Which light colour is best for corals!

[A. grandis]

I didn't say LED is better, or plasma is better, or MH is better. I just showed a picture of our meassument of the spectrum of a plasma light so people could compare with the spectrum of sunlight. I think it looks closer to the graphs I've seen on sunlight. Compare yourself.

What is playing with crayons? Experiments?

I understood that part. I just remembered last time you were talking about removing the halides at the Aquarium and putting some LEDs instead... Any updates on that?
Yes, the experiments. The isolation of colors will only show that particular behavior.

 

[A. grandis]

Why re-invent the wheel.. It's already been done.. over and over again..
I have nothing to prove to myself..

I know what bugs you.. but that's your issue not mine.

Well, what I'm saying is that I would be a liar if what I say here, and see with my own eyes happening, wouldn't actually be what it is. Agree? What about the others that say the same? You come here with graphics and ideas, but that doesn't fit in reality, Oreo. That is not what happen if we apply.
Plus, I came here to give my opinion and whoever wants to try, let them try. Many did and told me how much different their systems are now and how wonderful/ better it looks!
You know I'm not going to change because of a bunch of graphics and theories if reality tells me another story. Sorry, man. Every thread is the same thing...

 

[Sallstrom]

I understood that part. I just remembered last time you were talking about removing the halides at the Aquarium and putting some LEDs instead... Any updates on that?
Yes, the experiments. The isolation of colors will only show that particular behavior.

Yes, that is correct. We don't use metal halides in the Temporary Aquarium and we won't be allowed to use them over the new large tanks. They will be classed as pools and then we can't have AC power that close to the water. We're still looking into options for lights for the large reef tank.

The experiments are done as scientific experiments and will be published. Small steps.. It's not possible to try everything at once if you want to know what effects what.

 

[juanrmattos]

A couple decades ago when I discovered this hobby, pretty much the one and only acceptable choice to succeed was MH, I tried and modified intensities to accommodate my reef until I accomplished what in my opinion was nice... Then it came the T5 revolution, dropped my MH's, tried also many options and even though the results were noticeable I couldn't find a good equilibrium (According to my taste), so I gave a shot to MH with T5's and it all came back better than expected; unfortunately for me, at that time, with the kind of reef and the number of fixtures I had, it just became extremely expensive for me... Sold my reef and forcefully got out of the hobby. About 7 years ago I decided to get back, LED were in fashion and considering the cost and energy consumption I decided to give them a try; once again I found myself trying alternatives and different brands until I was able to find a balance between what it worked and a look that I liked... So, for the original creator of this post: Regardless of what kind of light you decide to go with to make your corals grow and color up, just stick to what you like and try it in every possible scenario until you find your own equilibrium. There are literally thousands of examples out there of every possible tank/light situation, I'm positive you can find someone that would inspire you to follow those steps. REMEMBER!, Light is only one part to the reef equation, there are many other factors that can stall or speed your coral development.

Best of luck!!!!

 

[oreo54]

Every thread is the same thing...

Sadly.. so is yours..though always cloaked a bit..

and told me how much different their systems are now and how wonderful/ better it looks!

And I tried to explain why that is..

Many did and told me how much different their systems are now and how wonderful/ better it looks!

and tried to explain this..
So much of it is wattage differences and efficiency as a GUESS since most don't include enough FACTS to turn it from bad hearsay to reality..
Things like "I had 2 mars aquas at 165W (which were dimmed btw and were lucky to be 100w at 50L/W on FULL) and replaced them w/ 2 250W (full blast 100L/W) MH's and things were great"

Well DUUH....

 

[A. grandis]

Sadly.. so is yours..though always cloaked a bit..



And I tried to explain why that is..




and tried to explain this..
So much of it is wattage differences and efficiency as a GUESS since most don't include enough FACTS to turn it from bad hearsay to reality..
Things like "I had 2 mars aquas at 165W (which were dimmed btw and were lucky to be 100w at 50L/W on FULL) and replaced them w/ 2 250W (full blast 100L/W) MH's and things were great"

Well DUUH....

