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Originally Posted by
sweatervest13 http:///t/394095/sweatervests-new-led-lights/20#post_3507568
So, what do you guys think about the use of red/cyan and green in LED builds??? I have seen a decent amount of info on some of the older blue/white units not having good coral growth.
Cyan you can probably cover well enough with some warm or neutral whites. But it's probably important to make distinctions when discussing light factors in regards to the livestock's needs and our own personal desires. Especially when it comes to leds.
The types of builds that first became popular did so simply by starting out with cool white and royal blue leds. NOTE: All white leds are actually created using blue leds but simply adding phosphorus to give them a bright or warm white rendition. This combination creates wavelengths that are very heavy in the blue, but virtually nothing for green and a very tiny amount in the low end of the red range.
That blog was by no means scientific proof of anything but it touches upon a lot of what I've always heard and read about as being considered accepted knowledge in regards to photosynthesis. It was especially interesting to hear about the benefit of Infra Red wavelengths but I wish it would have went more in depth. The sun produces way more wavelengths than a simple royal blue and cool white fixture can ever dream of. So we can imagine why people have ran into problems.
Without being able to match what the sun provides then it's going to be tough re-creating what we find in nature. My goals would be to try and cover as much of the spectrum as possible with what's available to ensure good health. Then try and balance that with something that works for my viewing pleasure in the evenings. To do that using leds would require the ability to balance each wavelength to mimic nature during the day. And these requirements would be different for lets say, softies vs stonies.
One would be looking for a fixture more balanced for wavelengths at deeper depths for a softy tank vs one more balanced for a stony tank if that's what you're after. Then ofcorse you split the difference for a mixed tank.
When it comes to leds it's still experimental, yes. I think some folks have a pretty good grasp on understanding how to use them better now a days. But it takes a little while for the mainstream to accept some things and ofcorse we're always waiting for manufacturers to play catch up with the demand.
