Anyone Else Sick of Actinic Only Pics?

[Sarah24!]

Good afternoon,

So there were some requests for people to see my flip phone under blue lights. Now I did turn it off, one it’s my only phone but two I didn’t want to drop it. I have to correct myself I always thought I had a Nokia, I’m wrong I have a samsung. When I went to att and gave my number I found myself in a very embarrassing moment. I have a Verizon number. I’m on my parents plan so I don’t see the bill, but give them money every month. Anyway I have Verizon and not att. That was a learning moment for me. But with that said and here are pics of my phone. (I made my brother take pics, he owes me, anyway).

 

[that Reef Guy]

I am wondering if this is just me.

I've noticed a HUGE trend, especially lately of vendors using Actinic Only pics to sell corals.

While I understand this is a great way to sell corals, it seems it is quickly becoming the norm.

My brother just bought some zoas from a vendor on here where the actinics made the coral look incredible (and indeed, under actinics in his tank they look very similar to the for sale pic), but under standard daylight it is among one of the ugliest zoas we have ever seen. The price tag on these were $75pp which would have never been paid by even a blind man had they been sold with a daylight pic.

It seems like some are starting to take advantage of the actinic 'color pop' to sell corals that don't actually look that great under daylight---which, by the way, is how I and I assume many others view their tanks at least 50%+ of the time.

I have noticed one vendor who actually posts the same pic as both daylight and actinic so that you can see both versions of the truth. I think that's a pretty nice way to go about business.

Sorry for the rant; I was just curious if anyone else is at the point where they see a for sale item under actinics only, sighs, and then wants to ask the next question: "how does it look under daylights?"

Lately?

I have been in the hobby since 2009 and this has ALWAYS been the norm for the last 8 years I have been keeping Coral.

It is common knowledge that all pics are taken under Blue LED.

You even admitted that it looked like the picture.

So you were not deceived.

Most people complain about Photoshopped Corals where even under Blue LED they do not look like the picture.

I do not know why you are upset?

This has been the norm for a looooong time.

It is nothing new.

If you don't like the way Corals look under White Light DON'T use White Light.

I stopped using White Light Many Years ago and My Corals ALWAYS look Amazing.

I am the opposite.

If somebody posted pics of Corals under White I would not buy them because they would look Ugly.

Who wants to look at Ugly Corals anyways ???????

 

[hatfielj]

We know the colors will pop in the blue so show them both ways.

Actually not all corals "pop" under blue light. In fact, some "pop" a lot more than others. Those are the corals I'm personally looking for. But, to each their own

 

[John3]

Actually not all corals "pop" under blue light. In fact, some "pop" a lot more than others. Those are the corals I'm personally looking for. But, to each their own

Someone needs to start a thread showcasing beautiful corals that pop under white lighting(non blue). I’d be interested.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Someone needs to start a thread showcasing beautiful corals that pop under white lighting(non blue). I’d be interested.

Here is one or two

 

[EMeyer]

Here's how I see it

VS

+1
Every time someone posts "beauty is in the eye of the beholder" in this thread I think this pair of images should be re-posted Yeah, beauty is in the eye of the beholder but...

 

[rosshamsandwich]

blue only is not healthy for corals

 

[John3]

I don’t run blue only, not sure if anyone really does. I run a radion g4 using the AB+ schedule. This is mainly blue/violet/uv but does use white/red/green in very low qty. I would bet most people would look at my tank and think it’s running just blue buts it’s not. This schedule has a proven track record on coral growth and coloration. My corals have been growing awesome under it.

My RBTA looks good under a equal mix of blue/white but looks crazy under the AB+ lighting.

 

[jda]

The blue-light phenonomen has given a crutch to folks who no longer have to work hard to actually color coral. It still takes daylight to bring out the most colors with the most contrast.

Here are some ugly mushrooms under daylight... nearly every color is there. They are not this colorful under just blues. Even you can have better color with more spectrum.

You can color with daylight and still illuminate in any what you see fit. Why does it have to be one or the other all the time?

 

[shred5]

The blue-light phenonomen has given a crutch to folks who no longer have to work hard to actually color coral. It still takes daylight to bring out the most colors with the most contrast.

Here are some ugly mushrooms under daylight... nearly every color is there. They are not this colorful under just blues. Even you can have better color with more spectrum.

You can color with daylight and still illuminate in any what you see fit. Why does it have to be one or the other all the time?

jda you have to ask why a few people are so against them taking pictures in more normal light ?

I mean I do not mind if they post a picture in blue for those that use just blue lighting so why are some so against more white pictures?

