L.E.D's

[evilc66]

Who cares how bright or dim it looks? We sometimes forget that the lighting systems that we put over our tanks are for the corals benefit, not ours. As long as the corals see the beneficial light they need in the appropriate quantities, we shouldn't worry about how bright it looks to us.

[Genj]

Orbitek owns the patent on using LEDs over an aquarium and they ARE apparently aggressive with this lawsuit, so nobody legit other than a few importers are making LED arrays.

 

Wait, what? Someone owns a patent on using lights to light something? Seriously, disband the patent office immediately FFS. I'd like to patent using a light in a bedroom, or on a street lamp, or to blind the nearest suit happy lawyer that does nothing all day but send out threatening letters to people....

[Hans Dorn]

Wait, what? Someone owns a patent on using lights to light something?

We already had a discussion along these lines. Apparently there's no limit to human stupidity.

[Genj]

Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former.

[redfishsc]

We already had a discussion along these lines. Apparently there's no limit to human stupidity.

 

 

That's the ever-lovin truth.

 

Check out the PILES of threads:

 

http://www.google.com/#hl=en&expIds=25...f60397482fda474

 

 

But these are very informative if you are a "nutshell" kind of guy---

 

http://reefbuilders.com/2009/02/05/details...nt-storm-rages/

http://reefbuilders.com/2010/06/04/orbitec...own-reexamined/

http://reefbuilders.com/2010/01/30/stop-or...g-broad-patent/

[Genj]

some people out there need to DIAF.

[Trick]

you could do 24 led's. 12 XP-G Cool White and 12 XR-E Royal blue.

[redfishsc]

Are you posting in the wrong thread?

[chipmunkofdoom2]

You poor misguided soul.

 

Do you even know what full spectrum means? Full spectrum means it contains all (or what we consider all) of the wavelengths in the visible color spectrum (ROYGBIV). 460 is a specific wavelength, yes, but 6500k is more or a description of the color that the item puts out (actually, it's what color a blackbody would emit if it was heated to 6500 degrees Kelvin, which I don't think any manufacturers do, but meh). 6500 IS full spectrum. It contains most of the colors in the visible wavelength, with more of some than others.

 

Check out this link to get an idea of what color temperature 6500k represents (guestimate with the chart), then check out the Drs. Foster and Smith's Pet Education site. They don't have a chart for 6500k, but you can see the difference between 20000k and 10000k. There's more of the reds than there are of the blues. Imagine moving down the scale even further to 6500k. You'll get even more reds with less blues, but there will still be some of EACH color there. That is enough for coral growth. The actinics (Royal blues, 460nms) are there to add color and additional PAR.

 

Case in point, 6500k LEDs are full spectrum. The diodes need to use some of every color in the spectrum to emit white light. If you have a problem with LEDs, fine.. you can't please them all. If you got a crappy LED fixture, that's unfortunate, but I can understand your frustration. Don't, however, go around spreading your misinformation and prejudice. LEDs have enough trouble taking hold from the cost alone, they don't need you adding misinformed bad press.

[cptbjorn]

6500 degrees Kelvin

 

wtf is a degree of kelvin?

[Genj]

The kelvin is often used in the measure of the color temperature of light sources. Color temperature is based upon the principle that a black body radiator emits light whose color depends on the temperature of the radiator. Black bodies with temperatures below about 4000 K appear reddish whereas those above about 7500 K appear bluish. Color temperature is important in the fields of image projection and photography where a color temperature of approximately 5600 K is required to match "daylight" film emulsions. In astronomy, the stellar classification of stars and their place on the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram are based, in part, upon their surface temperature, known as effective temperature. The photosphere of the Sun, for instance, has an effective temperature of 5778 K.

 

Or, I think it might be a game similar to 6 degrees of Kelvin Bacon? I'm not sure which...

[cptbjorn]

thank you for that quote as it proves my point quite nicely. notice how there are no degree signs in it?

[doctaq]

hes actually right, it is based on the kelvin scale..you know that scale where 0 is absolute zero?

the color temp deal is kinda whack because color temp in that sense is only based on human perception

[blasterman]

Plus, you can have two different lights with the same kelvin temp and that the spectral spikes will be at different places. not a big deal in the red range, but a real big deal if blue is 455nm in one light and 475nm in another.

 

Also explains why different brands of halides at the same rated color temp and power levels produce different results.

[redfishsc]

^^Very good point Blasterman. It also is a hint as to why some "similar" color temp bulbs put out more or less PAR than others..... although build quality also has a lot to do with PAR.