Success with LED and SPS

[Madreefer]

Originally Posted by molotov

I'm running 4 AI Sol blues over my 5' tank. I would say it's lacking some colour. I'm considering adding some supplemental red/green to see if I can get more pop. You may want to consider adding additional reds and greens. I haven't yet researched it yet but maybe stunner strips have something where you can add reds/greens?

I've supplemented my AI Sols with 2 Ecoxotic RGB modules. When the reds are turned on it does not pop the reds at all. I find the rdes pop more when the blue is turned up more. I'm waiting for the new controllors for the said supplemental lights and will be adding 2 more for more options to play with.

[Tangled Knot]

I've been running a Vertex Illumina for over a year now. Also added UV modules a few months ago with little change. Greens, purples fluores more with the UV's but I don't think they're anywhere near the UV in a MH. My SPS growth and polyp extension is great but the color is just not as good as as MH, not bad but just not the same. Sorry people, MH has better color. Question is, Is it worth the heat, evap and bulbs? I'm sticking with LED for all these reasons. My theory is LED is lacking UV. You don’t get that sunburn feeling under LED like you do from MH. On another note keep your LED whites low. They can really screw things up.

Here is a picture of my tank, sorry for the crapy photo. Colors are better then this.


Here

[Madreefer]

I agree with you. You cant get the same results as you can with MH. Theres just that one thing that seems to be missing in everyones tank. Could be color from one coral to the next, browning, bleaching etc. On another note when I played around with my MHs or T5s it never really affected my corals. In Sept I decided to turn my Sols intensity down from 100% to 80% it was a bad move. Brown corals and slow growth. I have since turned them back up and corals are now starting to color up and grow again. I do like LEDs and will not be switching back but man have they been a pain in the a$$

[mrhasan]

Originally Posted by Madreefer

I've supplemented my AI Sols with 2 Ecoxotic RGB modules. When the reds are turned on it does not pop the reds at all. I find the rdes pop more when the blue is turned up more. I'm waiting for the new controllors for the said supplemental lights and will be adding 2 more for more options to play with.

You cannot make the same color pop with the same color supplement. The theory goes like this:

To pop something "black", you will need "white" background and vice-verse.

Let's look at the RGB spectrum:



Basic rule, you have to have the contrasting color to make coral color pop. If you look at the RGB intersections, the best pop for red will be when you put in cyan. SO you will have to mix the RGB strip accordingly to create cyan blend.

[Tangled Knot]

Sorry, my corals decide what color they're going to be. You can't color them the way you like and expect them to do well.

[mrhasan]

Originally Posted by Tangled Knot

Sorry, my corals decide what color they're going to be. You can't color them the way you like and expect them to do well.

Yah I know that. I was just referring to Madreefer's post regarding the red for red pop.

[jtbadco]

I have the Sunbrite F Series as well and I have been working to fine tune my LED's since I got them.
They are an ok light. One of my reds has burnt out already. In the future I will only do custom builds. I have seen quite a few done locally and the colors are absolutely amazing.

I am slowly increasing the intensity on my LED's. You need to start the UV off really low and move it up very slowly.

I have several types of monti cap, digi, and pink birdsnest that are all doing very well. I am trying some milliporra and acropora too.

[daplatapus]

I think some of the problem when talking UV is there really is no standard. What's being used in LED's when they say UV isn't really UV, it's true violet or some form thereof. I've read of TV LED's ranging from 395nm to 410, 410-420, 420-whatever. But because these LED's are putting out only those wavelengths you have to have a mix of them all to really call it a FULL spectrum build. That's pricey. It's why you're not seeing it being done in commercially available products. Heck, I still haven't seen DIY builds doing all the spectrum, there's still arguments about which ones are even being used.
But with MH, just turn it on and you at least have some amounts of everything.
Even if a specific coral uses only .5% of a certain spectrum in the wild, that .5% is still going to affect it's coloration and growth to some extent if it's not provided. It may still be able to live and grow, but not as well. Until someone comes up with an LED or fixture that incorporates everything that a coral needs for a certain look an individual wants, you won't get the "pop", florescence etc. you're looking for. And it's going to take someone with the time, money and perseverance to try and try and try again to figure it out. That's how anything progresses.

[mike31154]

Originally Posted by mrhasan

UV (390nm) on the other hand, is actually bad, possibly because the wavelength gets shorter in water from the source.

Would you be so kind as to give a quick summary as to why this is so, 390nm falling in the UVA spectrum? I don't wish to watch a 20 minute video about full spectrum just to find out about the bad UV. A quick search on the UV spectrum seems to indicate that anything above 400nm isn't really UV, but simply a violet. So what's so harmful to coral @ 390nm? Thanx!

[mrhasan]

Originally Posted by mike31154

Would you be so kind as to give a quick summary as to why this is so, 390nm falling in the UVA spectrum? I don't wish to watch a 20 minute video about full spectrum just to find out about the bad UV. A quick search on the UV spectrum seems to indicate that anything above 400nm isn't really UV, but simply a violet. So what's so harmful to coral @ 390nm? Thanx!

Sure I will try my best to explain it

So here's the photosynthesis wavelength figure:



The main purpose of full spectrum is to hit the spikes in the graph. So as you can see, the two spikes occurs at 410nm and 428nm.

Now from sun, 390nm hits the water but since ocean have much more depth and much more volume of water, 390nm doesn't actually get in water since the wavelength increases when UV gets into water. Possibly the corals get something 410nm to 428nm (will have to do calculations but I don't know the formulas; forgot optics a long time ago :P) On the other hand, our tank is not that deep, its more clear and so on. Hence using actual UV a.k.a 390nm would actually give more or less that wavelength to the corals and according to claims (I am not sure though), they can be damaging to the coral. Hence, for example, LGB suggests using 405nm which, I am guessing, will get inside out tank at that wavelengths. Anything above 400nm will look purple but will also be very dim since our eyes cannot catch those wavelengths properly.

That's my understanding. I am not saying is 100% right since its more like learning from others and compiling my own logic to support them.