Something about light you should know

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This is for the newbes in reef keeping, hope this will help:

The appearance of your animals depends upon the color of the lighting used in the aquarium. The color tone of any light source is classified in terms of its temperature and expressed in degrees Kelvin. A candle flame is a very warm light source with a low color temperature of abgout 1,800 K, wheras midday sunlight in the tropics is about 6,500 K. Lamps running at higher color temperatures (10,000 K, 14,000K and even up to 20,000 K and higher) give out a harsher, colder, bluer light as the color temperature increases. Warm lights make reds and yellows look good, whereas the colder lights give the fish a much paler rendition. However, it must be said that these are the colors you would acturally preceive in the sea, where only the blue end of the light spectrum penetrates to any great depth:).

-tungsten lamps are 2,500 - 3,000 K Warm light.
-cool white flourescent are 4,000 K white.
-normal daylight is 6,500 K.
-A clear blue sky is 10,000 - 30,000 K.
 
advantages of using actanics:

Atinic bulbs give out light that peaks in the blue part of the spectrum (420nm). This light is particularly appreciated by invertebrates including corals.
Actinic bulbs are often fitted in conjunction with whiter bulbs and switched on before (and switched off after) the white bulbs to simulate dawn and dusk lighting. Creating a smoother passage between bright light and darkness reduces the stress risk to the fish.
 
some more helpful tips:

If you are installing a number of different color temperature florescent bulbs in the hood of a fish only aquarium, put the actinic blue bulb at the back.
White bulbs then light up the foreground of the display and the dimmer blue light gives a distance enhancing effect, helping to make the tank appear deeper front to back.

In a reef aquarium, position the aticnic bulbs directly above corals that need enhanced levels of blue light.
 
light for the first weeks of new tank:

For the first one to two weeks of your reef aquarium's life light the tank for around six hours a day.
At this point you do not need to utilize the full complement of lighting that your finished reef will need.
It would be to your disadvantage to do so. Because your reef is vulnerable to outbreaks of pest algae during its early days. It's better to limit the amount of light available until you are ready to start stocking with photsynthetic organisms.
 
For some of the guys that didn't know(photoperiod):

As your reef starts to mature and you build up your stock of corals and other photosynthetic animals, gradually increase the photoperiod by half an hour to an hour, every four or five days, until you reach your desired day length.
Keep a close watch for any signs of pest algae starting to take hold. If you see a problem with unwanted algae, adjust the lighting back by a couple of increments.
 
thanks Lanzo,im sure this will help out the newbies
 
10 000k and 20 000k is the best
 
so what lights would you suggest for a marine tank?

Hi Scruffels - lighting on a marine tank depends completely WHAT you are planning to keep.
Example:
- Fish Only: you can have T8 (normal output) fluorescents
- Fish only with some soft-corals: minimum - a few T5's
- Mostly LPS and Soft-corals with SOME fish: a LOT of T5's (you can also keep some SPS with a LOT of T5's)
- Mostly SPS - Metal halides.... 10000 Kelvin rating (the higher the Kelvin rating, the more blue the coloration of the globes, the less the PAR rating)...
 
But you alwas want blue light for colour
 
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