LED bulb colors.

[Gbrum]

Ok looking into getting a LED light for my tank. My question is. It looks like some fixtures have several color bulbs and some blue and white only. Does it make a difference. Or is it a visual thing.

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

Ok looking into getting a LED light for my tank. My question is. It looks like some fixtures have several color bulbs and some blue and white only. Does it make a difference. Or is it a visual thing.

Hi, welcome to reef2reef!

Older models of led kept the standard reef spectrum in the blues and whites only(or tried too). Newer leds are experimenting with separating the the spectrum out into the other single leds to achieve higher pars and fuller spectrums..
and yes some is just visual and some is just plain advertising.

 

[MaiReef]

Green in particular from my knowledge is for viewing and not function, but I am no expert. From all that I have read(which is quite a bit), but not so picky on sources tell me this...Blue, White, Red, and purple have effects on livestock the most. Also, light diffusion from fixtures changes how they look. I personally like the "disco effect", but too much is well too much. It also matters what creatures you wish to have. However, back to the question. I truly believe after seeing many tanks, color matters to both visual and overall growth and health of those that use it.

No scientific proof on this, but all life requires different parameters and the nature vs. nurture comes in play on the overall health of any living thing. Not all life reacts the same way in the same current conditions.

 

[Knapp870]

I ran a taotronics blue and white only on my frag tank while I was running full spectrum that included a few green and red LEDs on my display. Needless to say I think the coloration and growth was MUCH better with the full spectrum. I just sold the blue/white only and have a full spectrum on the way. I think it not only helps but also makes some corals pop more. However...I will caution that if you get into an algae battle the greens/reds will help fuel the fire.

 

[Gbrum]

Ok thanks. Looks like I need to do some homework. So I can make a wise choice.

 

[MaiReef]

As I explained to others. For every $100 bracket you get upgrades. Some of which you will value and some you may not. Aquatic life XS-UV fixtures have a whole lot of value for their price and I personally love them, but everyone has their preferences. I wanted a quality, good looking fixture that could grow sps and not add further cost every 6 months. After I saw the result on a tank after 2 years, I was sold.

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

Ok thanks. Looks like I need to do some homework. So I can make a wise choice.

yea, thats true. look at budget first,, and then spread, then intensity of overall par.
theres a lot of myth surrounding Led. just as much as t5 and metal halide(i read OLD threads). but the truth is it all grows coral.
if we can help point you to something, let us know.

 

[TheEngineer]

At the end of the day, what really matters are the wavelengths of light that our corals require for photosynthesis. I've been in LEDs since the very beginning in this hobby and I can tell you that you need nothing more than blue and white LEDs to be successful. Could you have better success with a wider variety? Yes! If you cover the basics then just add in what makes it look good to you. I run a Kessil A360. The color is great and my corals grow wonderfully. I wanted a little more of that glow without having to run too much blue so I added a UV booster and I'm happy as a clam

Just look for spectrum distributions from the lights, if they don't cover the areas you need strongly enough, don't buy them or supplement them.