AI Prime question

[Nanofrau]

I've checked out the thread with people's settings, but I don't see anyone who is using the light overnight for moonlight. Does anyone do this with their Prime? After doing a bit of research online about the percentage of UV light reflected off of the moon (somewhere between 15-18%) I have set mine at 5% blue and 2% UV (didn't want to make it too strong). I only have one small mushroom and a couple of polyps of green trumpet coral so far, along with a few snails, a crab, and a masked goby.

[MOJOEJOEJOE]

I run my dark blues at 1% on my fusion 20 from 8:30 till 7 am. Im not running uv at night.

[Dreichler]

honestly no need for a moonlight at all, not one bit, if anything, it causes corals to not close up for the night.

[Nanofrau]

It would be more natural for there to be some sort lighting at night though, so why don't people use it? I guess I'm coming at this topic from time doing astronomy as a hobby. It's never 100% dark at night, and of course, your house isn't either......but it's likely to be darker than it is outside naturally. Once your eyes get acclimated, it can seem almost bright outside even when away from city lights. The moon is incredibly bright and cannot be comfortably viewed through a scope without filters and is generally not viewed when full because it is so hard on the eyes.

 

Now applying this logic to our hobby, reefs are in relatively shallow waters and would easily have light reflected from the moon. That's the whole point of the lunar cycle on the unit after all. I'm not sure what percentage, or which colors to use. This article (while about the sport of fishing) still details why uv is so important to the natural habitat of fish.

 

http://www.halibut.net/What-Fish-See.htm

[Elizabeth94]

I have always ran my tanks completely dark at night. I dont think worryong about how natural i would be wpuld realy make a difference. Afterall, we are keeping fish in a glass box

 

I have never noticed poor health from any inhabitants by keeping all lights off for the night.

[Sancho]

But wouldn't it be more natural for there to be some sort lighting at night?

Nope the lunar settings are for our enjoyment. When diving for lobster on a full moon any visible light is gone once your a few feet under water. I have mine set so its lights off at midnight.

[Nanofrau]

But what is visible to the human eye doesn't necessarily equal what is visible to theirs. Natural matters to me because I have a light advanced enough to do it, so why not make them and the corals as comfortable as possible? Lighting is one of the most important parts of a reef setup. We try to feed as natural as possible (i.e. Proper food types and size). Why wouldn't we do the same for lighting?

[Sancho]

But what is visible to the human eye doesn't necessarily equal what is visible to theirs. Natural matters to me because I have a light advanced enough to do it, so why not make them and the corals as comfortable as possible? Lighting is one of the most important parts of a reef setup. We try to feed as natural as possible (i.e. Proper food types and size). Why wouldn't we do the same for lighting?

True. Although i think a lot of coral behavior (spawning) is probably linked to the gravitational pull and tides. I have seen 0 benefit to running a lunar cycle with LEDs infact I have actually noticed less growth running LED over T5's and halides. What we are doing is far from natural. We could never feed even close to what is floating around in the reef environment. Yes on paper the light spectrum and par readings may be similar to what is in the natural environment. But it is very different. If you have ever dived on a reef most of these corals we prize for the amazing color are pretty brown or green and really dont have the pop we get from immersing them with deep blue leds. Infact in my diving experience the NPS corals are the ones with the most vibrant colors. There are tanks out there that are lit with natural sunlight using Solatubes but most are supplemented with led's. I like your way of thinking but it really doesn't apply to keeping a successful reef tank. If you like the idea of running a lunar mode by all means go for it. What most dont realize when setting up the lunar mode is that it needs to fluctuate. so setting your lunar mode to 1% does nothing. I spoke with AI on this and the recommend a min of 5%. that way when you have a full moon the light is going to be at 5% and as it fades the light go down to zero when no moon is present. Sorry to ramble on just some of my drunken thoughts.

[Nanofrau]

I have been doing some reading and did change my numbers to 5% because of the lunar cycle ramping. There are some very interesting articles on advanced aquarist that delve into the importance of natural lighting on phytoplanktons and therefore the benefits your corals and some fish will see.

 

This article is addresses why corals of the same species appear to have different colors. It's not the unnatural lighting but the chromoproteins genetically determined in the coral. Of course, corals can also lose color and regain it back when lighting, water conditions, etc are optimal.

 

http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2012/10/aafeature

 

 

I understand that we are not feeding like fish would receive in nature, but further research will only improve our products in the future and it's only when we strive to provide the most natural habitat for an animal that we can make these advances. What we provide for our cats and dogs is significantly better than we did 50 years ago and closer to their natural diet (speaking about nutrients rather than form of food....although some are feeding a raw diet, which could be argued is as similar to natural diet as we can reasonably get). I see no reason not to attempt to provide a the best we can for our fish within the budget we have to do so. And certainly with a light like the AI Prime, why wouldn't we want to use it to its optimal advantage for our tank? It was obviously designed to utilize all day long. It is unfortunate though that the company hasn't provided standard settings, or at the least, the information to configure the light for just those reasons. Obviously, this level of detail and control is not necessary to run a successful reef, but a dog can thrive on puppy chow penned up outside with a dog house. That doesn't mean it won't be more beneficial for its health and well being to live inside with the rest of its "pack" and be fed a diet that more closely resembles the nutrient profile it would have in nature.