Actinic Lighting

[RonD]

Looking in a lot of stores that produce/grow corals, I see many using only Halide lighting. There is rarely if ever any actinic lighting to be seen. Is there really any benefit to running Actinics aside from our simple visual pleasure looking in.

 

[Village Idiot]

Actinics seem to be more for the humans rather than the corals and fish. It make their colors fluoresce and look pretty.

 

[Kaiser Tang]

Although actinics do add some light, they are mostly for just adding viewing pleasure. They bring out corals' colors. You don't need them by any means. Halides do all of the work.

 

[taketz]

Well, not necessarily halides, but the daylight spectrum bulbs do most of the work.

Although, I've always liked Actinics almost purely their affect on colors, I also can't help but think that going from darkness to 100% strength daylight should be offset by something, hence sunrise/sunset aspect of actinics.

 

[RonD]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9861164#post9861164 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by taketz
going from darkness to 100% strength daylight should be offset by something, hence sunrise/sunset aspect of actinics.

this is something I hadn't thought of before.. in a fish tank yes, but in an all coral evironment ?? worth while ?

 

[kfowler]

Some say the extra spectrum does help. I think it's still open for discussion. People run their frag tanks with no actinics and they seem to do fine.