LED lights...why doesn't anyone do this?

[andy.thompson12]

So, I was thinking....why can't we just take a string of LED christmas lights, bunch them together in a tight area, and point them towards our reef tank...would that not help the growth and coloration of corals? Then, I went on to read that christmas lights don't have the same output (but they DO have some output, are cheaper, and probably could give off as much PAR right?). Has anyone tried this? just to test it out? Anyhow, I also looked into this: http://www.theledlight.com/par38.html ...would this not work either? Why not?

maybe I'm just being stupid, but I'm curious. I was thinking of doing a trial run on my stylophora which lost a little bit of it's color (used to be fluorescent green...now it's mint-green). I could just put a light, or series of lights pointed towards just that coral and see if there's a change. yes....no?

[daveonbass]

I'm not an expert, but I don't think christmas lights would ever work, it's just not as similar as you think. As far as the PAR38s yeah...they are used...a quick search on here will give you plenty of info as to their success.

[nmunro]

I am not an expert on leds, but have started using these in my house

http://c-leds.com/store/category.php?id_category=61

Easy and cheap to get you started and some experience.

[westmoorenerd]

I know of people doing it on nano-reef a couple years back

[nowlan]

There is a xmas light in the ghetto thread

[AngelAddict]

Won't work, the par in Xmas lights aren't near enough to sustain a reef. From my understanding, you'd need so many of those lights, it wouldn't be efficient.

[phurst]

http://reefcentral.com/forums/showth...ight=christmas

[andy.thompson12]

ok, so in that thread, some people said that the blue lights would be a nice replacement for actinics. Do actinic lights serve a purpose other than aesthetics? In that case do you think it would be more beneficial to make my T5s (2 actinic 2 white) and make them all white? Would that be better?

[andy.thompson12]

in other words, would I get better results by having 4 white t5 lights and some blue leds on the side (for looks), or do I need actinics for reasons other than looks/aesthetics (aka coral growth or color) ?

[sjmantis]

http://www.nanotuners.com/product_in...roducts_id=623

youre welcome

[Shard]

Actinics are not just for aesthetics.

The dual actinic bulbs used in most systems have one bulb that peaks around 420nm and another that peaks around 460nm. Light in this area of the spectrum is also used in photosynthesis.

Chlorophyll A and Chlorophyll B both have absorption peaks between 400-500nm. Both of these types of Chlorophyll are present in zooxanthellae, which are the symbiotic organisms present in coral.

To be specific, Chlorophyll A has a peak closer to the lower end roughly around 430nm, while Chlorophyll B has a peak somewhere around 460nm. I can't give you specific numbers, because determining that is complicated. The solvent used to extract the chlorophyll for scientific studies affects the absorption spectrum.

Anyway. I hope this is a good enough explanation. In short: good actinics = good photosynthesis = good coral growth

[andy.thompson12]

so, how might I go about achieving better coral coloration (my main problem). Don't get me wrong, my sps corals are colorful (pink/ green pocillopora and minty green seriatopora)....but I wish the seriatopora was the color I got it as: bright green.

I have seen additives that improve coloration, and also the T5 bulbs I am using came with the fixture so I am just using them, but they aren't the best quality. Should I look into getting some of these additives or is it all about the lighting?

[Shard]

Well, water quality obviously affects the health of your corals. So an unhealthy coral is unlikely to show color improvement, but absent of water quality issues, it is all about the light.

Its a combination of wavelengths available, PAR, light coverage, etc. The PAR values are lower the deeper you go in a tank. The higher up the corals are, the more light they are getting, so this could improve coloration. I would call coral placement a combination of art and science

I will say this though... additives to improve coloration? Someone else may be able to chime in, but this sounds like snake oil to me. Coloration is the result of the pigments that are present in the coral/zooxanthellae, and this is a result of the amount of photosynthesis going on. I doubt there is any additive that would really help or affect this. Not to beat a dead horse but.... its all about the light.

[tkeracer619]

Originally Posted by andy.thompson12

So, I was thinking....why can't we just take a string of LED christmas lights, bunch them together in a tight area, and point them towards our reef tank...

Because your reef tank is not worth burning down your house.

Some guy did this and half of his house burned to the ground... trying to find the link but yeah. It won't produce enough light to grow coral.

