Lets talk about ~Lighting~

[big t]

So this is pretty interesting about the corals getting "activated" by the intense light. So I suppose that you could have a intense light such as a halide come on in short bursts during the day, and have a type of flourescent lighting be on for the full duration of the photoperiod. This may be a way to save money on electricity and bulbs? How are MH bulbs affected by the cycling of power? Would running them for short periods of time multiple times a day lead to a longer or possably even a shorter lifespan then say running them for 10 hrs a day? And how would all this affect coral growth and color? Just something to chew on.

 

[wanareef]

Matt/eliyah no we dont need actinic, or at least as we know it in the hobby. In the hobby we refer to actinic as vho or pc type lighting. The color range mentioned above relates to colors as they apply to wave lenghts. MH's will give the same color ranges as will most vho/pc's but at greater intencity. and intecity plays a large role.

Heres one to screw everyone up. In regards to intencity, an electron receptor on zoo needs a certain level of intecity in order to excite the electron into starting the process. This can happen as quickly as a flash from a camera. once that has happened, the process can continue and normal average lighting.

Mike

So Mike, with that last statement, can we still grow corals or provide the right/same amount of light requirement if we just go to a 3-4 hr photoperiod for the MH's and just have the VHO's or T5's on? I have seen a thread on RC about shorter photoperiod for the MH's and the corals are doing good.

Maybe save some $$$$ on electricity and buy more corals

VHO's for dawn/dusk, T5's on after that and for the midday- MH's. What do ya think?

 

[NaH2O]

I believe that would be fine for the growth of coral, but it wouldn't do anything for the color. Unless you want brown corals (the chlorophylls plus the carotenoid peidinin). If I understand this correctly, the high light intensity is what the pocilloporins need in order to flouresce. The high fluorescent pocilloporin pigments serve to protect from UV...the higher the intensity the greater need for UV protection? The pocilloporin takes in the color range it needs, and flouresces different colors back out = the colors we see. So, all my babbling that probably doesn't make sense means the flash of light would create a brown coral that grows. Let me know if I'm misunderstanding.

 

[mojoreef]

LOL I had a feeling this would be a busy topic, lol.

jlehigh soon soon, hehe

Wanareef they have been growing corals like that for a long time. and I think it would be fine for us to do so also, BUT this will not do much for the way they look. Remember as Nikki eluded to. your ZOOx are primarily brown in color, the zoox cycle food to the coral and the coral back to the zoox. so when looking into growth yes that is how its is designed, but what the end product of the corals colors will be is a different story. They are seperate, and have seperate requirements.

Nikki your really close, most uv protecting pigments are clear. pigments are basically protiens with in the tissue of the coral and/or zoox. each protien accepts light waves of different colors. Some take that light color and transmit a more useable light to the coral, some just reflects light colors away from the corals. and so on.

So when we are looking at this from a step back thier are two primary color sources in our corals. these colors sources are prtiens with in the coral and within the zoox. they have different requirements and do different things for the coral. When looking to growth of corals that are dependant on light/zoox controls we have to look at satisfing the needs of the zoox (explained previous). when looking at the appearence in the color of the color we have a whole new set of requirements and processes to satisfy. these are very important when going after lighting and since the requirements of lighting change from coral species to species so will the requirement of the bulbs needs and the intencity. take a look at the wave lengths (colors) that each thing needs and you will begin to see what bulb will suite the needs. As far a bulbs and intencity we will cover that to...soon

Mike

 

[NaH2O]

each protien accepts light waves of different colors. Some take that light color and transmit a more useable light to the coral, some just reflects light colors away from the corals.

Just to clarify and make sure I'm not misunderstanding.... The proteins are present in the tissue of the coral and/or zoox. These proteins accept different wavelengths - whatever one they utilize will feed the coral and the others get reflected away? Or is it some proteins utilize certain wavelengths to feed the coral and other proteins reflect the colors? Also, and this might seem like a silly question, is the zoox present in all of the tissue, or only in the polyp area (does tissue surface area vs. polyp area make a difference in the way the light gets utilized)?

If the colors we see are the ones reflected away, then what type of wavelength would blue corals utilize - they are reflecting more of the blue spectrum, which I understood as the more desireable spectrum to use?

 

[Alice]

Maybe that's why there aren't many blue corals, as compared to brown, red, etc.

