With PAR being equal will white light grow coral faster than blue light?

[Reefvet]

ReefVet:
I will look into the Aquablue Special, I could swap the purple for my other Coral plus today. Would that help?

The Coral + is a higher output bulb over a broader spectrum. So yes, it will increase growth. It will also give you a chance to see what the purple + influenced in your color perception of the corals.

FWIW, ATI suggests at least one purple + is every bulb combination.

I ordered some 10K and Atinic blue LED's to put right in the middle of my T5's, I figure this will give me more light, and a wider spectrum at the same time. I will start with 12 3W LED's in 4 groups over the tank (1 blue flanked by 2 whites) then redo my PAR numbers and go from there.

Start slow with those 10Ks or you'll have some bleached corals in a hurry.

 

[Reefvet]

White light for growth, blue light for color.....

Show me the research please.

It's just not that simple.

 

[Wiskey]

Nice grow!:thumbsup:

This made me stop in my tracks. Do you think that is good growth? I thought it was on the slow side for a coral that's as fast growing as the green slimer.

Any other opinions about weather or not this growth rate is good? Maybe I don't need to do anything.

Whiskey

 

[Wiskey]

The Coral + is a higher output bulb over a broader spectrum. So yes, it will increase growth. It will also give you a chance to see what the purple + influenced in your color perception of the corals.

FWIW, ATI suggests at least one purple + is every bulb combination.



Start slow with those 10Ks or you'll have some bleached corals in a hurry.

Very good to know! Do you happen to have a link to a updated bulb par output sheet? I have one from years ago but many of the new bulbs are not on it.

I plan to start slow with the LED's, I also need to make sure that the light is not too spotty. I got wide lenses and when I test with a PAR meter I may remove them entirely. I've never used LED but I've heard that some people love them and some people hate them.

Whiskey

 

[outssider]

This made me stop in my tracks. Do you think that is good growth? I thought it was on the slow side for a coral that's as fast growing as the green slimer.

Any other opinions about weather or not this growth rate is good? Maybe I don't need to do anything.

Whiskey

for 6 weeks...I think the growth is good...especially since growth in the beginning is slow and usually takes off much better after the frag gets going a bit.
I've got some colonies grown from frags that are so big they would be impossible to remove from the tank without destroying them

...so....

be careful what you wish for :spin3:


corals seem to grow exponentially....

 

[Nano sapiens]

I plan to start slow with the LED's, I also need to make sure that the light is not too spotty. I got wide lenses and when I test with a PAR meter I may remove them entirely. I've never used LED but I've heard that some people love them and some people hate them.
Whiskey

When switching from a different light source to LEDs, be very careful of the intensity. It's not as simple as saying "My MH (or T5s) puts out 300 PAR midway in the tank, so I'll just dial up the LEDs to match". Since LEDs tend to be heavier in the blue spectra, PUR is typically higher at the same PAR readings, which can easily bleach corals. LEDs tend to look dimmer to our eyes (but with more flourescent 'pop'), which has fooled a lot of people into cranking the LEDs up too high to achieve the same perceived brightness that they had with their previous light source(s).

I remember reading an older thread here where, for example, an ORA Red Planet Acro was doing well at ~280 PAR, but only required something like 165 PAR to achieve the same result under the OP's particular LEDs.

 

[Wiskey]

When switching from a different light source to LEDs, be very careful of the intensity. It's not as simple as saying "My MH (or T5s) puts out 300 PAR midway in the tank, so I'll just dial up the LEDs to match". Since LEDs tend to be heavier in the blue spectra, PUR is typically higher at the same PAR readings, which can easily bleach corals. LEDs tend to look dimmer to our eyes (but with more flourescent 'pop'), which has fooled a lot of people into cranking the LEDs up too high to achieve the same perceived brightness that they had with their previous light source(s).

I remember reading an older thread here where, for example, an ORA Red Planet Acro was doing well at ~280 PAR, but only required something like 165 PAR to achieve the same result under the OP's particular LEDs.

Very good points.

I don't plan to switch to LED, I only plan to supplement my existing T5's with 36W of LED's. If I need more after that it would be easy to add on. I figure this will add about as much as 1 more T5 tube.

I bought a ballast (driver?) that is dimable with a reostat. I will start off with it low, maybe putting out 10 or so PAR from the LED and raise it by 10 every week or two.

I only have 4 T5's over a 75G. Most people seem to be running 6 or 8 for a tank this size.

Whiskey

 

[Wiskey]

for 6 weeks...I think the growth is good...especially since growth in the beginning is slow and usually takes off much better after the frag gets going a bit.
I've got some colonies grown from frags that are so big they would be impossible to remove from the tank without destroying them

...so....

be careful what you wish for :spin3:


corals seem to grow exponentially....

Boy do I ever know about the exponential growth!

Maybe I'm being impaciant! I have a habit of that I just remember better growth in my last tank. But then that was 8 years ago.

Thanks for chiming in!

Whiskey