BetteMidler
Active Member
Corals will have the best coloration when they are actively growing. Lighting will be a factor, but I would imagine that water chemistry would be even more important. You have to look at the soil too...
Looking for High CRI (95) Natural/Full spectrum 5000-6500K LED strip
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We would use VHO actinic to get color pop but the key is are you trying to get natural colors from coral (what you see under natural sunlight) or are you trying to see how the coral looks under lights that triggers their fluorescence which is not what you would see with natural sunlight. Most of the coral we consider colorful today is dull and brown under natural light since it isn’t the coral color that makes all the pretty colors but the affects of fluorescence which is converting the royal blues and UV lights I to a different wavelength and causing them to glow. Think of a party you might have gone to with black lights, things that look normal under natural light all of sudden start glowing because they have pigments that reflect the black light back at a wavelength that we perceive as a colorful.
When you kept corals under 6500-10000k lights you picked specimens that had natural color to them. This is why corals like ORA purple stylo, Oregon tort, green slimmer, GARF bonsai, purple people eaters, etc. were some of the most sought after corals at the time. They had great colors under natural light.
6500k will definitely grow coral but the expensive corals that everyone loves today will look brown and boring under it. They will be perfectly healthy just no fluorescence until you add a light source that can show it off.
Nature's complicated ..Just an interesting find:
www.thesciencebreaker.org
PAPER
Corals display bright colours to fight bleaching
Stressful conditions do not always render reef corals white. We found that mild or brief exposure of corals to heat stress or to unfavourable nutrient conditions does not only cause the loss of the vital symbiont alga but also switches on an optical feedback loop that results in a dazzling...
www.thesciencebreaker.org
PAPER
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OP
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I’m actually trying to accomplish a few things:
- Grow corals under as “close as possible” lighting environment to natural sunlight; broadband, as many spectra as practical free of research bias
- Compare, measure, document color and growth rates: 6500k (natural/broadband) vs 15000K AB+ , WWC, (or whatever)
- Photograph corals grown exclusively under 6500k
- In a tandem but separate experiment, grow corals exclusively via dosing: nitrate, phosphate, aminos, whatever is determined by consensus. Environment will be free of CUC and any “higher” animals but how far this can go is tbd.
- Water quality/parameter control exclusively via dosing: Alk, Ca, Mg trace… exactly which trace TBD. RM is not off the table, shooting for stable NSW params if that’s even possible. Lanthium chloride and carbon dosing is on the table or TBD by consensus. Minimal surface area for bacteria to colonize, water quality handled by LC dosing or water changes. NO NITROGEN CYCLE ( on purpose or by design) …fully realize it’s going to happen somewhere, but for purposes here the effects will be minimized if possible
Yes certainly they will, it will be interesting to see if or how they color up and if additives or environment make any difference…Either way, the “brown out” should illuminate any hidden coloring variables
One thing to consider if you are trying to replicate corals that actually grow in 6500k light is that many of them are exposed at low tide and the par levels they receive are much higher than what we typically use over an aquarium. Since natural sunlight is about 2000 umol’s of PAR you need to be hitting close to those levels at the top of the tank. Since these are shallow growing corals a normal tank height will replicate this shallow environment well. You will also need to find corals that actually grow in those shallow environment which there are quite a few. If you are trying to see how deeper growing corals (that would never receive 6500k in the wild) react to 6500k then that is a different experiment. You can either focus on the color or the intensity. Since it isn’t a replication of anything g in nature it means you can adjust the par down to a level the coral is use to at deeper water levels but just change the color to mimic what shallow living coral receive.