 

[mojoreef]

OK the Pigments are present in the tissue of both the corals and the zoox algae. Thier purpose is widly ranged. They can help protect the corals form harmful UV rays and they can help in the manipulation of the various lightwaves the corals are exposed to. In Manipulation, some pigments will alter the color by reflecting a more useable color and some actually flourece a color that the zoox can use. they pigments are the pathway in which the zoox can process the light photons. the pigemnts in the tisue of the coral do not have have the same ability.The coral is feed by the migration of carbon and sugars from the zoox, and the zoox is feed by the light energy and the migration of P and N from the coral to the zoox.
The dominant forms of pigments in zoox are chloriphil (green) and Periden (yellow). becuase of this the zoox is brown. With inn the tissue of the coral itself is a variety of different pigments (listed above). these pigments do the uv protectoring, flouresing and so on.
Also just because a pigment likes a particular color wave it does not mean that is the color that we are seeing with our eyes. the colors that we see are the colors they flourese. Zoox are present in the tissue of the coral, and the polyp is only one part of that tissue.

Wow I hope I didnt make that more muddy???

Mike

 

[NaH2O]

LOL, Mike. Clear as mud.... I need to digest that and maybe draw it out. I think I have a handle on it, but may be back with some questions. Initially, I thought the flourescing was the colors that weren't needed, but what I'm understanding now, is the flourescing is actually a more useable color. (?)

 

[esmith]

Thanks Mike, I believe that I've got it now.


Eliyah

 

[mojoreef]

Nikki some are usuable some arent and some are usable by different means.

OK so we have a concept of hot the light works with in the coral and how they use is, so lets translate this now into what we have for lighting.


MIke

 

[reedman]

He He He

And you didn't want to talk about chemistry because it was complicated. :lol:

Since you are now out of the theory portion and into the reality of what we have to work with...what benefit does the 420nm spectrum bring to the corals.

My point is, what impact is there to the corals of running only 10K MH instead of MH + supplemental lighting (i.e. VHO or CF)?

What impact does the duration of MH lighting have on corals vs. duration of supplemental lighting?

Is there any benefit to the moonlighting other than to influence coral & fish spawnings?

I'll stop now or Mojo is going to smack me good

 

[jmaxwell]

Yes now that we are done w/ the more esoteric portion, what about the movement to 10k and 20k MH bulbs from 6500k. Is it more for our own visual preference(or marketing)…or do sps corals actually respond better? As Matt stated he thought his corals responded better to 6500k and actinic combo, which would give a broader color spectrum. Also as you shift to the red side from the blue this can cause increased algae growth..correct? So what are the advantages and disadvantages of different Kelvin rated bulbs besides our own visual preference.

Jim

 

[NaH2O]

Is the variance from bulb to bulb - so say Ushios give different results than Iwasakis of the same Kelvin?

 

[Witfull]

i too have read that 6500k grow best, but personally i dont want a tank of brown sticks,,,,lol

mike, speaking of intensity and penetration, i know that the red spectrum does nor go but a few feet under water.then the yellows get blocked by water molecules. therefore does using higher K lighting simulate the absorbsion of spectrum due to depth? also can a coral be fast grown under 65k then colored up under differnent K factors?

 

[NaH2O]

How much light gets refracted (?) off the molecules in the water? Does it enough that it would even matter?

 

[mojoreef]

Holy Cow!!!!!!!!!! not to many questions....Hmmmm maybe I should go back and hide in my boring first part again, lol.

Ok I cant find Sanjays light tests, which is a drag.
Each metal halide produces a variety of colors from the spectrum all based on mn. differing bulbs have different peeks and valleys. For example a 20000k radium bulb has a huge spike in the 440 to 460 nm (high energy blue) but not alot of anything else. So if we translate that to our corals we see that most pigments will respond well to that color very well thus good coloring. But the high tempiture (20K ) we also loose a lot of intencity, so 400 wattser would be the perfer method.

The 6500K has a high level of most all colors in the spectrum. so it has enough of each color to produce decent coloration in corals. Plus its lower K temp. dictates real good intencity. So great growth, mdium colors.

A 10000K Ushio has a very high spike in the violet range and will bring out the pigments that most perfer that color wave. its intencity is somewhere between the above to bulbs so good medium growth and decent colors.

Let me find the charts it will be alot easier to see.


Mike

 

[mattseattle]

hey Mike - you are doing an awesome job explaining all this. I'm learning a ton.

Making sense to me now.

 

[mojoreef]

OK I found the charts, give me until tommorrow and I will post them, it should be alot easier to get ahold of

Mike

 

[fishermann]

Mr. mike you're the mannnnnnn!!!!!!! I am learning alot from all your threads, can't say thanks enough!!!!!!!!!

John

 

[esmith]

Yes Mike, let me thank you as well for all this information. It's really starting to sink in now.

Eliyah