BigAl's slow chronicle . . .

[tbittner]

That and all the PVC fumes from replumbing everything last night...

YOU know what that's like, eh Al???

We were joking around at work about the effects pvc cement fumes have on the senses. My boss suggested that I open a can of it and use it as an air freshner.

[Octoman]

No argumentativeness taken I was repeating what I've heard too, I'd be interested to know what the real deal is too! Maybe we should start a new thread... I'd much rather have another 14K instead of the 6700.

Allen, Terry was going to come and DIY a controller for me, but I couldn't get the proper security clearance because of an "incident" in college. (I was young and stupid! )

[BigAl07]

Originally Posted by tbittner

That and all the PVC fumes from replumbing everything last night...

YOU know what that's like, eh Al???

We were joking around at work about the effects pvc cement fumes have on the senses. My boss suggested that I open a can of it and use it as an air freshner.

You know I looked back the other day and my typing was hilarious! Yeah those fumes made my typing worse than usual!!

[tbittner]

[tbittner]

ummmm, is it ok for me to call you Al? Or would you prefer Allen...

I get a little presumptuous sometimes.

[Dentoid]

I think we all need a lesson in lighting! I was under the impression that it was the Photosynthetic Active Radiation (PAR) that was the important factor in determining an organisms zooxanthellae metabolism. The color temperature (K) was just the color of the light.

I was under the impression that the K value of the bulb doesn't really have anything to do with the zooxanthellae ability to photosynthesize. The color of the tank imparted by the K value is a personal preference rather than whether the zooxanthellae's host could withstand the color.

Personally, I don't like the higher K value lights because they filter out red, orange, yellow and green. High K value lights make a colorful tank look drab and blue. That's a deep water look.

Have I got it all wrong?

[BigAl07]

Originally Posted by tbittner

ummmm, is it ok for me to call you Al? Or would you prefer Allen...

I get a little presumptuous sometimes.

Call me Al, Allen, Big Al and the ladies can call me Big HOT Al I don't care bro! I answer to just about anything as long as it's half way nice

Originally Posted by Dentoid

I think we all need a lesson in lighting! I was under the impression that it was the Photosynthetic Active Radiation (PAR) that was the important factor in determining an organisms zooxanthellae metabolism. The color temperature (K) was just the color of the light.

I was under the impression that the K value of the bulb doesn't really have anything to do with the zooxanthellae ability to photosynthesize. The color of the tank imparted by the K value is a personal preference rather than whether the zooxanthellae's host could withstand the color.

Personally, I don't like the higher K value lights because they filter out red, orange, yellow and green. High K value lights make a colorful tank look drab and blue. That's a deep water look.

Have I got it all wrong?

Scott I've always heard that "Lower K bulbs produce more growth" but higher K bulbs produce a more pleasing color for HUMAN eyes". I don't know how accurate that is but it's been noted several times that coral growth "seems" better in 6700K range. Maybe this needs more testing but I do know I like the "Bluer" look rather than the "Yellow" look of the 10K. I may try out a 12k, 13k, and maybe even higher just as an experiment.

Thanks for reading and all input is suggested

[BigAl07]

On a lighter side I've got a Water Change Schedule/pattern that works GREAT!!! I like to mix my water on one day, let it sit/stew for 24 hours and do the water change the next night. It takes approximately 7 hours +/- to fill my holding barrel. So I've been doing it on Tuesday night, Wednesday night and Thursday night. This weekend I started the water Sunday morning.... added Salt mix Sunday night and tonight was able to do water change tonight in the 10g, 6g and 90g in about 30 minutes (this includes scraping the inside of all three tanks with my "Magic Eraser". They all look GREAT!!!

[Anselth]

Dentoid, from what I've seen, the closer the kelvin rating of your main lighting source is to 6500k, the better photosynthesis progresses. My understanding is that 6500K is the color temperature of actual sunlight, so it is more easily photosynthesized. A quick discussion of photosynthesis:

When plants photosynthesize, the particular photosynthetic compound, chlorophyll for most plants, although not always, is dialed in to a particular wavelength of light. Red macroalgae, for example, photosynthesizes red wavelengths. As your color spectrum moves from 6500K daylight standard to say 14000K, you are moving into the bluer wavelengths which are less energetic and less likely to be photosynthesized by the zooxanthellae. while there are still white and red wavelengths present, they exist in a smaller ratio. While PAR may stay the same, I'm not sure that PAR measures a specific wavelength, just the amount of useable light that makes it to a certain depth, regardless of the wavelength.

[Craig Manoukian]

Great information, amd spot on from what I know Anselth.

[tbittner]

Makes perfect sense since the "daylight" bulbs you can buy for regular lights are 6700k.

So then the Solaris is a 15,000k fixture, I'm assuming that's at 100% for all three color leds. If you dim the blue's, does that reduce the K number but still maintain 400w of intensity?

[BigAl07]

Originally Posted by tbittner

Makes perfect sense since the "daylight" bulbs you can buy for regular lights are 6700k.

So then the Solaris is a 15,000k fixture, I'm assuming that's at 100% for all three color leds. If you dim the blue's, does that reduce the K number but still maintain 400w of intensity?

I would assume that's how it works. I knew they were "Adjustable" but now I think (who am I kidding) I have a better understanding of the "K" thing!!

[Anselth]

Well, by dimming the blue you'd be dimming the intensity somewhat (I think)...not sure if it would be enough to make a difference, but I'm not too familiar with the Solaris. Where's Jack when you need him?

[Octoman]

I took this from this article, it seems to sum up the kelvin thing pretty well...

Lighting the Reef Tank: A Primer for Beginners by Doug Wojtczak - Reefkeeping.com

"When it comes to metal halide color spectrum, there is no one general rule of thumb, but some general observations can be made. Many hobbyists use metal halide bulbs with a Kelvin rating of 6500, and these bulbs produce a warm yellow/white appearance that simulates the midday sun on a shallow reef. Bulbs of this color are well suited for high light demanding corals and clams. While hobbyists report great success using these bulbs, they often complain of their yellow appearance when used without supplemental actinic light. Another common bulb is the 10000-Kelvin bulb, which produces a white appearance with a slight hint of blue. Although many hobbyists have also had good results using these bulbs over most types of corals, some have noticed that coral growth rates are somewhat slower than those using 6500-Kelvin bulbs. Gaining much wider acceptance and use lately is the 20000-Kelvin bulb, often called a Radium, which has a blue colored appearance. These bulbs are better suited for deeper water soft corals and LPS, although many hobbyists have also had success using them over clams and SPS."

[tbittner]

You mean we could/should all be using the standard "daylight" MH's that you can buy at Lowes?