Red Light - Good or Bad for Corals?

[taricha]

So we're seeing under the red-light treatment, that the polyp tissue is suppressed on the light-exposed side of the coral compared to the shaded side.
And judging by color, probably symbionts density too.

Nice experiment.

 

[Brew12]

Not nearly as scientific as it should be, but here is an update. The orange Monti continues growing in its normal cupping shape. The original purple and green monties are now starting to cup. The new purple monti started growing down and now is growing out.


It's still growing slow, but you can see the new growth coming out from the front right edge.

Here is the original purple that is growing much faster and you can see it has started growing up and out.

And here is the new monti I recently added. You can see that it formed a bit of a downward lip on the front edge but that new growth is coming back out.

 

[w2inc]

This is a lab experiment and with a high energy flux - much more than we get from a MH in these wavelengths. A fast calculation says that in PAR numbers it corresponds of a level around 250 for the 405 nm and 516 for the 465 nm source. A PAR level of 250 only for the 405 wavelength should correspond to an enormous PAR figure for a multi wavelength source as MH. Correct me if I´m wrong – its early in the morning here.

However, this raise another question – can the heavy use of blue light in our aquariums damage our eyes because the mechanisms seems to be similar – production of oxygen radicals

Sincerely Lasse

My eye doctor Dr. Dana Huth in San Diego is a reefer and he says no. He acknowledges the radicals but does not think they are an issue. He followed up with a recommend to not stare directly at the light.

 

[andy020]

I have my Kessil A160WE at 0/5 from 5 AM until 8 PM
I’m running the new H160 at 0/5 and running up to 25% color at noon and back down to 0/5 and off at 3:30

Now, the H160 at 0 Color is actually violet, unlike what Kessil claims..
Running the color all the way up is pretty frigging obnoxious..

I intend to start running the color all the way up, with 5 intensity...
I’m apprehensive about raising intensity, as some of my mushrooms shrink back and need to be moved to shaded areas.. other mushrooms have exploded under the current setting, with no “common” traits to compare.

The Zoas, leather, and gsp are extremely happy.... but not optimal

I’ll also be reducing the length of the schedule, and raising the H160 up on the bar a little...

Also, reproduction is happening, but I really have no base to compare...



And no.. I have no algae problems that aren’t easily controlled, so I’m not concerned about it ramping up Red...

Question.. should I bring the red up and hold or do several color spikes?

 

[Nick Rose]

@Dana Riddle

I know this is a old subject but wanted to get some suggestions, especially with the red channel.

With our 40 gallon down stairs we’re running two AI Vegas. I just recently bought a Seneye and wanted to test each channel and see what the PAR and PUR were.

Here are the results(The first # is PAR & second is PUR): Red 20/91, Green 20/30, Blue 34/75, Deep Blue 65/88, Royal Blue 190/83

Since the red channel has high PUR yet low PAR would I be able to run it high let’s say 100% without hurting the corals or even with the low PAR it would still hurt the coral.

 

[Superlightman]

so finally good or bad at wich levels?

 

[Dana Riddle]

@Dana Riddle

I know this is a old subject but wanted to get some suggestions, especially with the red channel.

With our 40 gallon down stairs we’re running two AI Vegas. I just recently bought a Seneye and wanted to test each channel and see what the PAR and PUR were.

Here are the results(The first # is PAR & second is PUR): Red 20/91, Green 20/30, Blue 34/75, Deep Blue 65/88, Royal Blue 190/83

Since the red channel has high PUR yet low PAR would I be able to run it high let’s say 100% without hurting the corals or even with the low PAR it would still hurt the coral.

My goodness - your post fell through the cracks, and I apologize for such a late reply. You likely have a boatload of experience with your lights by now. But I'll post my opinion anyways - I wouldn't let red exceed more than ~15% of your PAR.

 

[Superlightman]

My goodness - your post fell through the cracks, and I apologize for such a late reply. You likely have a boatload of experience with your lights by now. But I'll post my opinion anyways - I wouldn't let red exceed more than ~15% of your PAR.

do you now what could make that some yellow and pink corals become green? since i have the radions+T5 some are healty but green,my red was higher than 15% could it be this?

 

[Dana Riddle]

do you now what could make that some yellow and pink corals become green? since i have the radions+T5 some are healty but green,my red was higher than 15% could it be this?

