7-28-2010 My son helped me add 2 x 23 = 46 watts of PC light 6500K hope it helps don't know if 6500K will help grow coral or not The photo on the right is with the extra light on. So now I have 110 watts of PC light. With the 6500K it is a little more yellow now even more so then the photo shows but I think my camera is changing it. You can see the right side where the two new bulbs are running, and back of the tank is more bright now, even the sand is brighter down the glass. my other lights running are 2 x 32 PC, haft the bulbs are 10,000K and haft the blue spectrum. Now here my question will the 46 watts of light I added at 6500K help grow coral or will it just grow algae? Thanks Glen
I am sure like I have done, you have researched the "Lighting" options. This is certainly a loaded question and I do not think there is one answer. It seems that coral from shallow water would respond to the 6500K and grow much quicker, because of the red, orange, yellow from that temp. It also makes since that deeper water corals may not respond as well, because they depend more on the blue, indigo, violet color temp. However, coral is highly adaptable.......especially captive grown. I have seen pictures online of reef farms.....some are using sunlight in greenhouses and some are growing the coral in shallow lagoons in the ocean. Either way, deep water coral are being raised and sold using the sun.....thus receiving more red, ect........instead of blue, ect....... Another thing that is still confusing to me is the whole wattage issue. It seems that achieving the corect PAR is more important than total wattage. I am using LED's and love them.....but they have a comparable PAR to a halide. My point is everyone seems to have an opinion.......I personally think your coral will grow quickly, you will just not have the color that you would with a different Kelvin. Oh, and algae may very well be an issue........small price to pay for faster coral growth????? I think so!!
I agree with you Mark, I believe PAR is more important than wattage. Lower wattage lamps can provide enough par if the water is shallow enough. The trick is finding the correct mix for the corals you want to grow. Also agree that 6000-10000k will grow corals at a faster rate, but the color will not be as intense. I would like to try the LED if I can find one in my price range.
next time you change PC bulbs you might consider All Blue. that will balance out the spectral range a bit adding color to your corals and providing the correct wavelenghts to grow healthy corals. dont confuse Lumens vs Spectrum. watts = lumens, or brightness for the most part. Kelvin refers to the color or wavelenth produced. 6500 is yellow/white 10k is like 50/50 white/blue, and 20k is blue/blue/white. In essence, growing algae is your primary objective in a reef aquarium from nutrient transport to photosynthetic algae inside the corals. I didnt see the type of bulb thats burning 6500k, MH, HQI...? at any rate you need to consider what you want to keep/grow and be prepared. Ive seen 3 regular flo's and pc's grow some pretty awesome stuff, Luck maybe? hint.. more blue contorts color. Good Luck... Dude!!! Thats an Awesome Stack!!! Right Out of the Picture Books, im tellin Ya! Dont ever change it.... Cant wait to see it grow out... Nice Nice madcat
Mcmullen, fisher12, and mad cat thanks. for the replies The lights at the top are the one I put into my tank, I dug the package out of the trash and it says CFL I thouth they all were call PC sorry. Hope they will still work I got the idea from this site, http://www.garf.org/-2010/lightshow/index.htm , The 6500K matched the light that the zoo med reef sun was putting out but the zoo med was only 10 and the CFLs are 23 watts so I thought it would give me better light output. They say they are a replacement for 100watt bulbs. In my tank they are brighter then the 2 32 watt PC that I replaced 1 month ago. here what the zoomeds say. "Zoo Med Reef Sun 50/50 Compact Fluorescent Bulb Internet Price: $11.99Internet Sale: $9.59 Save Up To: 20% Shop All Products By Zoo Med A 50/50 combination of 6,500K trichromatic daylight phosphor and actinic 420 Provides high intensity full spectrum illumination Ideal for all marine aquariums, reef aquariums, African Cichlids and Discuss fish 5" Length 10 Watts SKU: 1320505"
Most all coral farmers use 6500K, it is the closet to the sun, although we don't like to look at a yellow tank it is the best for growing corals fast including deep water. Deep water ought to be placed lower on the reef, so research is needed. I have several friends that use 6500K and their coral production is unbelievable if you can get past the yellow water. The higher K's are for us.
