Prolific/Growth using actinics only !!!!

MUCHO REEF · 03/20/2009, 06:50 PM

Based upon a statement made in the MYTHS thread, and a few accounts I have read on line, I want to pose this question. Does anyone have personal firsthand results, insight, experience, knowledge or proof that such viability with actinic illumination exist or is even possible? I'm very interested in this topic, how about you?

Mucho Reef

Fishindude88 · 03/20/2009, 07:05 PM

This is interesting... I know a guy over here who only has his daylights on for 2 hours all day and has AMAZING growth and health.

MUCHO REEF · 03/20/2009, 07:10 PM

Can you get him to log on and share as much info as possible? I'd love to listen to what he has to share. Anyone else have an opinion or feedback on the topic of actinic growth only or limited daylight growth? Come on guys/gals, can we talk about something new?

Fishindude88 · 03/20/2009, 07:19 PM

Haha, I've got an all daylight story too! My dad used all daylights for a few months when his actinic went out. He added another daylight bulb and ended up getting really nice colors off and on, usually the blue ones. Actually now thinking about it, growth was not really any better. Now he is using a 10k and a 50/50 PC (half 10k and half actinic). It is so far looking great colorwise but too soon to tell for growth.

juniormc8704 · 03/20/2009, 08:16 PM

I have first hand experience running only aqua science 22k bulbs over my zoa/paly tank.

These would be in the 480nm range, so not true actinic, but more of super actinic bulb.

I have had excellent growth, and the best colors possible in the morphs I keep.

However, just to note, in my efforts to keep the electrical costs down, i have been also running the 22k's only in my mixed reef tank, which includes a few dozen SPS frags that have also had steady growth.

I havent run day lights in probably 6 months.

PauChi · 03/20/2009, 09:54 PM

I've tried runningT5HO Actinics for a couple days(shutting off the MH lights at the same time ... just to experiment) and have noticed that the polyps on all my Corals were fully opened and expanded ....

. That was almost a week strictly on Actinics.
At present I am using Aqua Medic Reef Blue Actinics and have tried several T5 brand names Actinic tubes which wasn't my "Actinic" preference .....

Paul

geoxman · 03/21/2009, 07:12 PM

I have ran a few frag tanks on only VHO blue and white actinic and the coloration is simply amazing. The growth is decent, but not explosive, but the exotic coloration makes up for the lack of growth.

I have stated before in other threads that if I could do this with my current set up, I would in a heart beat! I can't because of the glare and how low bulbs must be in relation to the water surface.

I ran a frag tank like this for a few years and the results were out of this world, color wise.

I have only used VHO actinic in this manner and never T5. These were URI on an icecap 660. good luck

blackbeard 1 · 03/22/2009, 11:12 AM

Any pics?

MUCHO REEF · 03/24/2009, 09:31 PM

Does anyone have an opinion, how or why this happens?

Philip Root · 03/25/2009, 06:32 AM

I am now working on a system that the owner is using all t-5 Act03, and he has been for about a year. The growth is good and the color is nice. Zoas seem to not color as well as, SPS corals, and LPS. I will take some pics and share.

Creetin · 03/25/2009, 06:35 AM

I had a couple mos where i kept sps.zoas,lps in a tank lit by blueplus and actinic bulbs only. Like Jr there.
All corals did well! sps even grew, and had good colors.

weaselslucks · 03/25/2009, 12:49 PM

it could be alot of things that make the growth better or zoas open more.
if the coral is from deeper water then the light spectrum is very different.the reds and yellow wave lengths go first and the blues are the last to go so some corals at those depths might do better because they are programed to make use of the blue color spectrum. If the coral is from shallow water it might do better with light that has more of the red and yellow end of the spectrum.if those shallow living corals are exposed to just blue light they might open more disparate for more light to make up the difference

I think it would be hard to say exclusively that the Atinic light is what is making more growth.not only do different corals have different preferences in light wave lengths but the boundaries of those wavelengths are not rigid.

say orange bam bam zoas may love a certain depth but can aslo do good at higher or lower light levels

of course this is only my speculations

Future · 03/25/2009, 02:40 PM

I've been doing PC Actinics more than my hqi, but my yellow skirts don't care whereas my watermellons are completely content. Haven't seen propagation yet, but it's only been a short time.

Philip Root · 03/25/2009, 02:49 PM

Here was a few pictuers taken today. This tank as had Act03 over it from day 1

Future · 03/25/2009, 03:01 PM

Awesome looking colors.. What are the green stalks? Gorg's?

650-IS350 · 03/25/2009, 03:05 PM

looks like Green slimers to me.