I can only speculate since there are several hundred fluorescent/chromoproteins, but it is known that some fluorescent proteins change colors as they mature (that is, red to green or vice versa.) Since you mention yellow coloration, I suspect this is due to color mixing of red and green (the eye is 'tricked' into seeing yellow when green and red are mixed.) I don't think red light had much, if anything, to do with the transition - probably due to violet/blue light.

 

[Superlightman]

Ok

I can only speculate since there are several hundred fluorescent/chromoproteins, but it is known that some fluorescent proteins change colors as they mature (that is, red to green or vice versa.) Since you mention yellow coloration, I suspect this is due to color mixing of red and green (the eye is 'tricked' into seeing yellow when green and red are mixed.) I don't think red light had much, if anything, to do with the transition - probably due to violet/blue light.

Ok thanks for your answer,there is a way to reverse it?maybe less blue and violet?

 

[Dana Riddle]

Ok

Ok thanks for your answer,there is a way to reverse it?maybe less blue and violet?

Some shifts are reversible, not many though. What type of coral? A photo would help. I'll have to do some research after getting the info.

 

[ingchr1]

do you now what could make that some yellow and pink corals become green? since i have the radions+T5 some are healty but green,my red was higher than 15% could it be this?

For clarity was it 15% of your PAR or 15% on the slider?

 

[SMSREEF]

If the max you set red to 15%, what do you suggest max setting green to?

 

[Bpb]

Disregard if need be....but I believe @Dana Riddle means red range light shouldn’t exceed 15% of the total par taken in by the coral...not that the red slider on the fixture shouldn’t exceed 15%. Right? If the red slider is even at 10% but everything else is off, then red would constitute 100% of the par being received. For instance, on my reef breeders photon v2, if I run all channels at 100%, red light consists of 10.4% of my overall par.

 

[Dana Riddle]

Yes, red shouldn't exceed 15% 0f total PAR - not the slider. As for green light - what is the maximum wavelength peak. Aqua is better than green if we look at the accessory pigment peridinin absorption.

 

[Superlightman]

For clarity was it 15% of your PAR or 15% on the slider?

15%of the slider

 

[Superlightman]

Some shifts are reversible, not many though. What type of coral? A photo would help. I'll have to do some research after getting the info.

Sorry I not saw the answer I will try to take pictures

 

[Superlightman]

Some shifts are reversible, not many though. What type of coral? A photo would help. I'll have to do some research after getting the info.

Here some examples, they were pink or yellow and became metallic green

 

[Dana Riddle]

Here some examples, they were pink or yellow and became metallic green

Thanks for the photos! Red to green color shifts has been documented in Acropora millepora - there must be others. The fluorescent emission peaked at 594nm and shifted to green (peak @ 535nm) when exposed to blue light at 488nm. As for the yellow coloration, that was possibly a mix of red and green fluorescence which can result in an apparent yellow or orange color. There are relatively few true yellow corals - Porites and some zoanthids come to mind.
As a side note, I have an unidentified Acropora species that was once a reddish color with yellowish polyps and some green highlights. The aquarium lost power for days when the tropical storm blew through Atlanta. Fortunately, this Acro survived but has lost all of it red and yellow color. The change was too rapid to attribute to loss of light alone. A possible cause - low dissolved oxygen, which was measured to be as low as 0.98 ppm (normally around 7pp or so.) Was this stressor responsible??

 

[Superlightman]

Thanks for the photos! Red to green color shifts has been documented in Acropora millepora - there must be others. The fluorescent emission peaked at 594nm and shifted to green (peak @ 535nm) when exposed to blue light at 488nm. As for the yellow coloration, that was possibly a mix of red and green fluorescence which can result in an apparent yellow or orange color. There are relatively few true yellow corals - Porites and some zoanthids come to mind.
As a side note, I have an unidentified Acropora species that was once a reddish color with yellowish polyps and some green highlights. The aquarium lost power for days when the tropical storm blew through Atlanta. Fortunately, this Acro survived but has lost all of it red and yellow color. The change was too rapid to attribute to loss of light alone. A possible cause - low dissolved oxygen, which was measured to be as low as 0.98 ppm (normally around 7pp or so.) Was this stressor responsible??

Thanks for your answer, so how could I change the seetings of my radions to reverse it? Less blue or less violet /uv? The new frag at the bottom start green also. :-/
I use ati essentials pro actually, could it also be that some trace elements inside made this effect, I saw at an other user home that his colors where also very''metallic''