Corals Burning Due to Powerbrite LEDs?

[iamwrasseman]

OK so i used the par meter and they certainly do put out some intense light but you have to be inches away for anything that would be to high .here's what i got the led is a powerbrite strip that has four leds on a 10" stripe so i will be taking readings off a single bulb as they simply don't intersect until its so low its not worth mentioning .the light is 8" above the water where i have it now .
1"from the bulb is 800+
4"from the bulb is 400
6"from the bulb is 100

now underwater readings
4"under water 30
6"under water 10
below that there simply isn't any real energy at all
the par readings drop off quickly because of the refraction of the water . there are "hot spots" but they move so quickly with the rippling of the water its hard to get a measurement .one time for a brief second i got a par reading of 50 at the 6" level but it never happened again .
1'no measurable reading
2' same, nada
unless your coral is extremely close to the surface and the leds are also you simply wont get any intense light .
next with the bulb 1" above the water and i measured at 6"under the water i have 26 par

in conclusion ,it isn't the led lights burning your corals maybe they cant handle the 460 nm wave length or the amount of uv light they give off ,

 

[albano]

OK so i used the par meter ...
now underwater readings
4"under water 30
6"under water 10 ...
1'no measurable reading
2' same, nada

SO...with those LOW par readings in mind...do you still like the 'POP' that these LEDs provide? Are they 'hurting' coral growth? Are they worth the investment?

 

[iamwrasseman]

oh they make the tank look stunning at night ! i would have it no other way .yes they are worth the money and then some . have you seen any tanks with them lit at night ? the only way to explain it is its somewhat like a black light back in the 70s and 80s . i wish you were closer to here cause they are the bomb here on the east coast and anywhere that i hear of and i would imagine that your good lfs should have a tank lit by them as a selling point . no they are not hurting coral growth IMO but i have no studies or proof .every one here has them and their tanks are constantly being fragged to make room so they are at lest growing at a fairly good rate .

 

[iamwrasseman]

i see most of this tread is from upstate ny check out ABC reefs sps tank .they have led lunar lights over it and only six hours of MH the rest are the lunar lights and it looks fabulous ! go see it and make up your mind ,when your there you will see what I'm talking about .