Lighting for Dummies

[Streetlamp]

I picked up a reefled90 today upgrade from the stock light. I could get my head round the chemistry of the tank but lighting has me stumped. I get PAR but don’t understand how kelvin comes into it. 15k vs 20k vs 23k.

Has anyone got any schedules for a mixed beginner reef tank. I’d like it quite white for a few hours 8-10pm is that ok

 

[merereef]

The reefled are good lights... the 15k kelvin is a more white light where as the 23k is more blue light... so if you want white you need the 15k option... when setting lights red sea recommend a 4 hour max intensity and then ramp up and ramp down... you want around 12 hours of total lighting

 

[NanoDJS]

what size tank ect, and corals , I run the 90s and love em 15k is basically equal power on both channels , 20k is 50% whites to whatever your blue is example 100% BLue 50 % white is 20k , 23k is blue channel only. I run 15k for 4 hours with ramp up and then gradually down to 23k for viewing at night. I have my lights 9.5 off the water .

 

[Streetlamp]

My tank is an aquanano 80 approx 38 gal. It’s only a few months old with gsp, Duncan and a candy cane.

Here’s what I have at the moment



I’m going though acclamation at the moment so prob will let that settle before playing about too much

 

[oreo54]

I picked up a reefled90 today upgrade from the stock light. I could get my head round the chemistry of the tank but lighting has me stumped. I get PAR but don’t understand how kelvin comes into it. 15k vs 20k vs 23k.

Has anyone got any schedules for a mixed beginner reef tank. I’d like it quite white for a few hours 8-10pm is that ok

 

[Streetlamp]

Thanks I’ll have a look later.

Does anyone know how to set the time zone reef beat? I can’t fit the life of me find the option

 

[Streetlamp]

I'm still struggling to get my head around K values. Both channels on is 15k yet only Blue with a small bit of red is 23K i would have thought more light would give higher K?

Also is there a way to calculate Kelvin? Say for my programme below?

Or does it actually matter once your coral is getting a decent amount of Blue each day?

 

[Bpb]

I'm still struggling to get my head around K values. Both channels on is 15k yet only Blue with a small bit of red is 23K i would have thought more light would give higher K?

Also is there a way to calculate Kelvin? Say for my programme below?

Or does it actually matter once your coral is getting a decent amount of Blue each day?

Intensity and kelvin rating aren’t related. Intensity would be a combination of the number of photons, as well as their wave amplitude. Kelvin rating is simply a “color endpoint” to put it simply. The origin of the term is more complicated than that, but for practical purposes in our hobby, that is the short and sweet of it.

Intensity is a quantitative measurement: one which measures the amount of something (photons)

Kelvin is qualitative: or a measurement of the visual characteristic of the light source

A good analogy would be water coming out of a tap. The intensity would be how fast it flows in liters per minute. The (kelvin) temperature whether hot or cold has no bearing on the flow rate (intensity)

A 20,000k endpoint can be achieved by specifically tuned white leds, any combination of multi color diodes, or any combination of bulbs. The takeaway is there are slot of different ways to reach the same kelvin rating.

Think of it as more of an aesthetic ambience. Visually Bluer light will be higher kelvin, warmer more yellow light will
Be lower kelvin. It’s a visual characteristic guide more than anything (again for practical purposes, the kelvin rating origin is more complicated, but that would not be helpful information. Wasn’t to me anyway).

 

[Streetlamp]

Thank you