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Yes, in fact this morning I was researching that very topic. Besides porites most of the stuff I came across often just said “massive reef building corals” …I’m guessing brains… a few others listed favia…but this was Carribean (didn’t know that genus was represented there)
If you have suggestions, please advise
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I went ahead with RHF suggestion and got the GHL unit. Reasoning being its a unit designed to go over aquariums, and Ill be able to match the “control” tank with another GHL unit (a traditional “Blue” unit)
I purchased the
Also looking at Proliflux Mini WiFi …not familiar tho, any help or info on the GHL equipment universe appreciated
I purchased the
Mitras Lightbar 3 90
Not sure if it can work standalone or not…Also looking at Proliflux Mini WiFi …not familiar tho, any help or info on the GHL equipment universe appreciated
I went ahead with RHF suggestion and got the GHL unit. Reasoning being its a unit designed to go over aquariums, and Ill be able to match the “control” tank with another GHL unit (a traditional “Blue” unit)
I purchased the
Mitras Lightbar 3 90
Not sure if it can work standalone or not…
Also looking at Proliflux Mini WiFi …not familiar tho, any help or info on the GHL equipment universe appreciated
GHL Mitras Lightbar 3 Skywhite 130, für Becken 129-140 cm / max. 100,8 W - schwarz
GHL Mitras Lightbar 3 Skywhite 130, für Becken 129-140 cm / max. 100,8 W - schwarz: Die in Deutschland gefertigte Mitras Lightbar bietet Dir: Homogenes, brillantes und sehr helles Licht durch eine ausgewogene Mischung aus selektierten High-Power-LEDs in natürlichen Farben. Supersanfte Dimmung...
shop.aquarienkontor.de
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OP
@oreo54
appreciate that, that was the info I was looking for
I’m thinking about getting one of these sister products to run in parallel
appreciate that, that was the info I was looking for
- Full undimmed light power when operating without ProfiLux (all LEDs light up at 100%)
I’m thinking about getting one of these sister products to run in parallel
- Mitras LB Coral Pop (seawater)
- Mitras LB Deep Ocean (seawater upper-middle reef)
- Mitras LB Ocean Blue (freshwater and seawater
Randy Holmes-Farley
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My Tank Thread
I was considering the pop and the bar you have (or maybe ocean blue +pop). My reasoning was to get a full spectrum that included appropriate amounts of the violet and uv end of the spectrum without the overall light being too blue. I would probably have to dial back the overlapping blue peak to get what I want.
So if you get that combo, I’d be very interested in how it appears to your eye.
I’m also very interested in your user opinion of spectrum control methods with the light bar.
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GHL or someone found the spectral graphs for all the units. As I compared them I noticed that the UV section of that “Coral Pop” is pretty broad…in fact thats the most UV output claimed by any light Ive looked at…
I just learned I need to cop that $99 controller
…I plan on starting a “experiment thread” but I need to clean up and edit the experiments purpose, design outline and materials list before posting
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As promised, here is the newsletter we sent out a few weeks ago about our new Mitras Lightbar 3 in case you missed it!
Prepare to be captivated by the brilliance of the GHL Mitras Lightbar 3 - the ultimate solution for unparalleled light performance in your aquarium. We are thrilled to announce the brand new Mitras Lightbar 3
Whether you're a experienced enthusiast or new to the hobby, the Mitras Lightbar 3 promises to exceed your expectations with its exceptional features:
Unmatched Light Performance: Experience the true beauty of your aquatic world with the Mitras Lightbar 3's unparalleled light output, ensuring vibrant colors and incredible growth for your aquatic plants and corals.
Tailored Spectrums: Achieve perfect lighting for all applications with fully customizable spectrums (7 independent LED color channels), meticulously designed to meet the unique needs of your aquarium inhabitants. See your corals, fishes and plants in colors as never before.
Outstanding Energy Efficiency: Say goodbye to wasted energy and hello to cost-effective lighting solutions. The Mitras Lightbar 3 harnesses advanced technology to provide maximum illumination with minimal power consumption.
Models for Marine Water, Fresh Water and Refugiums: Let Your corals glow with the Coral Pop model (includes UVA) or achieve outstanding plant growth with the Skywhite model. Combine different models as you like and get even more flexibility in creating exactly the light You want.
Perfect size for any aquarium: No compromises in light coverage with models from 40 cm (15.75") to 200 cm (78.75") in 10 cm (4") increments.
