LED Colors, And What They Are Used For

[peterj66]

Thanks, I'll stick with the Vero then. What is the recommended ratio between white lumens to RB mW?

[evilc66]

In rough numbers, 200lm of neutral white to 2000mW of royal blue, or 1:10.

[peterj66]

Great thanks!

[reefhound]

what would be the best lights for moonlight on a dedicated channel? i'm adding 2 ultramarine's for moonlight.. but i'm curious if the are any "requirements" to keep in mind?

 

also, thanks for the info.. I probably wouldn't have even contemplated a build, or would have majorly fk'd it up without this sticky!

[evilc66]

Moonlights can be whatever you want, as long as it's not too bright. Different wavelengths of light will fluoresce different color proteins. Royal blue (~455nm) tends to cover the widest range of fluorescence.

[KnH]

Any thoughts on using warm white to replace the deep red in the OCW 3 up mix

[jedimasterben]

Any thoughts on using warm white to replace the deep red in the OCW 3 up mix

 

It's much better than any dedicated red.

[KnH]

 

It's much better than any dedicated red.

Thanks

I was looking at Steve’s and He has some WW ‘s@ 40K, 35K and 27K

Which would be better?

[jedimasterben]

The 90CRI 2700k

[reefhound]

I Added 2 to my build, but am pulling 1 out as it is too much for what I have, which is currently 2 per 6 Neutrals

[Wirewiggler]

These guys have a pretty good write up on led lights, http://reefll.com/index.php?route=information/theory&theo_id=28. I have a pair of their Vega 100 pendants over my 80 gal tank, and an ATI Prime over my Nano.

 

Bill

[liam2317]

I am curious what the recommended best ratio is for the different "direct color" leds, assuming you are going for a great looking tank with no major side effects due to lighting. Would you skip some colors all together? Could you also include how many whites (of one or more color temperature) you would use in that ratio?

 

Thanks for the great info!

[evilc66]

It's a bit of a tough call, as those ratios can change based on personal preference on how blue or white you like the light to look. I know that can be adjusted with dimmable drivers, but it still plays into it depending on the tank setup.

 

As for colors, that can also vary depending on the setup. Smaller tanks (pico's and the like) generally have limited room to install LED arrays, so sometimes you need to cut back on a few colors to make it work. The critical ones are going to be royal blue, blue, and white. That gets you about 80% of the way to a good full spectrum light.

 

A good launch point for a full spectrum setup would be something like this:

 

1x neutral white (4000-5000K, 70 CRI or greater)

1x warm white (3000K, 80 CRI or greater)

4x royal blue (~455nm)

2x blue (~470nm)

2x violet (410-430nm)

1x cyan (~490nm)

1-2x lime

 

Again, this is a start point. Want a more blue setup? Add more blues so the ratio is higher compared to white. Want a more white setup? Add more whites and limes so that the ratio of blue to white is closer to 1:1. Got a heavy sps tank? Add more violets, as sps will see more of this wavelength in shallow waters.

[Caroline-Wilson]

^^...that about sums it up great!!

[Milky Way]

so based on that violet and deep blue are the beat for photosintes and coral grow????

[Nano sapiens]

On 6/8/2017 at 10:09 AM, Milky Way said:

so based on that violet and deep blue are the beat for photosintes and coral grow????

 

Yes, they provide the bulk of what is used by the coral's resident zooxanthellae ('algae'), which then provide the coral animal with the products of photosynthesis (sugars, lipids, and oxygen).

 

 

The 'Reddish' type wavelengths also stimulate photosynthesis, but since they are mostly filtered out after the first 10-15 meters or so of water depth, most of these warmer wavelengths just aren't available to most corals (except for those that are in shallow water).

[IanReefer]

I wouldn't pay too much attention to those photosynthetic absorption charts.  Mostly because red light gets absorbed in the first few feet of ocean water, so most corals can't even photosynthesize it.  The only purpose red has is for aesthetics, and it really doesn't add much to any system.  Nuisance algae photosynthesizes mostly red, so you can see where using red is going to lead.  So long as you have the 400-500 spectrum mostly covered, you should be good to go.  

 

I hate when people quote research without attaching the article (I can't find it!), but Richard Coen from the Reef Research Center in Florida considers any light spectrum under 450nm "toxic".  Not the type of toxic that will instantly kill whatever it touches, but rather impedes or retards coral growth/health in some fashion.  Yes it is true that many corals can tolerate low 400nm and even down to 365nm light, it is only that, toleration, and not thriving.    His research is all practical and based on experiments in a controlled setting.

 

I suppose I believe this even though I have about 75X 445nm Luxeon royal blues in my 210 gallon for the past 9 years.  I'm just wondering if I could get faster growth using 450nm or 460nm blues.

[Reeferdave1960]

Great write up!

I'm new to reef tanks and this information is vital in trying to figure out what I need to look for in a LED upgrade. I measure light for a living in a large multinational lighting company and am looking forward to measuring the LEDs that came with my hood Biocube 32 led and whatever I get for a replacement. Currently looking at Nanobox and Steve's led. 

I'm also interested in beam angle of the lighting both the stock and upgrade. 

Thanks for taking the time to share this knowledge

[KnH]

9 minutes ago, Reeferdave1960 said:

Great write up!

I'm new to reef tanks and this information is vital in trying to figure out what I need to look for in a LED upgrade. I measure light for a living in a large multinational lighting company and am looking forward to measuring the LEDs that came with my hood Biocube 32 led and whatever I get for a replacement. Currently looking at Nanobox and Steve's led. 

I'm also interested in beam angle of the lighting both the stock and upgrade. 

Thanks for taking the time to share this knowledge

I would hang out in the for sale section and pick up a used NanoBox

[Reeferdave1960]

43 minutes ago, KnH said:

I would hang out in the for sale section and pick up a used NanoBox

So ate people getting rid of their Nanobox for something else? 

I'm still trying to figure out what is the best upgrade if I want to keep my hood

[CageReefer]

I struggle with green, fluorescent green in torches, in particular. It seems to fade to a mint green over time. Any suggestions? Could i be using too much cool blue, and not enough royal? Or violet!? Please help!

[Paleoreef103]

1 hour ago, CageReefer said:

I struggle with green, fluorescent green in torches, in particular. It seems to fade to a mint green over time. Any suggestions? Could i be using too much cool blue, and not enough royal? Or violet!? Please help!

First off, welcome to nano-reef! 

As for answering your question you'll need to give a lot more information. It could be: too few nutrients, too much light, too little light, unstable alkalinity, and a half dozen other things. If you have a halfway decent light the spectrum shouldn't be the limiting factor to keeping a torch looking good.

[jullybaron]

Since 2014 and this is still relevant. Thanks for sharing this idea. I learnt a few things. Here https://dynamo-led-displays.ae/blog/ is another interesting blog on LED lights you can also learn from.