led color choice.

[evolutionZ]

Hey fellas, if you guys were to choose your own LED colors for your fixture, would you use :

1) Warm White mix with Cool white + RB/B/V/TV/HV (but no fancy color like red/orange/green etc etc)

2) Cool White (10 - 12k) + red/Green/Orange etc etc

3) Neutral White + RB/B/V/TV/HV ( Again, no fancy colors)

4) Warm White Mix with Cool White + (red/Green) and all the other blues and violets.

 

[nanoreefer1000]

I'd do NW:RB for base color, OCW (DR , CB, cyan) and HV

 

[Ron Reefman]

Personally I think any mix of blues is good. I think the science is out on whether the 400nm-440nm is more or less important than the 440nm-480nm, so I'd do a mix. I'd probably do the same with the whites. To my mind the ratio between blue and white is much more influential to coral health than which specific spectrum you pick. I did a 2.5:1 blue to white and if I had it to do over again, I'd go at least 3:1 next time.

Red and green aren't really needed unless you do a really heavy blue ratio like 4:1 or more. With a very reduced white number of leds in a ratio like this, you may not get enough red spectrum from your white leds. If you just add in reds you get too much purple (mix of red and blue), so add greens next to the reds and the combo of red, green and blue will make white light for your eyes and add red for the coral. The coral & zooxanthellae don't care much for the green, but your eyes will appreciate the tank not being purple (unless you like a purple tank).

 

[jdezek]

My set up has 2 blues to 1 white. Blues are evenly split as RB and Blue. Whites are even split of cool whites and premium cool white. Colors I have red, UV, turquoise, and green. My corals have awesome colors to me.

 

[evolutionZ]

Thanks for all your replies.. what do you guys think of this mix? its 24*3w per cluster. total of 3 clusters for my 48x24x14 tank.

 

[asid61]

I would scrap a blue for a violet. Don't need to though; what you have now will look nicer.
Make sure to cluster them to reduce disco effect.

 

[evolutionZ]

was wondering if i should add cyan led?

 

[Ron Reefman]

I think what you have shown will look pretty darn nice.

The question I have is, why do you want to add a cyan? That are you trying to improve by adding it?

 

[evolutionZ]

yes, im trying to see if adding any other sort of leds color will improve the cluster. Im also thinking of changing the 3 cool white to 2 neutral white and 1 cool white.

 

[nanoreefer1000]

Thanks for all your replies.. what do you guys think of this mix? its 24*3w per cluster. total of 3 clusters for my 48x24x14 tank.

1. UV doesn't go over our tanks, HV and TV do. I prefer HV because it hits the one of the main photosynthetic peaks, so they are PAR/PUR monsters
2. I would do a 2:1 ratio of RB:NW instead of CW:WW mix, maybe keep one or two WW's instead of DR....
3. I would replace 1-2 leds with cyan
Here would be my layout....
2 OCW's (WW or DR, CB, cyan)
3 Hyper Violet from ledgroupbuy
For base colors 5 NW and 10 RB
I would do it like this
_________________________
| |
| nw rb nw |
| rb rb rb |
| ocw nw rb nw ocw |
| |
| rb rb rb |
| rb nw rb |
|_______________________|

 

[Touring]

This for a SPS tank?