That's the thing I like about attinics... make all color pop as if the pictures go doctor'd.

MUCHO REEF · 03/25/2009, 04:26 PM

Thank you all for your opinions and feedback. This has shed a great light on somethings for me. I have an idea now.

Mooch

MUCHO REEF · 04/10/2009, 11:23 AM

Any others opinions?

IridescentLily · 04/10/2009, 11:53 AM

This is an interesting thread. Those colors Phillip Root posted are out of this world.
That lps is crazy colored. What is it symphyllia? Or an acan hillae, or lobophyllia?
I had no idea reefkeepers actually implemented this actinic only lighting, not just hyphothesizing about it.
And to top it off seems to be a valid option for some polyps and other corals?

Is this the case with polyps (and other corals) which come from more shallow water?
In other words I'm wondering how polyps from a environment which is lower in depth and on the blue wavelength of the spectrum would do?
Geoxman, or anyone?

Thanks.

flyyyguy · 04/10/2009, 02:44 PM

I have never used actinics alone....but I did last year in the middle of a m,ultitank fiasco use some weak pc bulbs that were mostly actinic for over a month over my polyp tank. I lost some true color in nearly everything, and the growth while there...was slow.

Coralline growth was of course insane

a couple of months is certainly not a fair test, of course neither are pics under straight actinics if we are talking about measuring or percieving true color

to be sure...im not saying that the colors above arent excellent, I dont know, but if you want to sell me on the fact that the colors the corals can show are truly that impressive in comparison to stronger lighting, put some 10k's over the tank for a minute and a camera custom white balanced to them and lets see what color they really are

IridescentLily · 04/15/2009, 12:42 AM

That's a good point. I wonder if anyone's takena pic like that.

PauChi · 04/15/2009, 07:46 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by IridescentLily
T What is it symphyllia? Or an acan hillae, or lobophyllia?

Looks very similar to the Symphyllia Wilsoni.

Paul

manhorsedog · 04/15/2009, 08:45 AM

i have a biocube 14 with one actinics and one 50/50

i keep the actinics on from 12-9 and the 50/50 on from 3-5

all of my zoas really love it and grow like weeds. Most of my polyps have gone from five or less to over 50 in six months.

MUCHO REEF · 08/22/2011, 09:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MUCHO REEF

Based upon a statement made in the MYTHS thread, and a few accounts I have read on line, I want to pose this question. Does anyone have personal firsthand results, insight, experience, knowledge or proof that such viability with actinic illumination exist or is even possible? I'm very interested in this topic, how about you?

Mucho Reef

A. Grandis · 08/23/2011, 11:33 PM

Actinic only for "photosynthetic inverts"?
I personally don't believe it would be appropriate.
Talking about zoanthids... they are found mostly in shallow waters and should be treated with a spectrum that would resemble their natural environment for best metabolism and health.
That's my point of view on the subject, my friend.

I certainly enjoy when the actinic comes on early morning and late afternoon in my tank!

I'm happy to enjoy the fluorescent pigments while their are on.
Grandis.

03/20/2009, 06:50 PM	#1
MUCHO REEF Registered Member. Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Michigan Posts: 4,350	Prolific/Growth using actinics only !!!! Based upon a statement made in the MYTHS thread, and a few accounts I have read on line, I want to pose this question. Does anyone have personal firsthand results, insight, experience, knowledge or proof that such viability with actinic illumination exist or is even possible? I'm very interested in this topic, how about you? Mucho Reef __________________ Anyone can build a reef.....the greater challenge......is to grow one. Current Tank Info: 70 gallon zoanthid, Palythoa and Mushroom Reef.

03/20/2009, 07:05 PM	#2
Fishindude88 Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Massachusetts Posts: 472	This is interesting... I know a guy over here who only has his daylights on for 2 hours all day and has AMAZING growth and health. __________________ 55 Gallon DT Current Tank Info: 55 Gallon Mixed Reef

03/20/2009, 07:10 PM	#3
MUCHO REEF Registered Member. Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Michigan Posts: 4,350	Can you get him to log on and share as much info as possible? I'd love to listen to what he has to share. Anyone else have an opinion or feedback on the topic of actinic growth only or limited daylight growth? Come on guys/gals, can we talk about something new? __________________ Anyone can build a reef.....the greater challenge......is to grow one. Current Tank Info: 70 gallon zoanthid, Palythoa and Mushroom Reef.

