T5 and led or vho?

[Dr.DiSilicate]

I currently have 2 t5 and three Chinese led's over my tank. Just curious... What provides better pop? The led't5 or vho super actinic? I think they are about the same wattage. The vho also have the added advantage of having no fan noise like the Chinese led's. Would love input from people who have run both. I also have 2 halides for the primary light source.

 

[fishguy69]

I would say the T5/LED combos work the best, IMO. LEDs for the POP and T5s for the GROWTH.

V

 

[zombie]

If they are the exact same wattage , you will get better pop and growth out of the leds. LEDs are significantly more efficient than VHO and T5 so you get a lot more par for the same output. The only real issue with LEDs is that many of them are lacking a full spectrum to maintain all types of pigments and chloryplil. Since your halides privide that, I would go for the higher PAR if its a choice between the two. If you want the best pop, I would accent the halides with leds that peak in the 440-480 nm range to bring out the blues and greens from the perdinin, diatoxanthin and diadinoxanthin. Also add some peaks in the 640-680 nm range to bring out the red pigments from the chlorophyllidae

Optimists say the glass is half full. Pessimists say the glass is half empty. Engineers say the glass is twice the size that it needs to be.

 

[zombie]

This is a good read to improve coloration in corals. I saw a lot better colors and growth by trying to match the spectral absorbtion characteristics described in the article. http://m.jeb.biologists.org/content/206/22/4041.full

Optimists say the glass is half full. Pessimists say the glass is half empty. Engineers say the glass is twice the size that it needs to be.

 

[Balz3352]

This is a good read to improve coloration in corals. I saw a lot better colors and growth by trying to match the spectral absorbtion characteristics described in the article. http://m.jeb.biologists.org/content/206/22/4041.full

Optimists say the glass is half full. Pessimists say the glass is half empty. Engineers say the glass is twice the size that it needs to be.

Holy scholarly paper batman! Any chance of deciphering this for the lay man?

 

[Cake_Boss]

This is a good read to improve coloration in corals. I saw a lot better colors and growth by trying to match the spectral absorbtion characteristics described in the article. http://m.jeb.biologists.org/content/206/22/4041.full

Optimists say the glass is half full. Pessimists say the glass is half empty. Engineers say the glass is twice the size that it needs to be.

Gotta finish this guy later

 

[zombie]

Holy scholarly paper batman! Any chance of deciphering this for the lay man?

Laymens terms. Look at his graphs and match the spectrum close to get the best pigments.

Optimists say the glass is half full. Pessimists say the glass is half empty. Engineers say the glass is twice the size that it needs to be.

 

[jda123]

You likely know the answer to this already. Want to borrow some and see for yourself? If so, swing by. I am stocked with ballasts, end caps and bulbs. ...or go by and see Josh.

Growing proteins is only about half of the battle, if even that much. The other half, or more, are not even mentioned in that article. The coral also has to reflect visible light, use light and reject it at higher frequency as well as develop pigmented diatoms (non symbiotic) to reflect spectrum (some of it is UV). That article is amazing collection of academia, but I would not take it as much more than a good start that needs finished for the typical hobbyist to fully understand lighting coral. As it sits, I fear that some hobbyists will try and match the spectrum needed to grow diatoms only, which will lead to the unintended consequence of worse colors to our eyes, even if the coral is plenty happy.

 

[zombie]

Agreed. My lighting has a bit broader of a spectrum than what is shown in the absorbance for individual pigments for that very reason. I would think the best takeoff from that article is the 3d graph that models the suns actual spectrum changes that you could duplicate with dimmable leds and the effect of the 640-680 and 440-480 peaks. The rest of it does need mire research.

Optimists say the glass is half full. Pessimists say the glass is half empty. Engineers say the glass is twice the size that it needs to be.