[sam11909]

318 LED Christmas lights, getting the PAR readings soon.

http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1893337

[Ianwraab]

No.

Christmas lights are for Christmas trees they serve no purpose other than creating light...

Aquariums are a major investment and the biggest part of that investment is in your lighting...

Other than low par, no penetration, and no range of spectrum...
you cant grow a $300 piece of coral under $25 worth of light...

Led Christmas lights might look good on a freshwater Oscar tank but that's bout it...lol

Compare prices... If one set of lighting is $50 and the other is $500.... The $500 is better...

YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR

[sirreal63]

Back from the dead

[docstomper]

Originally Posted by Ianwraab

No.

Christmas lights are for Christmas trees they serve no purpose other than creating light...

Aquariums are a major investment and the biggest part of that investment is in your lighting...

Other than low par, no penetration, and no range of spectrum...
you cant grow a $300 piece of coral under $25 worth of light...

Led Christmas lights might look good on a freshwater Oscar tank but that's bout it...lol

Compare prices... If one set of lighting is $50 and the other is $500.... The $500 is better...

YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR

What if you string 3w Cree LED's for Christmas lights?

:hatersgonnahate:

[RotaryGeek]

Lol potatoes are gunna potate.

[Ianwraab]

Originally Posted by docstomper

What if you string 3w Cree LED's for Christmas lights?

:hatersgonnahate:

Fire....

[username in use]

Originally Posted by Ianwraab

Other than low par, no penetration, and no range of spectrum...
you cant grow a $300 piece of coral under $25 worth of light...

The cost of the coral is of no consequence, neither is the cost of the light. I can grow a $300 plate coral under a $10 CFL bulb if I want to. Color won't be great, and the tank would have to be shallow, but it can be done so that analogy makes no sense.


Compare prices... If one set of lighting is $50 and the other is $500.... The $500 is better...

This is not a good comparison of anything. You need to look at the each fixture individually and decide how its producing light, how much its producing, what spectrum its producing and how efficiently its producing it. Nothing can be compared that black and white

That being said, I don't think the christmas lights will get you much other than some mushrooms in a really shallow tank.

[gbru316]

Originally Posted by andy.thompson12

So, I was thinking....why can't we just take a string of LED christmas lights, bunch them together in a tight area, and point them towards our reef tank...would that not help the growth and coloration of corals? Then, I went on to read that christmas lights don't have the same output (but they DO have some output, are cheaper, and probably could give off as much PAR right?). Has anyone tried this? just to test it out? Anyhow, I also looked into this: http://www.theledlight.com/par38.html ...would this not work either? Why not?

maybe I'm just being stupid, but I'm curious. I was thinking of doing a trial run on my stylophora which lost a little bit of it's color (used to be fluorescent green...now it's mint-green). I could just put a light, or series of lights pointed towards just that coral and see if there's a change. yes....no?

There are two subjects that kill most money-saving ideas; physics and science.

It's best to educate yourself in the related subjects before outlining or starting an experiment. After acquiring adequate knowledge, many ideas can be scrapped before ever leaving the drawing board.

[sirreal63]

This is an almost 2 year old thread? Perverts.

[ghellin]

Originally Posted by sirreal63

Back from the dead

Omg best mtg card ever!

[Ianwraab]

Originally Posted by username in use

That being said, I don't think the christmas lights will get you much other than some mushrooms in a really shallow tank.

Seriously first off I'm sorry I didn't notice the date on this post....
But if it's so outa date why are you fish geeks still subscribed to it?? Lol

As for the $300 coral comment....
You start with a small plate and get it to the size and color I'd pay $300 bucks for.....not gonna happen under some ghetto DIY safety hazard...

And to reply to your response to my beating of a dead horse...

Ok you might need to compare numbers if the difference is $10...
But if I'm lookin at $25 worth of Christmaslights glued to a cardboard lid vs. a $500 factory build...
Well I don't think I need to look at the numbers in that situation....

My comments are outdated... Main reason I chimed in is because I can spot a safety hazard a mile away and this little controlled experiment could be a bad idea for less.... Sensible people...


Geeez guys I'm new..



You got D&D card images saved to your pc for this situation.... That's lame though... Lol.