to about 500 par for your top corals for 4 hours while you’re at work and never have to see it, and just dim them down to all blues and violets for the remaining 8 hours of the photoperiod, scheduled to be that way when you’re home and enjoying the tank, Surely you can endure a few hours of bright white on your off days for the sake of the livestock?

This is what I’m running now before the change. Point intensity is 100%

 

[syrinx]

I think it has been well proven for optimal sps growth 6500k is ideal. Not so much for coral color though.

 

[Zeal]

I think it has been well proven for optimal sps growth 6500k is ideal. Not so much for coral color though.

Whats 6500k? And for both color and growth??

 

[Bpb]

I think it has been well proven for optimal sps growth 6500k is ideal. Not so much for coral color though.

That’s so loaded though. I would wager supplying 400 par for 8 hours a day for a year on 3 identical specimens with identical parameters, only difference is the light coming from a 6500k metal halide bulb for one, an array of GE 6500k t5ho tubes for the next, and some Cree 6500k white leds for the third would yield VERY different results between the three. Kelvin rating is just a visual average. You can reach 6500k with many different combinations of wavelengths.

 

[cshouston]

Whats 6500k? And for both color and growth??

6500k is daylight, so pure white; what you would see in nature.

 

[HM3105]

JF uses actinic t5 as I recall. That is not the same as the blue channel on most LED arrays which are hyper focused in one narrow spectrum. Take a look at a t5 spectral graph for an actinic bulb or something like Blue+.

 

[Zeal]

I decided to keep the BRS setting. Got scared to change them. All im dealing with now is daily film algae on the glass

 

[Asagi]

Errbody needs to move back to halide

 

[Velcro]

6500k is daylight, so pure white; what you would see in nature.

6500k bulbs have a crazy uv peak. I don't think the benefit is coming from all the red in that bulb, it just happens to be a really white looking bulb with an enormous amount of uv and blue. The 6500 t5 does not have the same thing going on.

 

[Asagi]

I decided to keep the BRS setting. Got scared to change them. All im dealing with now is daily film algae on the glass

Don’t be scared. It’s all for fun!

 

[Zeal]

Don’t be scared. It’s all for fun!

Fun stop when stuff dies

 

[Asagi]

Fun stop when stuff dies

Oh man, I’ve killed a lot of stuff! But I’d also say I’ve thrown away more coral (as a result of trimming) than I’ve ever purchased because I don’t use all blue lighting. Haha!

 

[Tamberav]

My question is all blues and a hint of white going to effect SPS in any negative way? I could run all blues just because my eyes and my wife’s eye like it. Doesn’t mean it’s the ideal setting for SPS.

I tried the AB+ template and to me it was still too white.

Well many T5 users tend to swear by getting best color and growth from having a 6500k bulb in the mix.

I know I ran an all blue looki g tank by using mint leds on a nanobox but that was for LPS...they loved it.

 

[cshouston]

Right. I was just referring to the color temperature. 6500 kelvin is daylight (cloudy day more or less)

Well many T5 users tend to swear by getting best color and growth from having a 6500k bulb in the mix.

I know I ran an all blue looki g tank by using mint leds on a nanobox but that was for LPS...they loved it.

That’s a good point. Think about where these creatures come from in nature. LPS are from deeper waters where less higher wavelength light penetrates, so they adapt to more short wavelength/blue light. SPS are from much shallower water and thus would be getting a more full spectrum light hitting them, so they benefit more from higher wavelengths. Now, that isn’t to say that they don’t benefit from blue light; they certainly do and have the chlorophyll types to prove it, but that blue light comes in a much fuller spectrum.

 

[Doctorgori]

I think “daylight” tones and algae scare people, but those reds aren’t the only cause, you can limit algae in other ways.

I think it has been well proven for optimal sps growth 6500k is ideal. Not so much for coral color though.

Yeah like I said I’ve heard this repeated a few times, doesn’t mean its true but might be something to it

That’s so loaded though. I would wager supplying 400 par for 8 hours a day for a year on 3 identical specimens with identical parameters, only difference is the light coming from a 6500k metal halide bulb for one, an array of GE 6500k t5ho tubes for the next, and some Cree 6500k white leds for the third would yield VERY different results between the three. Kelvin rating is just a visual average. You can reach 6500k with many different combinations of wavelengths.

I got a vid might explain what you are saying ...

6500k bulbs have a crazy uv peak. I don't think the benefit is coming from all the red in that bulb, it just happens to be a really white looking bulb with an enormous amount of uv and blue. The 6500 t5 does not have the same thing going on.

check out this vid

The Facts of Light

 

[Thaxxx]

Thats not wrong but not exactly accurate either. You can grow corals in whiter light so long as it contains the blue component. Some say the lower Kelvin might in fact grow corals faster. I’ve heard this several times.
As for algae, yeah they like the reds but many of us older reefers grew corals before blue lights were common. I used 5500K GE MH with VHO actinics/ I recall fast growing corals and little algae issues.
I like the look of natural daylight tones personally

You mean you don't like this look?.........

 

[xiaoxiy]

Blues will grow the coral faster and less white will reduce pest algae, but I’ve read that it can affect coloration on some corals. It won’t harm your SPS.

This is how fast my acros grow in six days with 14k (LED) lighting. Are you telling me that I can grow them even faster under blue lights?
I don't believe that spectrum plays that big of a role in coral growth or coloration. I think corals can flourish under a wide range of light spectrum. More importantly, I think the key to stable and fast growth is to not constantly fiddle around with spectrum. Set it to a visually appealing spectrum and leave it there.

Adam from Battlecorals as a great post on this: https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/psa-on-the-lamentation-of-the-ocd-leder.323356/.

 

[chaostactics]

Blues will grow the coral faster and less white will reduce pest algae, but I’ve read that it can affect coloration on some corals. It won’t harm your SPS.

Citation/source. It's been a second since I've reviewed the evidence but I recall whiter light for growth and bluer light for color (very generally speaking)