Full control: Adjust the lighting schedule, simulation features and spectrum variation over the day exactly as you want with our UPDATED apps. *)
Embrace the future of aquarium lighting and secure your Mitras Lightbar(s) 3 today at the GHL USA Store or at the GHL Germany Store or your preferred dealer. Join the countless aquarists worldwide who have entrusted their aquatic ecosystems to GHL's innovative technology.
Learn more about our Mitras Lightbar 3 at the product page.
Available in 5 models with different baseline spectrums
Coral Pop, Deep Ocean, Ocean Blue, Skywhite and Refugium
If you compare the top graph with the 2nd from bottom (which I believe is the “Sky” model)
notice not only are the red bands absent in the “Pop” but the UV tails off in the “Sky”
Ive also noticed just about every LED array made seems to leave out the bands around 480ish…
I wonder if this is a manufacturing thing, or just simply no demand for that particular bandwidth
Ive resigned myself to the fact the comparison to Sunlight will be incomplete as IR, 480 and lots of green/yellow will be missing from most arrays, even so called “Full Spectrum” LEDs
480 " blue" is kind of " Windex" and eye brighter than royal blue....500 cyan is very eye bright and many find it annoying.
Cyan goes back and forth and Windex is sometimes just a low ratio.
Remember the light spectrum is relative...dim royal blue and 470 becomes more dominant.
Point is sometimes not left out only low in output...in comparison.
Oh and both are lesser bands for chl a or c.
Perdinin contribution is often ignored though this photosynthetic pigment generally outnumbers chl a by a 4:1 ratio.
Both are fine for photosynthesis.
Both are just marketing choices.
Both improve cri.
Historical addition..
Little to no true actinic (violet) light?
I've been wondering this lately. 430nm is the most active photosynthetic spectra (the peak for chlorophyll a), and falls off sharply after that, reaching near zero at 450nm, which is the typical peak for royal blue LEDs or blue T5 bulbs. Chlorophyll c2 absorbs in the spectrum, but it is present i...
www.nano-reef.com
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bobnicaragua
Valuable Member
Why not use metal halide? It would be the closest thing to daylight.
OP
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That was a great breakdown, thank you for taking the time
OP
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A lot easier TBH
Wow actually I was going to pm @oreo54 if he had a link somewhere to a Iwasaki 6500 spectral chart. I'd wager the LED facsimile spectral chart is a lot different if that makes sense
Anyway. I'm attempting a more apples to apples comparison even using the same brand probably
Remember there are (were) 2 Iwasaki 6500k models of linear bulbs (if you don't count the par38 type lamps which had even higher CRI). One was 6500k the other not 6500k but sold as 6500k.
This is from an old catalog:
This is another from Sanjays work I believe:
At one point in time someone plotted the Iwasaki vs actual ocean spectrum at actual ppfd :
This is 1 version of DIY led vs Iwasaki. Not the best either.
Point was to fill and enhance the "blue band" a bit
7750K , only 87CRI est.
Grey shadow is daylight,
the "SPECTRA CSV is the Bridgelux COB, rest is self explanatory:
THIS one is kind of interesting:
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OP
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I suspected I did not have an original thought here. Someone was bound to overlay the two eventually.
So as far as LEDs go, someone has attempted a “custom blend” attempting to match this bulb then ?
the graph second from the bottom is pretty broad and filled. esp from royal blue to yellow
bobnicaragua
Valuable Member
You cannot match the full metal halide spectrum with LEDs.
Well the custom blend was my "napkin" light.
As to "making" a 6500k MH :
Since the "slant" was leaning blue though it probably wasn't a priority.
Even 6500k were paired with "Actinic" VHO t12's. Just whites were horrible spectrum wise.. Either green or yellow tints with the big cyan gap and cri's of 70-ish was considered "full color"
IR and UV leds were rare or expensive or just not ready for prime time (very short lifespans). Well not sure about the IR ones. That's sort of the new kid on the block color.
There were other bulbs some tried to match BUT I never saw any spectrums of what they considered a "match".
Some commercial companies did try, like BML (Buildmyled) a company you'd probably have had build your lights.
Even 3rd party calculators.
Dropbox
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