Natural light spectrum.. Why do we use these so much blue lights?

[VintageReefer]

1 Only blue 100% Around 23 000 degree K Input 143 W total
2 All blue + green and red 100 % around 21 000 input 143 + 88 = 231 W total
3 All my LED 100 % around 15 000 degree K 308 W total 143+88+77 = 308 W total

As you can see If I add only red and green to the all blue - I got a very whitish look and still have some of the flourescens colours all visibel. When I add white LEDs the fluorescence colours fade out - you do not see them very well because too much photons in the lumen window - the window there your eyes is most sensitive for light intensity

I have around 11 watt of this spectra, Note that around 15 % of the photons are in the blue par - it means an addition of around 2 W blue wavelengths

There is around 22 wat of this spectra, Around 25 % is blue wavelengths - let us add 5,5 watt more to the blue part

I have around 22 watt of this spectra. Note - around 35 % is blue. Addition of around 8 watt blue

This means that if I start all my white LED when running all my blue LEDs - I do not decrease my blue photons - instead I increase them with around 15 watt.

IMO - If you want a whitish look running all blue but still see the fluorescence - just add green and red to the blue. The intensity of the red and green decide how white it looks and how much florescence you will see. the reflecting colours well also look good as long as they not are in the yellow - orange part of the spectra. Or you can add a cheap RGB strip to your existing fixture

If you want a better growth and a white look - use white LEDs. You will probably not see so much of the florescence but your reflection colours will look great.

Note - the pictures are done using the same white balance and no filter

Sincerely Lasse

Super interesting thank you for taking the time for this. What light/app is that?

I will try blues and Violet at 40. White zero. Red and green at 40.

 

[VintageReefer]

Super interesting thank you for taking the time for this. What light/app is that?

I will try blues and Violet at 40. White zero. Red and green at 40.

It doesn’t work for me lol

No filter

With orange filter

 

[djf91]

If the same coral was cheap, they probably wouldn’t have the color variation I’m looking for, and therefore no need to use a spectrum that would get that variation to show. At that point I wouldn’t care about what coral I got as long as structure looked different and just use 6500K lighting.

There are plenty of corals with color variation that are cheap. The homewrecker will become cheap at some point when more people have it.

Using overly blue lighting makes it easier to extract colors out of corals. Most corals, even if kept in less than stellar aquarium conditions will fluoresce under blue lighting. I go to my LFS and ask them to turn their windex display up to a fuller spectrum and it’s a bunch of pale, brown corals.

What impresses me is a 10-14k lit aquarium with deep, richly colored Acropora. Like what Yanir posted. Even more impressive is an Aussie “ice fire” Acropora echinata or Oregon tort that glows deep blue under 10k lighting. No trick lighting or iPhone filters or special sunglasses needed.

 

[GARRIGA]

But white lights includes blue, it's still in there. It's the blue light that is taking something away...

Yes, full spectrum and broad spectrum contain blue yet when we run blue lights we exclude the other colors. That's the point I"m making. In the 80s we ran white with o3 blue actinic. Theory was the blue actinic was needed yet today with PAR meters we can run straight white and just increase the intensity to reflect the required or wanted PAR. Blue then become a consideration of aesthetics. Some prefer it. I'm not one of them.

 

[Lasse]

I use GHL Mitras Bar 2 connected to a GHL Profilux 4. In their server - client version for PC (not an App) they include Light composer where you can fine tune your settings. Mitras Bar 2 and 3 is the only fixtures I know of that include a RGB chip in the construction. For bar 2 - it is 4 on each module, Bar 3 has only 2. I have 2 deep Actinic 120, 1 actinic 120 and one Ocean Blue 120 to my 300 L display (120*50*50 cm). Each module is on 7 watt - total 308 W.

It doesn’t work for me lol

Rise red and green to 100 %. and go down with the blue a little. In my example - its 19% Green, 19 % red and 62 % blue of the wattage. If you run total 100 W, 19 % should be green, 19 % red and 62 % blue. Blue should include around 19 % (of the total 100 W) 470 nm. Think in watt not % in this case

Sincerely Lasse

 

[buruskeee]

Yes, full spectrum and broad spectrum contain blue yet when we run blue lights we exclude the other colors. That's the point I"m making. In the 80s we ran white with o3 blue actinic. Theory was the blue actinic was needed yet today with PAR meters we can run straight white and just increase the intensity to reflect the required or wanted PAR. Blue then become a consideration of aesthetics. Some prefer it. I'm not one of them.

More PAR in higher spectrum means more uglies to come with it, along with wasted power/heat. It’s mostly just about efficiency (and more so visual preference).

The majority of reefers keep between 10k-15k, while the “I’m right and you’re wrong crowd” of the 6500K along with the full windex folks are more in the minority. Visually it’s just a great balance of not being washed out while still providing some pop and color variety.

Coral farms run at huge scale so minimizing wattage is huge for the bottom line, along with less maintenance with uglies and hiding uglies easier for showing.

