FrankieGee August 8, 2013 Share August 8, 2013 I'm overwhelmed by the amount of information posted regarding LED lights, colors, watts, lumens, PAR, yada yada yada.. I just need to ask because I'm stressed out about this. Do I need different colors in a LED light fixture (red, green, orange, magenta, ultraviolet) or can the LED fixture be made up of blues and whites and still get the color pop effect? I want my corals and LPS to pop and they aren't with my T5 and MHs. Everything is looking brown and tan and i'm tired of it. My hot pink paly that I just got from a fellow member is BROWN! :( Tell me what to do...get a LED light fixture with or without colored LEDs. Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kjamaya August 8, 2013 Share August 8, 2013 (edited) I have t5's and my colors pop...... the t5's aren't making your corals brown it may be old bulbs, parameters, flow etc etc.... LEDs definitely make your corals color pop but you need the colors first in order for them to pop.... Edited August 8, 2013 by kjamaya Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheyCallMeMr.703 August 8, 2013 Share August 8, 2013 As she said above, Yes, All that is true and then some. lol. I designed my own LED to fit and suit my needs for what I'll be growing in my tank. the reds will obviously make your reds redder, and so forth.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheyCallMeMr.703 August 8, 2013 Share August 8, 2013 What kind of light over what?? and What kind of livestock?? How do your parameters look?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smallreef August 8, 2013 Share August 8, 2013 I actually have to agree with the above....it's not the lights necessarily browning your corals, but if you be an affect of older bulbs, wrong spectrum, and tank chemistry, WITH how the corals were acclimated to the type of light you have.... So let us know what you currently have, fixture bulbs, age of bulbs and we will try and help Though I love my LEDS its not going to make a difference if there is already something else going on.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zygote2k August 8, 2013 Share August 8, 2013 People have been growing corals with Blue and White light for 50 years without issue. Logic will tell you that all you need is blue and white light and you'll be fine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fscbishop August 8, 2013 Share August 8, 2013 My kessils only have blue and white and they get good coloration. It's your parameters. Phosphates did it to mine at first but recovered since then now they are better. Big water change and keeping a consistent ph alk and cal Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swimmatte August 10, 2013 Share August 10, 2013 As she said above, Yes, All that is true and then some. lol. I designed my own LED to fit and suit my needs for what I'll be growing in my tank. the reds will obviously make your reds redder, and so forth.... I would not suggest choosing your led colors based on which colors you want to stand out more in your tank. Using too much Red in your setup could create a large amount of nuisance algae that could be impossible to overcome. I would suggest going with one of the Evergrow lights sold in our group buys and at least start with a stock layout such as the one provided by reefbreeders. You can then substitute some blues for whites for a less blue look, or vice versa if you want more blue. The stock reefbreeders layout for the d120 utilizes 55 led's and they are broken out as follows: (14) 4500k (24) 450nm (6) 420nm (9) 480nm (2) 660nm (red) Also, in the ocean reefs, the red spectrum does not travel further than 14ft underwater, so many corals never even see any red spectrum. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
holedup82 August 10, 2013 Share August 10, 2013 +1 to almost all of the above......being a science teacher basically the way our eyes see color is the object reflects that color of light wave back to our eyes. Something is causing the coral to reflect more red than blue and green to your eyes hence it looks brown. I think your lights aren't the issues per say but something is causing the coral to discolor. What are your params? Start with water quality and go from there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheyCallMeMr.703 August 10, 2013 Share August 10, 2013 3 days now... and No Response from him... Guess he's Diligently working on that there problem... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlanM August 10, 2013 Share August 10, 2013 +1 to almost all of what holedup82 said, heh. It's more complicated than light reflection and what wavelengths you're supplying with different LED colors. There are also plenty of photosynthetic pigments in the corals that absorb at one wavelength, 450nm blue for instance, and emit reds, yellows, greens, etc. You can see it when someone runs exclusively royal blue, a really narrow band of blue light, but lots of colors show up in the corals. So you definitely don't need red and green in your lightsto see red and green in the corals, and it's also a little hard to say what those colors will actually do to the view of the corals you already have without trying them out. Green has no impact on photosynthesis, red does have an impact, but has a bigger one on algae, apparently, so you have to be careful of it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zygote2k August 10, 2013 Share August 10, 2013 The other issue that people fail to realize is that having one or two different colored emitters does absolutely nothing for color blending but instead only a small area will have that hue or shade. If the addition of colored emitters was at a ratio like the white and blue, then the argument might be better made but until that happens, it's just a gimmick. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flooddc August 10, 2013 Share August 10, 2013 I bought a 2nd hand D120. It has 4 red and 4 green. Those really bother me. You can see some red and green on the rocks. They don't blend in to create a real spectrum. If you want to see corals pop. Get more blue. Personally think 50/50 white and blue is best. IMO, it's show the real true color of your corals. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FrankieGee August 10, 2013 Author Share August 10, 2013 3 days now... and No Response from him... Guess he's Diligently working on that there problem... You are actually right Mr 703... there is too much contrasting info out there on LEDs. I been reading up on forums in Reef Central, looking at companies that sell LEDs online, etc and some say whites and blues others say mixed. I borrowed a LED with just blues and whites from a friend and the corals look really good, and they pop. I just don't understand why businesses would sell, or people would even want, a LED with colors other than the blues and whites. Rob came over to test the parameters and everything looks good. Could add a little more calcium but rest is good. I'm in negotiations right now to buy 2 D120s with just blues and whites and will be selling my MH/T5 combo fixture soon, hopefully. 1 D120 doesn't cover the whole tank so I have to go with 2. Now the great mystery to me is why do blues make oranges, reds, yellows, and greens pop? It's blue so blue should pop, right? I'll get there, eventually. I appreciate everyones help and the responses and I apologize for my lack of participation. Hopefully this info will help everyone else who is looking to buy LEDs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
holedup82 August 10, 2013 Share August 10, 2013 Like I said "basically" lol. Fluorescence is another aspect of light. Blue green and red are the primary colors of light. White LEDs give off all three. When something fluoresces or "pops" it is reflecting UV light. Which is not on the visible light spectrum. All lights give off some uv radiation. It is more complicated than I made it out to be at first but I started off with the elementary school explanation of light and color. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
holedup82 August 10, 2013 Share August 10, 2013 (edited) That also means U could get a tan from your LEDs eventually! Edited August 10, 2013 by holedup82 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FrankieGee August 11, 2013 Author Share August 11, 2013 That also means U could get a tan from your LEDs eventually! Nice..just what I need Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
holedup82 August 11, 2013 Share August 11, 2013 Nice..just what I need I tried getting my gf not to go tanning and save the money. It was a no go! Lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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