Violet and Teal LEDs

Crit21

Butterfly Fish
#1
I've seen a lot of people here talking about adding teal and violet LEDs. Has anyone actually used them and noticed either a visual difference in fluorescence, pigmentation, or a measurable effect on growth? I guess the same would go for the thought of using UV LEDs. Have any experts published data supporting this, or are people just trying it out?

I'm not criticizing, because when people were throwing sugar, vodka, vinegar and ice melt in their tanks, they eventually led to some advancements in the hobby.
 

coloagro

Tang
M.A.S.C Club Member
#2
Crit21;149157 said:
I've seen a lot of people here talking about adding teal and violet LEDs. Has anyone actually used them and noticed either a visual difference in fluorescence, pigmentation, or a measurable effect on growth? I guess the same would go for the thought of using UV LEDs. Have any experts published data supporting this, or are people just trying it out?

I'm not criticizing, because when people were throwing sugar, vodka, vinegar and ice melt in their tanks, they eventually led to some advancements in the hobby.
ice melt??? lol wow. Anyways I'm also interested to see what ya'll think. I supplement my LED's with 453n but considered adding other Magenta, Green and UV stunner strips to enhance coloration. Anyone experimented with this?
 

Heffe01

Sting ray
M.A.S.C Club Member
#3
I will be adding the UV pads to my Vertex Illumina when they start shipping them. Last I heard was around April-May time frame. So I will let you know then what I think of them. There are quite a few discussions on Reef Central about this if you want more information. I wouldnt take everyones opinion on UV seriously though. Most people dont run them because of the cost. And there are only a few prebuilt LED fixtures that even offer them. So alot of people just spread hear say, but I will give a thourough review once I add them.
 

lpsouth1978@msn.com

Users with zero posts needing moderation to determine if they are spam bots
#4
I am currently using UV LED's in one of my fixtures. I can honestly say that I have really not noticed any difference with or without. However, I am also still using a glass top on my tank, and the word is that the glass will actually filter out the UV thereby rendering them useless. I have ordered the supplies to make a mesh top for the tank, so we will soon see if that makes any difference.

On another note, I am also using red LED's on that tank and LOVE the color that I get with just a LITTLE red. You have to be careful how many of the other colors you add. A LITTLE GOES A LONG WAY!!
 

that0neguy1126

Registered Users
M.A.S.C Club Member
#5
i have thought about adding about 60 mixed of the violet and teal's into my DIY build.

That being said, I have yet to see any articles posting a before and after, or any proof its needed.
 

deadrock

Bat Fish
M.A.S.C Club Member
#6
Ok so red is like 12:1 be very careful not to add too much , the violet is not doing much for color but it helps widen the spectrum,teal or tuqoise helps the spetrum as well . My build gave me a 20k/figi pink coloration
 

lpsouth1978@msn.com

Users with zero posts needing moderation to determine if they are spam bots
#7
deadrock;149311 said:
Ok so red is like 12:1 be very careful not to add too much....
Yeah, I have 72 LED's in my build and only three of them are red. I also don't turn them up more than about 20-25%.
 
#9
I have a maxspect g2 and have added violet red and green. Adding green really changed the color. Red is nice but as said very small amount. 3/160 watts of red for me and it's more than enough. Cree makes a nice 6500k led that honestly covers a great portion of the spectrum. LEDs are getting there and eventually the truth will come out on the importance of spectrum. IMHO red is more important than violet and green gives a nice portion of the spectrum that most blue plus white miss.
 

Crit21

Butterfly Fish
#11
Tripple T;149325 said:
I have a maxspect g2 and have added violet red and green. Adding green really changed the color. Red is nice but as said very small amount. 3/160 watts of red for me and it's more than enough. Cree makes a nice 6500k led that honestly covers a great portion of the spectrum. LEDs are getting there and eventually the truth will come out on the importance of spectrum. IMHO red is more important than violet and green gives a nice portion of the spectrum that most blue plus white miss.
Only shallow water (1 or 2 meters) corals are adapted to red light. Also, colored LEDs have an extremely narrow range of wavelengths. If you really wanted a full spectrum you'll have to do a lot of research to find LEDs that will fill in the wavelength gaps, or just add more whites, since white light is a combination of wavelengths.
 

deadrock

Bat Fish
M.A.S.C Club Member
#12
Well that's what were getting at lol I would like to create a full spetrum led and document it for every one to see and use as a guide
 

deadrock

Bat Fish
M.A.S.C Club Member
#13
I would like to put a cooprative effort together to make this happen ,I do not have the tools or resourses to do it myself, what do youguys think?
 

djkms

Reef Shark
M.A.S.C Club Member
#14
deadrock,

I am hoping to get my DIY fixtures going in the next month or 2 after the hospital is done kicking me in the nuts for my daughters deductible...
http://www.marinecolorado.org/forums/showthread.php?12029-DIY-Violet-Red-LED-Setup.-Help-me-build-it!

Dont know if you remember or not but I currently have 3 ai sol blues across my 125. They have been good for the most part but I struggle with the deeper color SPS, mainly blues and purples. I do think all and all leds can support and grow corals but I also think there is spectrum missing. I plan on adding violet, turquoise and red led's. When I get to the stage of buying everything I need you are more than welcome to come help build it :)
 

Crit21

Butterfly Fish
#16
If anyone is planning to experiment with this, I would recommend having the white/blue/royal blues at one end of a tank, and the mixed LEDs at the other end, with a large number of identical frags of various types under each lighting setup for several months. Before, during and after pics would be great.

I'm reminded of an experiment Dana Riddle did with blue, red and green LEDs under controlled conditions several years back. The red LEDs actually inhibited SPS growth.
 

Crit21

Butterfly Fish
#19
Here are two:
This article shows the growth under blue light, and the bleaching from red light. "Effects Of Narrow Bandwidth Light Sources On Coral Host And Zooxanthellae Pigments" http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2003/11/aafeature
This article shows the detrimental effect of red light on zoozanthellae reproduction, and the positive effect under blue light: "A Different Look at Lighting: Effects of Prolonged Photoperiod, Spectral Quality, and Light Dosage" http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2009/5/aafeature

There's one more that shows how SPS grow better under higher Kelvin rated bulbs. It puts an end to the myth that SPS grow better under MH lights that mimic daylight (5,000-6,500K). I'll see if I can find it.
 
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