Red LED Question

[Shep]

So I currently have the Kessil a160 and absolutely love it but the fixture really favors the blue spectrum of light and while I like the look of this I am wondering if lacking more red might be hindering my coral growth. If it is what would be a cheap and easy way to add a little red to the tank?

 

[Triggreef]

 far as growth, I doubt red will actually help as it is filtered out very quickly through the water. There is no doubt in my mind though that red gives your corals the best pop out of any spectrum. But overdoing it will cause issues.

I say this because I had an led strip for moonlighting a while back, which had 16 different colors you can set to. The red made the corals really pop much more than other colors. Followed by cyan. So I keep fixtures with both but only a few of each. Overdoing it is no good.

 

[Shep]

 far as growth, I doubt red will actually help as it is filtered out very quickly through the water. There is no doubt in my mind though that red gives your corals the best pop out of any spectrum. But overdoing it will cause issues.

I say this because I had an led strip for moonlighting a while back, which had 16 different colors you can set to. The red made the corals really pop much more than other colors. Followed by cyan. So I keep fixtures with both but only a few of each. Overdoing it is no good.

Thanks for the tip! What fixture do you use?

 

[Triggreef]

I have 2 photon 32 fixtures as well as 2 rb look alikes on my display. Probably a total of 10 red and 10green over my 200g. I also have some cheaper Chinese fixtures on other tanks that aren't bad but have no g or r and they just don't get that pop.

 

[ReefLEDLights]

There is a lot of debate on the Red Spectrum and Reef Tanks

Too much red may promote nuisance algae.

Some studies have shown SPS to use this spectrum other studies have shown it inhibits coral growth.

I've experienced excellent growth without it. That said depending on your corals adding a little 660nm red depending on your taste may improve your corals look.

You can easily add a couple of DIY Red LEDs, just ensure you use a dimmable driver so you can adjust the intensity.

Bill