03/20/2009, 07:19 PM	#4
Fishindude88 Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Massachusetts Posts: 472	Haha, I've got an all daylight story too! My dad used all daylights for a few months when his actinic went out. He added another daylight bulb and ended up getting really nice colors off and on, usually the blue ones. Actually now thinking about it, growth was not really any better. Now he is using a 10k and a 50/50 PC (half 10k and half actinic). It is so far looking great colorwise but too soon to tell for growth. __________________ 55 Gallon DT Current Tank Info: 55 Gallon Mixed Reef

03/20/2009, 08:16 PM	#5
juniormc8704 Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Michigan Posts: 941	I have first hand experience running only aqua science 22k bulbs over my zoa/paly tank. These would be in the 480nm range, so not true actinic, but more of super actinic bulb. I have had excellent growth, and the best colors possible in the morphs I keep. However, just to note, in my efforts to keep the electrical costs down, i have been also running the 22k's only in my mixed reef tank, which includes a few dozen SPS frags that have also had steady growth. I havent run day lights in probably 6 months. __________________ Junior Click on the Red House to see my reef! Current Tank Info: 300 Gallon In-Wall display, 1000 gallon total volume under construction

03/20/2009, 09:54 PM	#6
PauChi Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Toronto Posts: 488	I've tried runningT5HO Actinics for a couple days(shutting off the MH lights at the same time ... just to experiment) and have noticed that the polyps on all my Corals were fully opened and expanded .... . That was almost a week strictly on Actinics. At present I am using Aqua Medic Reef Blue Actinics and have tried several T5 brand names Actinic tubes which wasn't my "Actinic" preference ..... Paul

03/21/2009, 07:12 PM	#7
geoxman Premium Member Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: in my office Posts: 3,818	I have ran a few frag tanks on only VHO blue and white actinic and the coloration is simply amazing. The growth is decent, but not explosive, but the exotic coloration makes up for the lack of growth. I have stated before in other threads that if I could do this with my current set up, I would in a heart beat! I can't because of the glare and how low bulbs must be in relation to the water surface. I ran a frag tank like this for a few years and the results were out of this world, color wise. I have only used VHO actinic in this manner and never T5. These were URI on an icecap 660. good luck __________________ "Why do you necessarily have to be wrong just because a few million people think you are?" F-Zappa Current Tank Info: an ice cube tray with brine shrimp in each cubicle

03/22/2009, 11:12 AM	#8
blackbeard 1 Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2008 Posts: 58	Any pics?

03/24/2009, 09:31 PM	#9
MUCHO REEF Registered Member. Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Michigan Posts: 4,350	Does anyone have an opinion, how or why this happens? __________________ Anyone can build a reef.....the greater challenge......is to grow one. Current Tank Info: 70 gallon zoanthid, Palythoa and Mushroom Reef.

03/25/2009, 06:32 AM	#10
Philip Root Premium Member Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Boca Raton Flordia Posts: 830	I am now working on a system that the owner is using all t-5 Act03, and he has been for about a year. The growth is good and the color is nice. Zoas seem to not color as well as, SPS corals, and LPS. I will take some pics and share. __________________ Law of Coral Shopping If you don't buy it when you first see it, It won't be there when you come back.

03/25/2009, 06:35 AM	#11
Creetin Limestone Cowboy. Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: In a little place i like to call a little place. Posts: 4,950	I had a couple mos where i kept sps.zoas,lps in a tank lit by blueplus and actinic bulbs only. Like Jr there. All corals did well! sps even grew, and had good colors. __________________ If only common sense was common. Current Tank Info: 300 gal marineland deep

03/25/2009, 12:49 PM	#12
weaselslucks Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Oxford,Ct Posts: 1,391	it could be alot of things that make the growth better or zoas open more. if the coral is from deeper water then the light spectrum is very different.the reds and yellow wave lengths go first and the blues are the last to go so some corals at those depths might do better because they are programed to make use of the blue color spectrum. If the coral is from shallow water it might do better with light that has more of the red and yellow end of the spectrum.if those shallow living corals are exposed to just blue light they might open more disparate for more light to make up the difference I think it would be hard to say exclusively that the Atinic light is what is making more growth.not only do different corals have different preferences in light wave lengths but the boundaries of those wavelengths are not rigid. say orange bam bam zoas may love a certain depth but can aslo do good at higher or lower light levels of course this is only my speculations

03/25/2009, 02:40 PM	#13
Future Registered Member Join Date: May 2008 Location: South Florida Posts: 40	I've been doing PC Actinics more than my hqi, but my yellow skirts don't care whereas my watermellons are completely content. Haven't seen propagation yet, but it's only been a short time. __________________ Just when you thought you knew all about it, there's more to it than you ever knew. Current Tank Info: 36gal. Bowfront Reef, HQI/PC lighting w/ natural sunlight 2hrs a day

03/25/2009, 02:49 PM	#14
Philip Root Premium Member Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Boca Raton Flordia Posts: 830	Here was a few pictuers taken today. This tank as had Act03 over it from day 1 __________________ Law of Coral Shopping If you don't buy it when you first see it, It won't be there when you come back.

