White light even important?

[Kial]

i have a standard aquaone led light which gives you the option of only white and blue, no dimming so each is at 100%. I’ve recently cut back on the white light and my corals seem to be doing so much better, even my goniopora who is normally hit and miss if it opens up, is thriving now.

I was always under the impression the white was most important for corals as it’s brighter but it seems blue is better?

 

[tdileo]

i have a standard aquaone led light which gives you the option of only white and blue, no dimming so each is at 100%. I’ve recently cut back on the white light and my corals seem to be doing so much better, even my goniopora who is normally hit and miss if it opens up, is thriving now.

I was always under the impression the white was most important for corals as it’s brighter but it seems blue is better?

White serves a purpose but blue is definitely more important. here is a graph by SBReefLights showing which light wavelengths are most utilized by the zooxanthalae in your corals.

 

[bif24701]

Visually white can serve a significant purpose. However as for the corals many many only have Blue/actinic light and the corals do well. Main thing is you have enough Blue, then add some white to achieve the “look” you desire.

 

[B's Reef]

You'll want mainly blues, and like the others have said, just enough white to give the visual element you like best. I like running just enough whites to show the true colors of the fish in my tank. I run 2 hours of all blues, 6 hours of my blend of all the colors, and 2 hours of all blues.

 

[Kial]

Ok cool. I’m going to need new lights at some point so I can adjust colour intensity etc because right now it’s 100% or nothing at all aha.
At the moment I’m running all blue for 1 hour, then white and blue for 4 and then all blue for 5.

 

[B's Reef]

Ok cool. I’m going to need new lights at some point so I can adjust colour intensity etc because right now it’s 100% or nothing at all aha.
At the moment I’m running all blue for 1 hour, then white and blue for 4 and then all blue for 5.

Trial and error. Give that a go and see how things react. If you can get your hands on a par meter, that would give you a much better idea. But give that schedule a shot for a few weeks at least to see how things go Good luck!

 

[John3]

I think when you read about people saying their leds are more powerful than they look it’s because they have theirs whites up very high. I’m running a Radion G4 and my whites top out at 25% and I have the blues/purple at 100%. The corals I have ( mostly lps and softies) love this setting. I tried more white light at one point and that is when I saw bleaching.

So to give you an idea on the Radion unit my total intensity is 70% blues/purple maxed and white/red/green around 25%. You could bring the white way up and drop the blue/purple intensity to get around 70% total intensity. You might think ok they are close or equal but they are not. The 70% with more white is much stronger to the corals. At least that is what I have seen.

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

There is blue in your white.
Also 490 and 525. And the reds most likely.

Unless your running a kessil , the 490 probably isn’t in the blue side.
Depends on the model.

 

[whs6704]

 

[Dana Riddle]

White light, of course, is a mix of all visible wavelengths (violet through red) - and red light is known to regulate the number of zooxanthellae (or their chlorophyll content). It promotes photosynthesis most efficiently (since protective xanthophylls/beta-carotene absorb blue light) but this is a double-edged sword since it can damage the zoox under some circumstances. I'm not surprised at all that your corals responded well to the blue light regimen.
Here's an article from a couple years back explaining this in some detail:
http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2014/5/aafeature