So, Actinics are just for "THE look"?

conjuay · May 16, 2008

glassbox-design said: ↑

It is. I'd attribute most of it to marketing...

One thing to consider is when most talk about Kelvin's in the hobby it is related to Metal halides. LEDs, T5s and PCs have a much narrower spectrum than MH's. Go for a nice mixture, it will hit all ranges of absorption and make your tank look better.

The marginal increase in PAR from a 6.5K PC bulb versus a 10K PC bulb will not cause any real noticeable increase in growth. Placement, Flow and water quality will have a much larger and noticeable effect.

As antonym said, PC's are not a very good light source. They degrade quickly, have poor reflectors, and by design are not as efficient as T5's and MH.
Click to expand...

I agree, the PC's leave a lot to be desired, and will be replaced eventually w/T5's using separate reflectors. The PC's got the tank close to usable, - the tank was purchased used and had been a fish only tank with 2 X 24" standard fluorescents over it. The price on the PC unit was cheap enough,
but it is actually pretty expensive when you consider the bulbs only last six/eight months.
Are there QUALITY (single reflectors) retro kits to convert PC's to T5's?
Thanks, everyone.

nunch · May 16, 2008

it's not as much for growth (and it does promote growth), as it is for color not just the tint of your water but actually the true color of your livestock. Spectrum resembles that of the absorption peak of chlorophyll-a, which is the most important pigment found in plant cells. Output in the violet range stimulates pigments in organisms such as coral, fish and inverts. so yes not a necessity for life, but you'll have dull, drab, bland livestock.

Actinic lights are also common in the reef aquarium industry. They are used to promote coral and invertebrate growth.[1][2]
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Actinic light - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

nunch · May 16, 2008

conjuay said: ↑

From wet web media:
<Higher K bulbs are better for what most want for aesthetics nowadays. Corals do better under the 10000K or even 6500K offerings out there. They offer more intensity in the usable spectra involved. The actinic and blue bulb mentioned will do little or nothing towards sustaining photosynthetic organisms.>
(I added the highlighting)
AND later, same article:
Basically, I know that whiter light is better for standard photosynthesis (plants especially), but many corals inverts exist 10,15,20ft down, where very little low frequency white light exists.
<Photosynthesis still occurs the same way, same usable wavelengths of light even though there is less of it, giving a bluer appearance.>

So, it sounds to me that, given the fact that I am using a low level of light,
I should be using lower spectrum bulbs. This should increase the usable part of the spectrum.

Funny how many people swear actinics are needed for Zoaxanthellae algae.
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You pulled this off of wetwebmedia, which is just another forum, which, IMO, doesn't even come close to 3reef. don't always believe what you read especially if it's from another forum.

nunch · May 16, 2008

I found this very interesting, it will explain the Kelvin scale 100%, but you better get your thinking cap on.
Facts of Light Part 4: Color Temperature by Sanjay Joshi - Reefkeeping.com

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So, Actinics are just for "THE look"?

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