03/25/2009, 03:01 PM	#15
Future Registered Member Join Date: May 2008 Location: South Florida Posts: 40	Awesome looking colors.. What are the green stalks? Gorg's? __________________ Just when you thought you knew all about it, there's more to it than you ever knew. Current Tank Info: 36gal. Bowfront Reef, HQI/PC lighting w/ natural sunlight 2hrs a day

03/25/2009, 03:05 PM	#16
650-IS350 Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Brisbane, Bay Area Posts: 13,298	looks like Green slimers to me. That's the thing I like about attinics... make all color pop as if the pictures go doctor'd. __________________ Charles , AKA " DELSOL650 "

03/25/2009, 04:26 PM	#17
MUCHO REEF Registered Member. Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Michigan Posts: 4,350	Thank you all for your opinions and feedback. This has shed a great light on somethings for me. I have an idea now. Mooch __________________ Anyone can build a reef.....the greater challenge......is to grow one. Current Tank Info: 70 gallon zoanthid, Palythoa and Mushroom Reef.

04/10/2009, 11:23 AM	#18
MUCHO REEF Registered Member. Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Michigan Posts: 4,350	Any others opinions? __________________ Anyone can build a reef.....the greater challenge......is to grow one. Current Tank Info: 70 gallon zoanthid, Palythoa and Mushroom Reef.

04/10/2009, 11:53 AM	#19
IridescentLily Editor-Reefkeeping mag Join Date: May 2008 Location: Albuquerque, New Mexico Posts: 3,777 Blog Entries: 5	This is an interesting thread. Those colors Phillip Root posted are out of this world. That lps is crazy colored. What is it symphyllia? Or an acan hillae, or lobophyllia? I had no idea reefkeepers actually implemented this actinic only lighting, not just hyphothesizing about it. And to top it off seems to be a valid option for some polyps and other corals? Is this the case with polyps (and other corals) which come from more shallow water? In other words I'm wondering how polyps from a environment which is lower in depth and on the blue wavelength of the spectrum would do? Geoxman, or anyone? Thanks. __________________ ~April Editor-Reefkeeping Magazine Last edited by IridescentLily; 04/10/2009 at 11:59 AM.

04/10/2009, 02:44 PM	#20
flyyyguy King of the white corals Join Date: Jun 2006 Posts: 5,244	I have never used actinics alone....but I did last year in the middle of a m,ultitank fiasco use some weak pc bulbs that were mostly actinic for over a month over my polyp tank. I lost some true color in nearly everything, and the growth while there...was slow. Coralline growth was of course insane a couple of months is certainly not a fair test, of course neither are pics under straight actinics if we are talking about measuring or percieving true color to be sure...im not saying that the colors above arent excellent, I dont know, but if you want to sell me on the fact that the colors the corals can show are truly that impressive in comparison to stronger lighting, put some 10k's over the tank for a minute and a camera custom white balanced to them and lets see what color they really are __________________ I like holding hands, snuggling, and long walks on the beach Last edited by flyyyguy; 04/10/2009 at 03:36 PM.

04/15/2009, 12:42 AM	#21
IridescentLily Editor-Reefkeeping mag Join Date: May 2008 Location: Albuquerque, New Mexico Posts: 3,777 Blog Entries: 5	That's a good point. I wonder if anyone's takena pic like that. __________________ ~April Editor-Reefkeeping Magazine

04/15/2009, 08:45 AM	#23
manhorsedog Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Posts: 334	i have a biocube 14 with one actinics and one 50/50 i keep the actinics on from 12-9 and the 50/50 on from 3-5 all of my zoas really love it and grow like weeds. Most of my polyps have gone from five or less to over 50 in six months.

08/23/2011, 11:33 PM	#25
A. Grandis Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Honolulu Posts: 1,853	Actinic only for "photosynthetic inverts"? I personally don't believe it would be appropriate. Talking about zoanthids... they are found mostly in shallow waters and should be treated with a spectrum that would resemble their natural environment for best metabolism and health. That's my point of view on the subject, my friend. I certainly enjoy when the actinic comes on early morning and late afternoon in my tank! I'm happy to enjoy the fluorescent pigments while their are on. Grandis.