Well, if you think only the wattage is what makes the difference why then when they use same wattage for both LEDs and halides to compare, the corals get cooked? Lenses! They get cooked and results are way different in many aspects no matter how much intensity they add to the LEDs. We all know that. Get a 150W halide bulb and compare to any 150W LED fixture and you will see the difference.
Sanjay Joshi is the "guru of lighting the reef tanks" and how come he can't have the same colors that he had with halides? Wattage? How many more Radions at 100% will he need for that? What about the dead spots in those shaded areas? His halides were taking care of those Acros easily.
What about the coral farm professionals? Are they crazy to spend more money having those 400W halides to grow their corals? And some of them use 6500Ks preferably.
Did you know planted tank guys are leaving their LEDs too? They say it's not the same and with T5s they can achieve way better results. I already knew that since 2012 when I started trying LEDs for my planted tanks. No comparison! T5s will give way better results for growth and plant structure. Can you explain all that please?

 

[A. grandis]

A couple decades ago when I discovered this hobby, pretty much the one and only acceptable choice to succeed was MH, I tried and modified intensities to accommodate my reef until I accomplished what in my opinion was nice... Then it came the T5 revolution, dropped my MH's, tried also many options and even though the results were noticeable I couldn't find a good equilibrium (According to my taste), so I gave a shot to MH with T5's and it all came back better than expected; unfortunately for me, at that time, with the kind of reef and the number of fixtures I had, it just became extremely expensive for me... Sold my reef and forcefully got out of the hobby. About 7 years ago I decided to get back, LED were in fashion and considering the cost and energy consumption I decided to give them a try; once again I found myself trying alternatives and different brands until I was able to find a balance between what it worked and a look that I liked... So, for the original creator of this post: Regardless of what kind of light you decide to go with to make your corals grow and color up, just stick to what you like and try it in every possible scenario until you find your own equilibrium. There are literally thousands of examples out there of every possible tank/light situation, I'm positive you can find someone that would inspire you to follow those steps. REMEMBER!, Light is only one part to the reef equation, there are many other factors that can stall or speed your coral development.

Best of luck!!!!

I agree with you!
I want to add that light will play more than 50% though. If you consider that you will have a much easier journey with your reef tank. But yeah, everyone has their own preferences and will find what suits best for them. You just have to find. No one can tell you what results you have to like. We are all different.

 

[brawthy]

There is no “best light”.

Corals evolved in parallel with their symbiotic dinoflagellates at varying depths. Now, water (sea water slightly more so) has some powerful absorption properties that limit how much a given set of wavelengths can penetrate. This preselects those organisms that can efficiently make food from narrower wavelengths as depth increases. Even moving 20-50 meters down has a dramatic effect on the spectral composition of light vs the surface.

Blue and Violet have tighter wavelengths than the rest of the spectrum and therefore form the largest part of a coral’s nutrition. You need to provide those microorganisms that live in the corals’ tissues with enough by proxy to have a health coral.

Now, coral are pretty adaptable, and if you can provide supplemental nutrition you may be able to keep it healthy. I would recommend getting quality leds or t5s that have a strong actinic ‘portion’ for a sustained period of time everyday (fwiw, I use the ads by settings-because it looks nice and provides the base nutrition without burning my lps)

 

[A. grandis]

Here Oreo:

3 X 400W Ushio 14K halides before = 1200W
In 2017 he had 8 X 190W at 100% Radion G4 Pros = 1520W

Oreo... 1520W is more than 1200W.
Today he has 10 of those Radions at 100% each, man!


That Porites coral still looks rotten gray to me!
"Lack of yellows" (whatever that means) under what many call one of the "best LEDs in America"?
Dr. Sanjay: get that chiller running and program to turn off the halides when temperature goes too high! Put those halides back, my friend!

 

[A. grandis]

There is no “best light”.

Corals evolved in parallel with their symbiotic dinoflagellates at varying depths. Now, water (sea water slightly more so) has some powerful absorption properties that limit how much a given set of wavelengths can penetrate. This preselects those organisms that can efficiently make food from narrower wavelengths as depth increases. Even moving 20-50 meters down has a dramatic effect on the spectral composition of light vs the surface.

Blue and Violet have tighter wavelengths than the rest of the spectrum and therefore form the largest part of a coral’s nutrition. You need to provide those microorganisms that live in the corals’ tissues with enough by proxy to have a health coral.

Now, coral are pretty adaptable, and if you can provide supplemental nutrition you may be able to keep it healthy. I would recommend getting quality leds or t5s that have a strong actinic ‘portion’ for a sustained period of time everyday (fwiw, I use the ads by settings-because it looks nice and provides the base nutrition without burning my lps)

There is no "best light".
I now that because everything is relative and everyone will prefer different results.

 

[brawthy]

There is no "best light".
I now that because everything is relative and everyone will prefer different results.

This is untrue. That’s not how biology works. You need to provide the basic necessities-either with more production on net from power intensive MH lights whose spectrum is wider, or through more efficient t5/led.

