Basics of Lighting for Reef Systems

[SantaMonica]

important to know the pur, kelvin temperature,

par ?

 

[Dad]

Interesting to see an old post about light. This hobby has to do a lot with biology & in this case optics. It's important to know the PUR, Kelvin temperature, & to a lesser extent lumens requirements of corals. It's these principals by which light should be selected. This goes very well into detail about light but, one thing that is important to point out is that the LEDs usefulness in a reef aquarium is measured by the kind of LED diodes it has since the 3w diodes are the only ones that'll produce a broad & powerful enough spectrum... Most importantly in the 400's nm (blue) as many would know. Sad to see how many companies have succeeded in selling LEDs marketed for reef aquariums yet can only support soft corals.

Hi just ordered 3 of these, Have seen many reviews and not any bad ones. I hope i did the right thing lol.
http://www.oceanrevivellc.com/goods.php?id=18

 

[fish freak]

I wish I had read this before starting a thread about LEDs super helps too make up my mind

 

[aquaman183]

Wish I saw this before I bought my lights..luckily I went with the T5's, and I love them!
Thank you for taking your time to write this article, I really appreciate it.

 

[Wrangy]

For those reading this article and making decisions based off it please keep something in mind for me and for yourselves
This a brilliantly written piece on lighting in reef tanks but something you should be incredible mindful of when reading it is that the piece was now written 5 years ago. While MH and T5 lighting haven't changed in that time bar some controller features and such, LED's have come a very long way! There are many many models and options out there these days and I think it's safe to say that they have proven their worth of being a solid lighting choice for reef tanks!! While they are a little more complex and require a little more knowledge they are by far a very solid choice for lighting a reef tank and growing all sorts of corals

I'm not trying to detract from the original piece and author But remember a LOT has changed in 5 years in this hobby, especially with lighting and doubly especially with LED lighting so just be mindful when reading through

 

[nanoreefing4fun]

+1 ^

maybe OP Clownfish518 will stop in for an update

 

[aquaman183]

+1

 

[rostervandross]

I have a question regarding lighting through glass or acrylic lids on tanks. I have some pieces of glass and acrylic that i'd like to use to limit evaporation loss, but if they block too much light and be counterproductive then I'll just rig up a top off system.