Lighting 101 for all reefers!!very informative!!!

Not only is lighting crucial to the life, and maintainance of symbiotic corals it is also pertinent to many other reef inhabitants to some degree as well. Symbiotic sponges, photosynthetic microorganisms, inverts, macro and coralline all are dependent on good lighting.
It is a very expensive investment to the reefer world, one in which many try to cut corners and save a buck or two, only to have detrimental results. Skimping on lighting requirements in an effort to save money, hoping on a wing and a prayer that the lighting you just purchased is adequate enough to support coral life is truely a game of "Russian Roulet".
You see, most of the corals that you see for sale at lps are from shallow water depths(to15feet). Therefore the light intensity from the sun to the coral is intense!! So why would you try to get by with 1 watt per gallon of light. Think about this-on a clear sunlite day in the Caribbean, the light is so intense that it is almost impossible to replicate the kelvin of the suns rays to the awesome corals below.
Basically, what i'm trying to stress is, don't try to save a buck in the hopes of creating the perfect coral reef by using less than optimal lighting on your reef tanks!!!!!!!!!!!!
The other thing I would like to mention to all of you, which was very informative is:
The most intense light from the sun happens within the first 3 feet of water. Within the first 15 feet of water the red and orange color of the light spectrum have been filtered out. By 30 feet deep, yellow light has been altered. After 50ft., the green light from the sun has been filtered, thus leaving the blues and purple light in the spectrum from say 440-490nm. Basically, what is being displayed is how fast water reflex sunlight's wavelength. Remember, sunlight has a color temp of 6500-6900k which is a very cool temperature. As you approach the 20000k end of the spectrum(blue)the temperature of the light is hotter(gets higher as the water depth increases).
Now the last thing which is COOL and very informative when trying to decide what part of the lighting spectrum you want to represent your reef tank. Replacement of light bulbs based on spectr and intensity: for flourescent bulbs about 6 months. Vho light even sooner than that. Metal halides should be replaced approximately once a year. Power compacts may keep their intensity for 12 to 14 months before replacement is necessary.(remember!!!!!, bulb light to the eye will probably look as bright as when you first bought them!!!very misleading as the specra and intensity, Wattage decreases usually over a short period of time. Don't make the mistake that I did by using bulbs longer that expected, or your corals fate will be null and void as they will soon start to parrish.
One last thing before I create a book longer than" Moby ****". Bulbs in the red end of the spectum tend to cause microalgae problems as well as coral bleaching problems, however the intensity tends to last longer. Tanks higher in the spectrum towards the blue end tend to increase the growth rate of corals and cut down on unwanted algae, but need to be replaced sooner than the red, yellow orange spectrum bulbs.
Remember to keep the glass tops clean(no salt creep etc.)to allow the greatest light intensity. Also, carbon and foam fractionators(protein skimmers) offer cleaner water which helps to increase light intensity to your tank.
Just be careful not to do anything drastic! Change bulbs over weeks, not all at once. Also, if you purchase corals at a lfs that displayed the coral you purchased in dimmer light than your tank-start off by acclimating the corals lower to the bottom of your tan k then raise them up. Conversely, if you purchase corals displayed with 450watt mh's then buy and bring the coral home and place the coral in 150 watt mh tank place the coral toward the top of your tank to not stress or bleach your prixe possession.
Well, I'm done and need to have a beer and therapy on my hands.
I hope this helps clear lighting up for you as it did for me...Maybe I can get some money from these lighting companies for making everyone buy more lights!!hahahaha-No seriously-this will help you trust me!: 8)

 

coral reefer, Nicely done. I just have a few comments

In actuality the colour temperature is very easily replicated in everything from house hold lighting to camera flashes. Kelvin is a temperature scale but when used to measure light it is very different. The Kelvin rating of light is based on the colour a block of carbon turns at a given temperature. It is not based on the actual temperature of the light. It is purely a reference number.

It has more to do with the wave length of yellow, red light being very large and blue green light having much narrower wave length. This allows water to absorb yellow/Red faster. PAR (Photosynthetically Available Radiation) Plays a much bigger role in choosing a lamp than colour temperature, but usually 6500-10000K lamps have greater PAR values than that of 14-20K. But this is of course based on the same quality of bulb.

Please don't get me wrong your message is very true and well stated I just though I'd add you what you have started


J

 

Cool Jason! Thanks. Hey i'm no professional, just things i've picked up. I think what I was trying to say is that lux(basic measure of lumens) on a clear day around 2:00 is 120,000lux at the water surface. As you decend down to around 15feet the irradiance drops to about 20,000lux. Light that reaches the corals below usually exceeds the saturation rate for photsynthesis.
In a nut shell, light is measured in two ways:Lux and kelvin(color temperature).
Feel free to add Jason or anyone else! Always trying to learn

 

Well I,m far from an expert also ... so the way it was explained to me was in a analogy... Light compared to a gun
Watts= The caliber
Lumen's or lux= The bullets
So by adding lets say four 100watt bulbs you don't get the lumen's penetrating
through the water that one 400watt light would produce. It's like shooting four of the same type of gun and expecting to get four times the distance.
Just thought this analogy would help too.

 

will a 55g tank with soft coral only be ok with this lighting power 2x65w 12000k 2x65w atinic blues. need help?!

 

yes, it will be fine with that type of lighting.

 

You would even be able to keep a good portion of LPS in that tank as well, barring you keep it in the upper portion of your tank.