Need blue leds?

[musicman980]

Do I really need royal blue leds? Or can I just use all 12000k or 10000k leds if thats the color I want? Are the blues just for looks?

 

[yeldarbj]

Yes and No. What are you wanting to achieve with your lights?

 

[musicman980]

Light for my corals and to nice look

 

[hllywd]

There isn't really any such thing as 10000K or 12000K LEDs per se. It's likely if you go with cool, or neutral white Crees alone you'll be unhappy with the results. My tank looks very washed out and dull with only the cool whites lit.
Tim

 

[yeldarbj]

Then the RB's will definitely help. I don't think corals are going to look that great under just 10-12K light. An equal mix of RB/W will still produce a very "white" look if that's what you are after. Even an exotic mix can produce a very white look and create better colors for you coral.

 

[musicman980]

The kits I'm looking at have 10000k bridgelux leds, but these are actually either cool white or neutral white? Will a tank look the same color wise under 12000k leds as it does under 12000k t5/t8?

AND will the cool white leds promote algae growth?

 

[yeldarbj]

The kits I'm looking at have 10000k bridgelux leds, but these are actually either cool white or neutral white? Will a tank look the same color wise under 12000k leds as it does under 12000k t5/t8?

AND will the cool white leds promote algae growth?

I think it's safe to assume that any light that will grow coral will also grow algae. I prefer the look of NW over CW, but with either you should plan on mixing some RB/B. My only experience with white LED's is with Cree.

 

[musicman980]

How can neutral and cool white offer the correct spectrum for growing anything but algae? It should have a kelvin lower than 6500k. And will the whites put out moe PUR than the blues?

 

[yeldarbj]

Just try your 10K or 12K LEDs and good luck if you are so worried about just growing algae with CW or NW. I've never tested the PAR on my setup and don't worry about it. I have 87 LEDs on my current setup and only 22 are "white" - mostly NW.

 

[musicman980]

Does anyone know how much par 1 nw or 1 cw or 1 royal blue led puts out and at what distance? Right now i have 6500k t8s with reflectors and want to know if switching out the t8s for a few cw or nw leds will make a difference in color and how many leds will give as much par as my t8s. Thank you for the responses so far