Using UV-A to promote pigmentation: advice on the subject

[BrainVat]

Originally Posted by Quinster

don't attinic 03 bulbs create the same type of spectrum?

Actinic bulbs do generate UV, but less of it. I've also read reports that the tube itself contains a UV screen, but I don't have a reliable source for that.

Originally Posted by StirCrazy

Several people use "black lights" to enhance the color of there coral. what would be really good for your experiment is to take a picture of two identical coral side by side. then make it so one is exposed to UV and the other isn't but the water and other lighting is identical. then every month or two take them out of the water and take a pic side by side to see if the color has really changed in the corals.
Steve

I'd like to do a controlled experiment, but don't have the equipment for it. My observations here are purely FYI and shouldn't be taken as any kind of treatise on pigmentation. That said, the color changes in many of the corals are so noticeable that I discount personal bias. After several days of this "treatment", the corals retain part of their irridescence when under daylight and even a little when under 40w NO fluorescent light.

I've encountered other people's "experiments" on the web, but feel that since they lack controls and the aspect of double-blindedness, they should be interpreted as anecdotes like mine and not as actual science.