For optimal coral growth, you will generally want a full spectrum of light that includes some reds, oranges, and yellows, but that is heavier towards the blue range. There is a current trend in the hobby towards very blue, nearly dark aquariums, with glowing corals.
Do corals grow better under LED lighting? Yes, LEDs do grow coral - just ask our experts at LiveAquaria.com! They have been using LED lighting for quite some time now over our coral tanks with amazing results.
To get your corals to pop with intense and strong fluorescence your light must have high intensity at the Violet Blue Cyan spectrum (400-490nm).
Efficient photosynthesis requires not only adequate light intensity but also the correct spectrum of light. Terrestrial plants, like those found in our garden, favor colors in the yellow, orange, and red range while corals favor colors in the blue spectrum.
The 9,000 to 10,000K lamps generally produce very good growth rate for soft and LPS corals but slows down growth of SPS corals. The 14,000K lamps which are popular with metal halide and LED lighting will penetrate the water better than the above lamps and still provide a good PAR level for all corals including SPS.
T5HO fluorescent lamps used to be the most energy efficient option for troffer lights and tube lights on the market. LED replacements have actually been estimated to save 45%-65% of the energy costs of T5 lighting! These savings are incurred in several ways. T5 lamp life ranges from 25,000 hours to 35,000 hours.
SPS corals require the most lighting while soft and LPS corals can do well even with lower intensity fluorescent lighting. Actinic or more blue lighting should be used even with metal halide lighting to achieve the best possible coral coloration.
The T5s will do the rest. This includes growing corals without fussing over unnecessary bells and whistles. And with T5 lighting, there are no hot spots to worry about. You simply place your coral at the correct tank depth and let them grow.
The main advantage of LED over T5 lights is that it is more efficient, which will save cost (bulbs & power) in the long run. Designs are often more sleek. Picking a commercial LED light for a planted aquarium that works well can be tricky.
With a fully stocked 150-gallon mixed reef tank, a 10 bulb T5 fixture would be required to sufficiently light up his aquarium. 540W of lighting running 10 hours per day can translate to a lot of heat and an expensive electricity bill.
Time: With typical daily photo periods of 8-12 hours, T5 bulbs carry the average life-span is 9-12 months. If it's been more than 12 months since your last bulb change, it's probably time for a change.
Essentially, the ideal time to have your lights on full is between 9 and 12 hours. Providing ramp up and ramp down time if possible. This gives the coral enough time (roughly 9 hours) to grow and reward from the photosynthesis.
Corals don't need a white light to grow in your reef tank. Instead, they need blue light to grow healthily. White light is more useful to humans, as it helps them 'see' the corals in the reef tank better.
Corals need a certain amount of UV light in order to photosynthesize properly and produce substances for nourishment.
A T5 grow light is a fluorescent light that uses high output T5 bulbs that are strong enough to grow plants. They're a type of light known as fluorescent lights, and offer a much softer light output compared to high intensity discharge (HID) bulbs like HPS, MH, and CMH grow lights.
T5 & T8 fluorescent and compact fluorescent tubes are to be phased out. In 2023, T5 and T8 fluorescent and compact fluorescent tubes (CFL) will be phased out in accordance with the European Commission's ecodesign and RoHS directives.
Barrina T5 Grow Lights, Full Spectrum, 2ft 40W (4 x 10W, 250W Equivalent), LED Grow Light Bulbs, Plant Lights for Indoor Plants, Greenhouse, Plug and Play, 4-Pack.
Corals like the ones we added in these tanks will often show signs of not enough light by stretching out and reaching for the light as well as gradually turning brown. Corals receiving too much light will shrink up, retract polypes, bleach white or close and sometimes start to loose tissue.
There are plenty of days when the sun doesn't shine and sometimes doesn't shine for days on end. Your corals can handle the 3 days of darkness no sweat.
To sum up, fish is not necessary to turn on the lights all day. Aquarium lights at night it is best to turn off, as for the specific time of the switch you can refer to the sunrise and sunset time.
Reef-building corals cannot tolerate water temperatures below 64° Fahrenheit (18° Celsius). Many grow optimally in water temperatures between 73° and 84° Fahrenheit (23°–29°Celsius), but some can tolerate temperatures as high as 104° Fahrenheit (40° Celsius) for short periods.
Even the optimal amount of daily photosynthetic activity generates residual energy inside the coral that must be released, so they need a period of darkness, just as much as they need the light. Our research has shown that to get optimal coral growth and coloration, light and dark periods should be about the same.
Healthy tropical coral reefs grow horizontally from 1 to 3 cm (0.39 to 1.18 in) per year, and grow vertically anywhere from 1 to 25 cm (0.39 to 9.84 in) per year; however, they grow only at depths shallower than 150 m (490 ft) because of their need for sunlight, and cannot grow above sea level.
T5 fluorescent bulbs are more costly than other lighting options because they require a ballast to regulate the current. However, the lower energy cost often outweighs the higher purchase price.
Time: With typical daily photo periods of 8-12 hours, T5 bulbs carry the average life-span is 9-12 months. If it's been more than 12 months since your last bulb change, it's probably time.