Claiming otherwise is doing others a disservice.

 

[Oldreefer44]

Seems like lighting gets peoples blood flowing more than any other subject. I have been in the hobby for 40+ years. Have used Halide, Halide/t5, T5, and LED . Have settled on LED's (Orphek) because they fit my needs the best. All three systems have plusses and minuses. All three will grow most corals as you can see on numerous threads on R2R. As with most equipment discussed on this forum, people will try to sell you on what they are using as it is human nature to validate our own choices.
The other thing that I have noticed is that different corals react to lighting types a little differently. Nothing scientific just my own observation. In the end, my recommendation is to look at cost, style and features of each of the lighting types and make your choice.

 

[merereef]

Can someone give me a settings on Radion g4 pro that makes the coral look good when people show them on their webpage or pictures? I don’t care about growth. If possible thanks

Hahaha if you want your corals to pop you need more blue and if you want to take pictures its best to use a filter lens

 

[A. grandis]

Yes, that is correct. We don't use metal halides in the Temporary Aquarium and we won't be allowed to use them over the new large tanks. They will be classed as pools and then we can't have AC power that close to the water. We're still looking into options for lights for the large reef tank.

The experiments are done as scientific experiments and will be published. Small steps.. It's not possible to try everything at once if you want to know what effects what.

If you do the experiment in a long period of time, using a logger, altering only part of the spectrum accordingly, things get more interesting.
Why can't you use AC power over them? How many liters or Us gallons do they have? All over the world we see halides over large tanks. You just need beams with movable fixtures over those systems.
Anyways...
Good luck to you!

 

[A. grandis]

This is untrue. That’s not how biology works. You need to provide the basic necessities-either with more production on net from power intensive MH lights whose spectrum is wider, or through more efficient t5/led.

Claiming otherwise is doing others a disservice.

Yes, many LFS are doing such disservice in favor to LED companies, promoting what they want in regards to spectrum specially.

 

[A. grandis]

Seems like lighting gets peoples blood flowing more than any other subject. I have been in the hobby for 40+ years. Have used Halide, Halide/t5, T5, and LED . Have settled on LED's (Orphek) because they fit my needs the best. All three systems have plusses and minuses. All three will grow most corals as you can see on numerous threads on R2R. As with most equipment discussed on this forum, people will try to sell you on what they are using as it is human nature to validate our own choices.
The other thing that I have noticed is that different corals react to lighting types a little differently. Nothing scientific just my own observation. In the end, my recommendation is to look at cost, style and features of each of the lighting types and make your choice.

With your experience you should be able to see what would be the best color you ever had.
That is what this thread is about.
I posted what I think on post #38, page 2.

 

[A. grandis]

Found a video with that bright yellow Porites coral from the time when Dr. Sanjay's tank still had the halides in 2012.
Not only the Porites coral, but ALL the other corals had much better vivid colors and growth due to the halides IMO.

So... does anyone here still think I'm wrong? For the newbies, Dr. Sanjay is called the authority of reef lighting by the best reef keepers in the world. He is very respected in that line. If you choose not to believe in my experiences, please at least consider the video and what he said about that particular coral. See for yourself why my first choice is halides for colors. It's not only intensity that gives colors, but all the properties halides have, over ANY other artificial light IME!
It's just my opinion anyway, right? Yes, cause I know the relativism can make people think the rotten gray color is actually more beautiful than the bright yellow we see here. Well, I agree with Dr. Sanjay. On the side... which one is healthier in your opinion? I'll live that to each of you.

 

[A. grandis]

Now...
Call your wife and the kids, close the doors and windows, turn off the lights, hook some nice speakers and enjoy.
I just have to post this video because of the title of this thread.


Try to get 50 Radions over this tank to reproduce what you see and you will understand why halides still reigns king.
Cheers.

 

[Proteus Meep]

It's good to see after much resistance Dr Sanjay the Guru of MH reef lighting has seen the light and let go of the past and moved over to LED as well

Dr Sanjay who metal halide bulb companies send their bulbs to for testing and reviewing because he was such a proponent and expert of Metal Halide's... now has LED over his tank's

 

[A. grandis]

It's good to see after much resistance Dr Sanjay the Guru of MH reef lighting has seen the light and let go of the past and moved over to LED as well

Dr Sanjay who metal halide bulb companies send their bulbs to for testing and reviewing because he was such a proponent and expert of Metal Halide's... now has LED over his tank's

And you ignored all of I've posted before to say that?