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Ratios


BradVincent

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What are the currently accepted ratios?

 

Searching the forum, I find 2 NW and 4 RB to 1 CB. I also see 4x1 NWxWW advocated.

 

So does this mean 1WW, 4NW, 8RB to 2CB? Or will that be too yellow?

 

A I understand, the CB to RB ratio is important to keep the tank from being purple, and the NW to CB ratio determines how yellow or blue the tank is.

 

I hope these recommendations are in watts. 1 700mW CB does not have the same ratio by number of LEDs to a 700mW RB as a 40W RB.

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Its definitely personal preference.

 

For me, I prefer equal parts warm white and nw as the ww adds a definite richness. I would do 1 violet, 8RB, 1cyan, 1cb, 2ww, 2NW

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Its definitely personal preference.

 

For me, I prefer equal parts warm white and nw as the ww adds a definite richness. I would do 1 violet, 8RB, 1cyan, 1cb, 2ww, 2NW

 

What color range does this mix give you 12k?

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Now that I've have Lime LED's on a separate channel I feel confident saying anything you chose needs some lime to help improve the white balance without blasting the corals with too much white.

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jedimasterben

Now that I've have Lime LED's on a separate channel I feel confident saying anything you chose needs some lime to help improve the white balance without blasting the corals with too much white.

What is too much white?
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jedimasterben

LED white is completely crappy looking so I'll go with 1% :D

What is completely crappy looking about it, though? That's what I'm asking ;)

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What is completely crappy looking about it, though? That's what I'm asking ;)

 

Color rendering is horrible, very similar to the ABS bulb except worse. It's subjective but it makes me want to quit the hobby when I see what the tank looks like with too much white. That green spike, either with bulbs or LED's, can make for a neutral looking tank that is in fact mostly blue. I think this is the secret to good looking corals and it's more natural since corals are getting mostly green down to blue light and hardly any orange or red.

 

So you blast them with blues and cyan, add a little bit of white to get just enough of the top end of the spectrum, then use Lime to adjust the white balance so your eyes are fooled into thinking the tank has much more white light than it really does.

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I don't see the point of lime. It's white without the blue. You can do it all with violet, blue, WW and cyan.

It adds brightness without altering the the color you're going for like a white led will.
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I don't see the point of lime. It's white without the blue. You can do it all with violet, blue, WW and cyan.

 

It is something totally different. The hardest part is just describing what it does without seeing in person. That and Mint take the cake for mixing color for me. On my personal tank I have been running so more than 5% whites ( MAX ) and subbing in Mint which does have the blue spike.

 

Regardless there are a ton of good options.

 

-Dave

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It is something totally different. The hardest part is just describing what it does without seeing in person. That and Mint take the cake for mixing color for me. On my personal tank I have been running so more than 5% whites ( MAX ) and subbing in Mint which does have the blue spike.

 

Regardless there are a ton of good options.

 

-Dave

 

On using Mint, what's a good mix?

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+1 to the Mint.

 

I'm trying some ratios around 1 WW / 1 Mint / 4 RB / 1 B / 1 Violet. I haven't yet pulled the WW and gone "white-less".

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+1 to the Mint.

 

I'm trying some ratios around 1 WW / 1 Mint / 4 RB / 1 B / 1 Violet. I haven't yet pulled the WW and gone "white-less".

How many channels or groupings are you running your mix.

Trying to get my head around the Mint, With the mint being in the more blue spectrum and the WW being the more red / orange spectrum.

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I know that what apeals is subjective but we agree that lime is white without the blue right?

 

Not really at all. Its a roughly monochromatic spike around 565ish nm. White without the blue would have green, yellow, orange, and red in it.

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Not really at all. Its a roughly monochromatic spike around 565ish nm. White without the blue would have green, yellow, orange, and red in it.

 

 

Lime isn't a monochromatic - its a phosphor based LED with a near-violet pump. Page 6: http://www.lumileds.com/uploads/571/DS144-pdf. PC Amber is actually the white phosphor from the warm-white LEDs with zero leakage.

How many channels or groupings are you running your mix.

Trying to get my head around the Mint, With the mint being in the more blue spectrum and the WW being the more red / orange spectrum.

 

Two channels, usually (KISS).

 

WW, Mint, Blue, RB on one channel, RB, RB, RB, Violet on the other.

 

I'm tempted to drop the WW and replace it with the 90 CRI "C"W. It has a pretty unique spectrum.

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Lime isn't a monochromatic - its a phosphor based LED with a near-violet pump. Page 6: http://www.lumileds.com/uploads/571/DS144-pdf. PC Amber is actually the white phosphor from the warm-white LEDs with zero leakage.

Huh. My bad. Figured that since it gave such tight dominant wavelength numbers that it was fairly monochrome. Guess this is what I get for not double checking the datasheet :unsure:

 

 

While we're on the topic of ratios, is there any value to the 390-400nm violets on rapidLED? I know more true UV LEDs have been prohibitively expensive in the past so one has really played with them much, but for $5 a chip and only just dipping into UV-A I think it might be worth a look.

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Huh. My bad. Figured that since it gave such tight dominant wavelength numbers that it was fairly monochrome. Guess this is what I get for not double checking the datasheet :unsure:

 

 

I admit its a bit weird to quote the peak wavelength on product descriptions :)

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Lime isn't a monochromatic - its a phosphor based LED with a near-violet pump. Page 6: http://www.lumileds.com/uploads/571/DS144-pdf. PC Amber is actually the white phosphor from the warm-white LEDs with zero leakage.

 

Two channels, usually (KISS).

 

WW, Mint, Blue, RB on one channel, RB, RB, RB, Violet on the other.

 

I'm tempted to drop the WW and replace it with the 90 CRI "C"W. It has a pretty unique spectrum.

Adding the lime/mint to its own channel is HUGE. If you get the chance on one of your large array boards try it on its own without white.

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jedimasterben

While we're on the topic of ratios, is there any value to the 390-400nm violets on rapidLED? I know more true UV LEDs have been prohibitively expensive in the past so one has really played with them much, but for $5 a chip and only just dipping into UV-A I think it might be worth a look.

With basically every commercial LED fixture to this point not including and seeing coral colors not shift from when grown under metal halides or T5HO, it seems to solidify that that spectrum is simply unnecessary. It actually is worse for us, visually, as it fluoresces small particulates in the tank that are otherwise invisible, and it is extremely distracting.

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