Scientific study on LED and Plasma Lighting for coral growth!

[Leonard]

Feature Article: Coral growth under Light Emitting Diode and Light Emitting Plasma: a cross-family comparison

With the advent of new technology, aquarists are able to customize light spectra with great flexibility. However, our knowledge of how light spectrum affects aquarium life, including corals, is still limited. Here, we show the effects of two light spectra, emitted by Light Emitting Diode (LED) and Light Emitting Plasma (LEP), on the growth of ten commercially important scleractinian corals. It appears that the effect of spectrum is highly species dependent, and that most efficient coral growth is invariably attained at low irradiance. The results from this study can be used to optimize sustainable coral aquaculture.

http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2013/2/aafeature

 

[sirreal63]

Excellent article Leonard, thanks for sharing it and hosting it. I suspect we will see more plasma offerings in the future.

 

[lastduke]

Nice experiment , will LEP be the next generation of our reefing light?

 

[PrangeWay]

Great article and read.

Study screams "full spectrum" if you want to cover the range different species require.

 

[jbraslins]

Awesome . Thank you.

 

[Bigdelfin]

I have not seen any example of successful maintenance of corals under the Plasma light as the sole ?!

 

[JPMagyar]

I have ordered Pac Sun fixtures that use LED's in combination with T5s because I believe the future of captive reef lighting will be LEDs, but as of right now I continue to see evidence that LEDs alone suffer some significant limitations . . .

Pocillopora damicornis

Growth of P. damicornis was highly variable, and varied from -0.004 to 0.005 day-1 (or -0.4 to 0.5% day-1). The survival rate was 50%; all corals under LED died after several months.

The Pocillipora's lived under the LEP lighting but died under the LEDs.

I'd be curious to see tanks with LED lighting that are growing Pocillipora. I find it hard to believe that Pocillipora can not live under any LED lighting. Understanding what caused the LED lighting in this experiment to kill the Pocillipora would be valuable information. I see that the authors tried to come up with an explanation other than the lighting but personally I find their speculations dubious at best.

Great article. Thanks for sharing!

 

[eyesinthedrk]

I have ordered Pac Sun fixtures that use LED's in combination with T5s because I believe the future of captive reef lighting will be LEDs, but as of right now I continue to see evidence that LEDs alone suffer some significant limitations . . .



The Pocillipora's lived under the LEP lighting but died under the LEDs.

I'd be curious to see tanks with LED lighting that are growing Pocillipora. I find it hard to believe that Pocillipora can not live under any LED lighting. Understanding what caused the LED lighting in this experiment to kill the Pocillipora would be valuable information. I see that the authors tried to come up with an explanation other than the lighting but personally I find their speculations dubious at best.

Great article. Thanks for sharing!

you are absolutly right. i have a colony of green pocillipora, yellow-ish flesh with green polyps. they have been under LED since being added to my tank over a year ago, not only is it growing like a weed, its spreading like one too. there are roughly 20 little sprouts growing all over my rocks and glass.

 

[mussel and hate]

The study would have been more useful if the spectral plots of the different light sources were remotely similar. Rather than a comparison of lighting technologies we have a comparison of divergent spectrum.

 

[anbosu]

I have ordered Pac Sun fixtures that use LED's in combination with T5s because I believe the future of captive reef lighting will be LEDs, but as of right now I continue to see evidence that LEDs alone suffer some significant limitations . . .



The Pocillipora's lived under the LEP lighting but died under the LEDs.

I'd be curious to see tanks with LED lighting that are growing Pocillipora. I find it hard to believe that Pocillipora can not live under any LED lighting. Understanding what caused the LED lighting in this experiment to kill the Pocillipora would be valuable information. I see that the authors tried to come up with an explanation other than the lighting but personally I find their speculations dubious at best.

Great article. Thanks for sharing!

I thought it was a clear problem with the study that the systems didn't share water.