I noticed that a lot of sponsers are displaying corals using primiarly their blue lights verses the white lighting. For them it allows most corasl to show their colors better. Is this a suggested technique for long term survivalbility for the home aquarist growing hard corals or should a mixture of both be used?
White verse blue lights
- Thread starter putemup
- Start date
IMO....it takes more than just blue and white to provide all the colors of the spectrum required for growth. If you aren't able to provide the full spectrum which includes green and red, then the long term viability of your corals will be diminished. That's just my observation and opinion.
thats not really true.my diy fixtures are only royal blue,warm white and cool white and my acros have been rocking with them for 5 years.
look at the color spectrum of white.
im well aware of that.thats why i posted that you dont need the separate reds and greens
- Messages
- 1,271
- Reaction score
- 167
In fact I believe a study was done showing that red leds can be too intense for coral and can cause issues.
I was agreeing to your point... Hence why I was telling OP to look at the color spectrum of "white" LEDs
no prob guys,i wasnt offended at all.it would take a lot more than a discussion on lights to offend me lol
Blue light (445/453) causes many florescent pigments in most corals to, um, well floresce. As a couple fellow reefers noted of late, it also make the bubble/hair algae/aptasia harder to see. 
A fair number have a ramp between white & blue (ideally wider spectrum than just the two) so as to provide more balanced lighting for ongoing growth and general coral health, but the higher percentages on the actinics are usually timed to happen during the peak of the business day to "best" showcase the coral's awesomeness. Blue on its own isn't going to deliver every wavelength corals need to grow & color up fully but as you observe, make 'em showy.
I generally prefer to see what they'll look like under a more midday-white look (with some blue & "uv" mixed in + warmer whites) as I prefer to run my tank with that mix rather than smurf-toned. If it bothers you (or simply to make a more balanced purchasing decision), bring a low-medium power warm-white LED mini-flashlight (1-3w) with you so that you can provide the missing or just ask... most retailers I've dealt with have been a-OK with temporarily switching the lights into a more white mode on request.
A fair number have a ramp between white & blue (ideally wider spectrum than just the two) so as to provide more balanced lighting for ongoing growth and general coral health, but the higher percentages on the actinics are usually timed to happen during the peak of the business day to "best" showcase the coral's awesomeness. Blue on its own isn't going to deliver every wavelength corals need to grow & color up fully but as you observe, make 'em showy.
I generally prefer to see what they'll look like under a more midday-white look (with some blue & "uv" mixed in + warmer whites) as I prefer to run my tank with that mix rather than smurf-toned. If it bothers you (or simply to make a more balanced purchasing decision), bring a low-medium power warm-white LED mini-flashlight (1-3w) with you so that you can provide the missing or just ask... most retailers I've dealt with have been a-OK with temporarily switching the lights into a more white mode on request.