 

[buruskeee]

The homewrecker will become cheap at some point when more people have it.

I’m not so sure. They’re not really easy to keep nor a fast grower. It’s why the Walt Disney is still pricey despite being around for almost a decade now. They just take forever to take off and there’s plenty of chances to kill them.

 

[VintageReefer]

Now we have tang police and lighting police

 

[areefer01]

I wish the forum had down votes. The OP's question was why do "some" hobbyist prefer the more blue, or heavy blue, spectrum like AB++, PHX14, ATI Blue Plus or similar. The answer comes down to the hobbyist personal preference or what they believe promotes coral growth...

 

[djf91]

More PAR in higher spectrum means more uglies to come with it, along with wasted power/heat. It’s mostly just about efficiency (and more so visual preference).

The majority of reefers keep between 10k-15k, while the “I’m right and you’re wrong crowd” of the 6500K along with the full windex folks are more in the minority. Visually it’s just a great balance of not being washed out while still providing some pop and color variety.

Coral farms run at huge scale so minimizing wattage is huge for the bottom line, along with less maintenance with uglies and hiding uglies easier for showing.

Plenty of us run high PAR and full spectrum with no algae issues. If you know what you’re doing, this isn’t an issue. I, along with many others, get better growth and better color with higher PAR. I don’t think Top Shelf and ACI are trying to throw money away by running Metal Halide.

 

[VintageReefer]

Plenty of us run high PAR and full spectrum with no algae issues. If you know what you’re doing, this isn’t an issue. I, along with many others, get better growth and better color with higher PAR. I don’t think Top Shelf and ACI are trying to throw money away by running Metal Halide.

Agree. This is my tank years ago. I have no idea what my par was. I assume very high. 716w of light. No dimming. I could do 2x250 halide. 4x54w t5. One, the other, or both.

Show me my uglies and algae issues. Only issue was occasional bleaching, or, occasional white tips from my lack of knowledge at the time regarding alkalinity vs nutrient balance

 

[Reefer Matt]

 

[Bitter old man]

Full spectrum T5 light.

Your heavy blue simply Dont show the corals at their TRUE COLOR

Oh well.

 

[VintageReefer]

under blues..what is not to like

Are you using an orange filter ?

 

[djf91]

Agree. This is my tank years ago. I have no idea what my par was. I assume very high. 716w of light. No dimming. I could do 2x250 halide. 4x54w t5. One, the other, or both.

Show me my uglies and algae issues. Only issue was occasional bleaching, or, occasional white tips from my lack of knowledge at the time regarding alkalinity vs nutrient balance

I think I’ve told you this before, and I mean no offense by it, but I love that old tank you had. Just my preference for what I like in a tank.

I run 4x400 watt Radium’s on my current display. No algae issues. This is mostly due to my group of tangs and foxface though. I would have a nasty caulerpa and dictyota problem without them.

 

[VintageReefer]

I think I’ve told you this before, and I mean no offense by it, but I love that old tank you had. Just my preference for what I like in a tank.

I run 4x400 watt Radium’s on my current display. No algae issues. This is mostly due to my group of tangs and foxface though. I would have a nasty caulerpa and dictyota problem without them.

I grew it, why would I be offended
If it’s because you like it more than my current tank, no offense taken. They are completely different.

All I can say is when you put a lot of work and love into something and then suddenly lose it all due to a freak hurricane and power outage….it kinda makes you want to take a different direction and do something different

 

[buruskeee]

Plenty of us run high PAR and full spectrum with no algae issues. If you know what you’re doing, this isn’t an issue. I, along with many others, get better growth and better color with higher PAR. I don’t think Top Shelf and ACI are trying to throw money away by running Metal Halide.

Top Shelf runs mostly LEDs. Don't know much about ACI so I’ll take your word for it.

Yes you can get the same growth with full spectrum at higher PAR (higher PAR needed because only a small percentage is the key blue spectrum) and not have uglies, but if your tank isn’t mature you’ll battle uglies pretty hard (even though it’s already a pretty hard battle when you start with dry rock).

 

[Bitter old man]

If the same corals were cheap, would you still like them?

You have issues.

 

[djf91]

Top Shelf runs mostly LEDs. Don't know much about ACI so I’ll take your word for it.

Yes you can get the same growth with full spectrum at higher PAR (higher PAR needed because only a small percentage is the key blue spectrum) and not have uglies, but if your tank isn’t mature you’ll battle uglies pretty hard (even though it’s already a pretty hard battle when you start with dry rock).

If all that’s needed to grow coral is blue light, then why do Top shelf and many of the experts run full spectrum during the bulk of the day for growth? Why don’t the farms just run high PAR, blue light only?

 

[Northern Flicker]

If all that’s needed to grow coral is blue light, then why do Top shelf and many of the experts run full spectrum during the bulk of the day for growth? Why don’t the farms just run high PAR, blue light only?

Many of them do run very blue systems. Watch the Reef Builders series on farm visits. Very blue outside of some of the acro grow out tanks.

LPS systems especially.