6700k and 10000k

Well I was doing some research and came across a interesting read about the bird nest coral but the article is long and goes into how the different light spectrum's are in a coral reef. So the understanding is that 6700k simulates the light in shallower reefs and 10000k and higher give of a spectrum that is in the deeper part of the reefs. is 6700k better for keeping sps? and if so why are more people going with the higher k bulbs like 12000 and 14000k?
I figured I would start this thread to hear peoples opinions on this.

well if anybody gets a chance it's a interesting read:
Reefs.org: Where Reefkeeping Begins on the Internet - Aquarium.Net April 97

 

The more the yellow oj the spectrum the better it is for hard corals or corals that are used to being in 15ft or less water.

This is the biggest part though, the deeper you go the more blue/purple the spectrum becomes almost to a purple tint. This is why most softy corals or deeper corals do better with light that is blue/purple tint.

So yes light does depend on what type of coral you are going to keep.

Edit:

I have been growing indoor plants for over 10 years, I am merely transfering knowlege from that to here but, I have some awsome flowers

 

Yes 6700k is meant to mimic sunlight on the SURFACE at roughly noon. 6700k does not necessarily mimic light UNDERwater as much as most people think. 6700k is typically a high PARed spectrum in regards to most bulbs, be it Halide or T5 or what have you. A tank that is all 6700k would grow great but most people would not care for such a "yellow" tank and also many of the corals natural colors wouldn't show as well. Hence the more blue spectrum, as far as hobbyists are concerned it is more of a "natural" spectrum for underwater and is more eye pleasing.
I can dig up a post from a guy in my club that does lighting tests for light manufactors and he goes WAY in depth as to how bulbs make light and how spectrum will affect PAR and energy consumption. If you are interested I can try to dig it up..... It will most likely be overkill in this post but who knows......
As far as SPS, lower spectrums tend to grow them fairly well, but I have seen tanks that's overall spectrum(including main and supplemental bulbs) is closer to 14,000k or even 20,000k and the SPS was growing like wild fire.
So, in all reality spectrum(to an extend) is in the eye of the beholder!

Happy reefing!

 

Interesting read. Learn more about the hobby everyday! Thanks! Once my 160g is up i'll have to add that spectrum for the sps.

 

There's actually a lot of misleading statements in Eric's article and I only skimmed it.

If you want to understand this better, search 3reef for articles by dana riddle.

 

I run front to back
actinic
6700k
actinic
10k
actinic
18k

I have notice the green birds nest growing faster in the front where it is getting the 67k