Full Spectrum Lights

[hoodle]

What's the difference between a full-spectrum light like this:

https://www.amazon.com/Morsen-Spectrum-Flexible-Gooseneck-Greenhouse/dp/B06XZ29G31/ref=sr_1_15?s=lawn-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1537639879&sr=1-15&keywords=full+spectrum+led+grow+light&refinements=p_36%3A-4000

 

and a full-spectrum light for reefs?

[hoodle]

Other than size

[paneubert]

Well, people dont use full spectrum for reef tanks. Have you looked at the color of that bulb and how red/pink it is?

[markalot]

In the water red light is cut out pretty quickly.  Reef tanks are heavy in blue light with generally enough white light to please the eye without harming the corals.  

[hoodle]

I've been using a regular LED (not meant for aquariums) but I want to try coral. Will the LED work, or do I need the specialized reef lights?

[Clown79]

That light is for plants so the spectrum helps with plant growth as well as macro algae and other algaes.

 

This light is not for corals.

 

You want a light that has blues in it.

 

There are many lights available for corals but it depends on the size of your tank, what corals you want to keep, and budget.

 

Here's a list of lights in various budgets

 

Abi par 38 

Aquamaxx nemolight

Hipargero

Micmol Aqua g3

Ai Prime

Nanobox

Kessil

Radion

[hoodle]

Thanks.

[A Little Blue]

About light and spectrum

[mcarroll]

@hoodle Plant lights like the one linked are made with a blend of blue and red LED's.  Reef lights are made with a blend of blue and white LED's.

 

If you're making a reef light, use up to two or three blue LED's for every one white LED.  That's all you need. Everything else is extra.  🙂

[hoodle]

Thanks

 

[Clown79]

Check out Evils sticky thread in the lighting section. It explains all the led colours and its importance.

 

 

 

[paneubert]

3 hours ago, daniel ball said:

What are full-spectrum light sources? Anyone know?
 

Anything that puts out light across the spectrum.  The sun is a good example 😉

 

 

If you just are talking visible spectrum, look for a light that has bulbs/LEDs covering the  390 to 700 nm range.

[zohar78]

My understanding:  The good lights will be full spectrum, Though corals like some colors/spectrum better to way better than others.  it is still better to put all the spectrum to cover all possible requirements in the tank.  There is quite a few others, with a lot of people not knowing this one:  If the color is not in the light, you wont get to see the color. So it has to have a little of all color to see the full color.      I was lucky to do hubble lighting continuing education course for work, and they showed this and proved, by setting up a light that only showed blue or green. They then held up a red sign, and it looked black or blue. then turned the main light on, it was a vibrant red color.     if the color is not present , there is nothing in that wavelength to reflect back for us to see.

    also bulk reef has a neat video put out yesterday of setting up the ai hydra for the ecotech ab+ color profile.  Not all full spectrum lights produce the full spectrum ot the same degree.   

[zohar78]

35 minutes ago, paneubert said:

Anything that puts out light across the spectrum.  The sun is a good example 😉

 

 

If you just are talking visible spectrum, look for a light that has bulbs/LEDs covering the  390 to 700 nm range.

this is also why we still have "color issues" and CRI (color rendering index) with man made lights compared to the sun.  the sun has the fullest full spectrum light output.   

[Clown79]

Corals grow well under anything between 10k-20k. You can have a light with just blue and white, 50/50 and they will grow. Or you can do all blues and they will grow.

 

I've had successful coral growth under cheap lights with minimal options to brand name lights that are fully programmed.

 

there is more to success than lighting. Lighting is important- bells and whistles aren't. 

[suhaib10]

Corals will grow even under basic white lights since it produces the entire spectrum, but you won't be able to see them fluorescence scine those pigments only get excited with certain wavelengths (mainly in/near RB spectrum). There's a bit of that wavelength in white light but since the energy received from those would be quite little to see any fluorescence in the brightness of the white light.

[paneubert]

4 minutes ago, suhaib10 said:

you won't be able to see them fluorescence since those pigments only get excited with certain wavelengths (mainly in/near RB spectrum).

Buying a cheap UV flashlight from Amazon was one of the most fun decisions I ever made.  It is fun to "blind" people by shining it on my corals after the light are out.  So much fluorescence!   Also, the tank inhabitants can definitely see/feel the UV light.  My anemones will almost immediately start to retract and move when I shine the UV light on them.  Also interesting to see which corals DON'T really shine.  I have a few that look no brighter when blasted with UV versus when not.  

[zohar78]

On ‎9‎/‎22‎/‎2018 at 2:17 PM, hoodle said:

What's the difference between a full-spectrum light like this:

https://www.amazon.com/Morsen-Spectrum-Flexible-Gooseneck-Greenhouse/dp/B06XZ29G31/ref=sr_1_15?s=lawn-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1537639879&sr=1-15&keywords=full+spectrum+led+grow+light&refinements=p_36%3A-4000

 

and a full-spectrum light for reefs?

to simply say it: The difference is where they emphasize on the full spectrum.  

If you to read on the amazon link where it breaks down the leds, red(42pcs), blue(18pcs), White(6), IR(6pcs) and UV(6pcs).  it emhphsizes towards the red spectrum which is known to grow plants or in an aquarium algae/plants.

 if you look at a Ecotech Radion XR15g4 pro led breakdown, 4x Cool White, 4x Deep Blue, 4x Blue, 2x Green, 2x Photo Red, 4x UV, 2x Violet, 1x Warm White.  This light emphasizes the blue/uv  side of the spectrum.    which corals like.        Many people will either turn the red and green leds off or extremely low to help combat and keep algae growth down.          

 

[mcarroll]

6 hours ago, daniel ball said:

What are full-spectrum light sources? Anyone know?
 

Full spectrum is a made-up marketing term that has been borrowed from another industry.

 

Here's an article I wrote on it:

“Full Spectrum” – The Internet Reefer’s Decoder Ring