75g build.
- Thread starter CrazyEyes
- Start date
snake1
Premium Member
Im just wondering because i run leds and I have good growth on everything except acros they will not budge and i have UV,pink,atinic/purple,blue,white,green,and red.....i was just chiming in because i have seen a nice violet kit from rapid led that is cheap 12 leds +driver $79.00
mark.red
Member
Lighting is probably the single biggest factor in terms of coral colouration. It is not only the intensity of light that is important but also the colour or concentration of certain wavelengths of light.Light is composed of various different wavelengths and each wavelength corresponds to a particular colour. The human eye cannot detect all of these wavelengths and those that fall below the levels detectable by the human eye are known as ultraviolet light and those that are above the upper detectable levels are known as infrared light. The wavelengths that we can see range from 380 nm (nm stands for nano meters which is the unit of measurement for wavelength) to 780nm.It is important for marine aquarists to have an understanding of ultraviolet light as well as visible light. Ultraviolet light from 100 to 400 nm is divided into three different groups:UV-A:*This is light that falls in the wavelengths between 315 – 400nm, UV-A will pass through normal silicate glass.UV-B:*This is light that falls in the wavelengths between 280-315nm. It is UV-B that will cause sunburn. UV-B will not pass through normal silicate glass and is absorbed quickly in water, however in crystal clear waters of coral reefs both AV-A and UV-B can penetrate over 30m deep.UV-C:*This is light that falls in the wavelengths between 100 – 280nm. UV-C is very harmful to living tissue and is the type of light that is used in UV sterilizers. UV-C is rapidly absorbed by the earths atmosphere. It should be noted that UV-C*is given off by single-ended metal halide lamps but it is absorbed by the filters used on the bulbs and cover glass. Most metal halide lamps also produce some UV-A and UV-B radiation whereas fluorescent tubes usually do not.As we know that coral reefs are exposed to high levels of UV-A and UV-B particularly in shallow water it follows that the corals have come up with ways to protect themselves from being burnt. It has been known for a long time that corals can produce a sunscreen to protect themselves from UV radiation, the most important of these that have been found are known as S-320 or mycosporine-like amino acids. It was thought that it is these sunscreens that are produced in corals in shallow waters that give corals in these areas their bright colours, however it is known that these pigments are transparent to UV-A and rather are used to block UV-B radiation and these wavelengths are below those that are known to induce colouration. However there does seem to be some disagreement on this point as Dunlap and Chalker (1986) found three S-320 compounds in Acropora formosa which absorb light between 310 and 340nm and claim that these compounds are seen in corals as violet or fluorescent pigments.Metal halide lamps produce peaks of light in certain UV wavelengths, for example mercury used in metal halide bulbs produces a peak at 365nm, while thallium and scandium produce peaks at 378nm, 391nm and 393nm. It is known that these wavelengths induce colouration in in certain corals, so you might think to yourself that it is a good idea not to shield your metal halide lamps and expose your corals to as much UV light as you can to help your corals colour up. Unfortunately this is not the case, it has been shown that UV radiation in the wavelengths also known to induce colouration in corals can result in photoinhibition when exposed at the levels given off by metal halide bulbs. Photoinhibition is the process when photosynthesis in the coral ceases and the coral can end up being starved of nutrients from the zooxanthellae.Light of 400nm is the lower limit at which photosynthesis can occur, light at wavelengths lower than this is known to cause chloroplast damage. It is thought that the UV-A light that corals receive is channelled through photosynthetic pathways that re-emit the light at longer wavelengths which can then be used by the zooxanthellae for photosynthesis and as mentioned previously causes the corals to fluoresce. By using this system as well as sunscreen pigments and UV resistant strains of zooxanthellae the coral is able to live and photosynthesis under exposure to UV radiation. However, there are limits to what a coral can tolerate and as previously mentioned photoinhibition should be of concern to hobbyists. Photoinhibition can occur from overexposure across a range of wavelengths and not just from UV light.When zooxanthellae photosynthesise they produce hydrogen peroxide which is harmful to living tissues, to counteract this the coral itself produces an enzyme which neutralises the hydrogen peroxide. If the rate of photosynthesis by the zooxanthellae is too high, there is a sudden increase in the number of zooxanthellae or the coral is not able to produce enough of the neutralising enzymes to combat the hydrogen peroxide then the coral will react by expelling some or all of it’s zooxanthellae. The expulsion of some of the algal cells may seem like a benefit if we are trying to obtain bright colours in our corals but usually in this situation the coral is weakened, growth slows and the production of colour pigments fades as the coral becomes stressed. Conversely, if a coral has the light intensity that it is exposed to reduced then the coral will respond by producing more zooxanthellae to meet the demands of the hosts tissues. So if we take a coral from a high light intensity environment like a coral reef and then place it in an aquarium with much lower light intensities then the net rate of photosynthesis by the zooxanthellae will decrease. In response to the lower levels of nutrients that the coral is receiving from the zooxanthellae, the coral encourages more zooxanthellae to be produced by releasing more metabolic waste products resulting in more photosynthesis and the coral recovering it’s required nutrients from the zooxanthellae and causing the coral to turn brown.
CrazyEyes
New member
I was really over my old aquascape, the thing that really bothered me was both pieces were the same exact height so, I redid it. Would love to hear thoughts on it, and seriously don't hold back, bring the hate.
Please excuse the ugly light.
Just as a reference, the old scape.
And, the lonely tang.
Please excuse the ugly light.
Just as a reference, the old scape.
And, the lonely tang.
Last edited:
J Money
New member
think at the time I traded you some green birdsnest and something else that I cant remember, got those candy canes, duncans, and some acans that werent doing so well.
CrazyEyes
New member
So I've really been wanting to get my skimmer hooked up, I just can't fit it in my sump, and not wanting to spend the money on a new or redoing my plumbing, we came up with the idea of having another "sump" built, this will just get plumbed into my current sump via a few bulkheads. It measures 17"x 16" x 16" and should give me plenty of room for the skimmer and the return pump. Big thanks to Ryan from Critical Tanking.
rogergolf66
im an addict lol
Nice has he built anything else for u? I have heard mixed reviews about them.
