Do you think thunderstorm effects are good for corals?

[tdam]

some lights come with a thunderstorm effect on them.

what do u think? good for corals? any scientific proof? or just opinions?

 

[crewdawg1981]

Cant think of a single reason why a thunderstorm effect would be "good" for a coral. Cool for the owner... useless to the coral. But... thats just an opinion.

 

[tdam]

well, some things are just natural. like a dog knows how to do things that he's never been taught b/c it's his nature. maybe corals like the thunderstorms cuz it's just their nature.

 

[crewdawg1981]

Haha... I think thats a stretch.

I mean... its a cool feature, but I feel very confident that you'll have an issue finding anything that suggests its actually good for the coral, esp given the domestic nature of most corals in our tanks (aquacultured, fragged from another tank, etc.).

I reserve the right to be completely proven wrong by someone on here, but I would imagine that the greatest benefit or effect of a thunderstorm is the rain and disruption of the ocean waves... not the light.

 

[mapleredta]

I believe it's more for aesthetics.

 

[snowmansnow]

just something to sale...like dawn to dusk (although I can see how THAT would be less stressful on fish)

 

[blind1993]

everything in nature has a purpose, like the wildfires in national parks are there to renew the forests with new plants. The purpose of a thunderstorm to corals is not know(if it is, i dont know it) so it would really just boil down to if you are willing to pay the extra money for the cool effects, if i had to money i would.

 

[mred]

You can probably create the same effect by directing a small powerhead or return outlet form the sump toward the water surface. That will cause small waves and a ripple effect on the surface that will in turn create a "flickering" effect below the surface. This will only show with halides, LEDs, and moon lights. Fluorescent ights are not usually intense enough to show the flickering. :up:

 

[cr500_af]

IMO it exists only to show off to your friends.

 

[basscyn]

Either way...I think its a <u>WAY</u> cool feature and hope to have the ability some day.