Are blue/actinic lights necessary?

[brett559]

My tank is at my office. I run my lights from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm. At 5:00 pm, the lights shut off completely, no blues at all. I figure no one is here to see them. Is that okay? Do the blues help coral growth? Would it help the fish?

 

[cloak]

Whether your using the blues to supplement a MH bulb or to create a moon light effect, neither one are really necessary. A period of darkness is actually good for the tank.

 

[nmotz]

http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2002-08/dw/index.php

^This article has some good observations on coral growth under different light temperatures (colors). There's a table that lists the various Kelvin temperatures and the paragraph underneath it is particularly helpful.

 

[nuxx]

Are you asking about running blues in the morning or evening, or running lights that have no blue spectrum?

If the first, then no need for early and late blue lighting.

For the second, absolutely need some blue spectrum for coral to grow.

 

[brett559]

Sorry, it was the first. Yes, there is definitely blue spectrum in my daily lighting. I was talking about running just the blues (moonlight) in the evening.

 

[d2mini]

Moonlight leds do nothing for a tank. Just for the owner's enjoyment.
Actinic spectrum in your daily lighting is beneficial for the coral.