Product Review: Lighting for Reef Aquaria: Tips on Taking Light Measurements

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Warr7207

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This is a really interesting article concerning lighting.

QUOTE:
"Although we generally think of corals as originating from brightly lighted natural reefs and naturally assume corals need lots of light, the truth is that most corals require relatively little in order to thrive. For example, the 'Fox' coral (Nemezophyllia sp.) does quite well in low light. Thriving specimens have been noted in as little light as 35 µMol·m²·sec! On the other hand, an Acropora specimen (commonly called the 'Purple Monster') displayed magnificent coloration in the highest light intensity I have ever measured in an aquarium - almost 900 µMol·m²·sec (later research reveal that this coral photo-saturates at 300-400 µMol·m²·sec. I was wasting a lot of light and money!). Most corals will grow quite well in light intensities of 200-300 µMol·m²·sec."

Advanced Aquarist's Online Magazine - Product Review: Lighting for Reef Aquaria: Tips on Taking Light Measurements
 
any Durban reefers got a PAR meter for me to borrow?i'll pay a deposit :p
 
Think Andrew has one. I would love t get readings of good T5's with reflectors and ones with none...
 
that would be a very interesting read...i would love to know....ok i'll let you take readings in my tank:) :) but jokes aside i wonder how much light we over supply in the fear of undersupplying?
 
Tagging along on this one - as I believe EXACTLY this as well. Taking into account that I have NEVER seen such bright light on ANY of the reefs that I have SCUBA dived (not snorkeled - SCUBA dived) on....

The acropora corals in the Seychelles where we both SCUBA dived as well as snorkeled had a VERY brown coloration because of the amount of zooxanthellae in them.... No coloration like some of the sticks I have seen in reefers' tanks.
 
jacquesb said:
Tagging along on this one - as I believe EXACTLY this as well. Taking into account that I have NEVER seen such bright light on ANY of the reefs that I have SCUBA dived (not snorkeled - SCUBA dived) on....

The acropora corals in the Seychelles where we both SCUBA dived as well as snorkeled had a VERY brown coloration because of the amount of zooxanthellae in them.... No coloration like some of the sticks I have seen in reefers' tanks.
Click to expand...
agree with you,when i dived in Thailand,millions of corals but just brown.guess maybe if we put a few halides and t5s over the reefs will bring out the colour lol
 
The colouration of our corals is it's natural defence on high intensity lighting. Less harsh the light the less colour :p
 
Warr - I think that you are partly correct - personally, what I have learnt of corals, it seems that the less light, the more the zooxanthellae - the less the corals are dependant on food. The more light (intensity/blue?) the less zooxanthellae, the more / better / brighter the coloration (pigment produced?) are the corals.... THE MORE the corals are dependant on food.....
 
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