Too much actinic?

Discussion in 'General Reef Topics' started by unclejed, Oct 29, 2009.

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  1. unclejed

    unclejed Whip-Lash Squid

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    O.k. everyone, I just read an article, basically it was on algae and various methods of controll. What was odd I thought, and want your feed back on, is it stated that we aquarists use too much actinic in our light schemes. To quote the article; "a little actinic goes a long way". From what I read the article seems to suggest 1 actinic to 3 daylight for a 4 bulb set up and 2 actinic to 4 daylight in a 6 bulb and so on. The article states that algae thrives more on the actinic spectrum. So, what say you?
     
    unclejed, Oct 29, 2009
    unclejed, Oct 29, 2009
    #1

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  2. mikejrice

    mikejrice 3reef Affiliate

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    Sounds like the opposite of the truth to me. Most algaes grow best just like plants under daylight bulbs.
     
    mikejrice, Oct 29, 2009
    mikejrice, Oct 29, 2009
    #2
  3. homegrowncorals

    homegrowncorals Ribbon Eel

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    sounds wrong to me to
     
    homegrowncorals, Oct 29, 2009
    homegrowncorals, Oct 29, 2009
    #3
  4. oceanparadise1

    oceanparadise1 Fire Squid

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    From what i know algea loves the yellower light, i think a lot of this might be the actual high par on atinics
     
    oceanparadise1, Oct 29, 2009
    oceanparadise1, Oct 29, 2009
    #4
  5. cira050

    cira050 Torch Coral

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    I read something very similar to this too a little while ago. I still dont know what to believe though...
     
    cira050, Oct 29, 2009
    cira050, Oct 29, 2009
    #5
  6. mattheuw1

    mattheuw1 Montipora Capricornis

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    high par on actinics? They usually have lower par than daylights.

    This really doesn't make too much sense to me, usually hear the opposite.
     
    mattheuw1, Oct 30, 2009
    mattheuw1, Oct 30, 2009
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  7. Tangster

    Tangster 3reef Sponsor

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    I say you can never have to much actinic if its of proper K values . Algae other then coralline do not live well under it . Maybe this is why I never read articles :) But hey thats just me I run 200 watts VHO acticvice from 7:00 am untill 10:00 PM daily and had the shop on the same cycle I run 3 400 w 20K lamps from 12:00 to 7:00 pm Never any algae issues other then a bout of Bryopsis Pennta .
     
    Tangster, Oct 30, 2009
    Tangster, Oct 30, 2009
    #7
  8. oceanparadise1

    oceanparadise1 Fire Squid

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    this isnt quite true, you would be suprised
     
    oceanparadise1, Oct 30, 2009
    oceanparadise1, Oct 30, 2009
    #8
  9. GuitarMan89

    GuitarMan89 Giant Squid

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    To my knowledge, plants, including algae use the red spectrum of light for photsynthesis, so to me, this would be counter intuitive. However, it could be correct, I would be very curious to see what the actual answer is.
     
    GuitarMan89, Oct 30, 2009
    GuitarMan89, Oct 30, 2009
    #9
  10. inwall75

    inwall75 Giant Squid

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    Here's a quiz folks

    If you have a lot of deepwater acros, why do you need more light in the blue (actinic spectrum)?
     
    inwall75, Oct 30, 2009
    inwall75, Oct 30, 2009
    #10
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