My guess is it will hurt the sale and popularity of some of the corals that they paid so much for, bringing down the price of these corals. I mean when they find out a coral is actually a brown coral. Or is it harder to get a coral to actually color up!

I mean what is wrong with posting pictures both ways? you think people would demand it. I do not get it.. why not both and why people fight it so hard? what is there motives?

 

[jda]

It depends. For the trendy stuff, people do not care and they do not have to take more photos. The front-edge noobies do not usually know any better and there are also people who do not care. There are also large groups of people who will not buy stuff under blue-only. The trendy corals are fools-gold, though, both in price and looks since they eventually get figured out for what they actually are... they go down in value.

Some of it is just feeding the beast. A local shop paid $450 for a WD frag a few year ago. They were disappointed to get a green/brown tenius, but the pics on their website where under Hydra Blues only because they could not lose $450... now those frags barely sell for $50 since they will not ship. They exhausted the local market of blue-only buyers.

There are some that post photos of both and accurately represent their things. Amazingly, they also have he best stuff, IMO... more legit corals and lots of stuff that has stood the test of time. They are like the classic rock station where time has weeded out all of the garbage that used to be pop.

Object with your wallet. I am mostly into acros and I buy/trade with hobbyists and the few vendors that think like I do. I spend nothing at Vivid, WWC or any of the vendors that make this problem worse, as I see it. However, nearly nobody agrees with me.... and I am totally fine with that.

 

[shred5]

It depends. For the trendy stuff, people do not care and they do not have to take more photos. The front-edge noobies do not usually know any better and there are also people who do not care. There are also large groups of people who will not buy stuff under blue-only. The trendy corals are fools-gold, though, both in price and looks since they eventually get figured out for what they actually are... they go down in value.

Some of it is just feeding the beast. A local shop paid $450 for a WD frag a few year ago. They were disappointed to get a green/brown tenius, but the pics on their website where under Hydra Blues only because they could not lose $450... now those frags barely sell for $50 since they will not ship. They exhausted the local market of blue-only buyers.

There are some that post photos of both and accurately represent their things. Amazingly, they also have he best stuff, IMO... more legit corals and lots of stuff that has stood the test of time. They are like the classic rock station where time has weeded out all of the garbage that used to be pop.

Object with your wallet. I am mostly into acros and I buy/trade with hobbyists and the few vendors that think like I do. I spend nothing at Vivid, WWC or any of the vendors that make this problem worse, as I see it. However, nearly nobody agrees with me.... and I am totally fine with that.

I agree.. I also do not care what people like in corals it is their choice and have no issue at all, if people like blue that is their choice it is their reef... I also have no issue with blue pics for those who like corals that way.. If I sold corals I would show both and if I did sell I would probably have both corals for both markets. I am not knocking vendors for selling those corals either.

Just nowadays their are so many tricks with cameras it can be hard to tell.. I also do not mind lighthouse or Photoshop if it they use it to do a accurate representation of the coral.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Whatever is healthy and responsive for your corals is most important. We buy lights mainly for husbandry for fish and corals. We have par meters to measure just more than blues. Do consider pars for ultimate color and growth.

 

[that Reef Guy]

blue only is not healthy for corals

???????

I don’t dive but ask any diver

The ocean is blue

The deeper down you get the bluer it is

Most of the high end stuff is found in deeper water

So actually blue is most natural for Corals

My Corals have never been healthier since switching to all blue light

If all blue is not healthy why do so many people do it that way nowadays?

This is especially apparent with those with very very expensive coral collections

If it was not healthy why would they risk a fortune on coral?

 

[that Reef Guy]

I don’t run blue only, not sure if anyone really does. I run a radion g4 using the AB+ schedule. This is mainly blue/violet/uv but does use white/red/green in very low qty. I would bet most people would look at my tank and think it’s running just blue buts it’s not. This schedule has a proven track record on coral growth and coloration. My corals have been growing awesome under it.

My RBTA looks good under a equal mix of blue/white but looks crazy under the AB+ lighting.

I use blue only lighting and I know a whole lot of people I that only use blue as well

 

[jda]

You can probably have a tank with blue-only look. Most T5 looking lights are not truly blue only, just look blue to our eyes - there is a lot of green, yellow and red in there as well as IR and some UV. You do not see too many reefs with blue-only LEDs and forsake all others.

However, this misconception that stuff is found only in deep water where only blue penetrates is mostly false. The vast majority of what we keep is collected in less than 3 meters... with snorkels or with guys just holding their breath. Some of them collect in waist deep water at low tide. Sure, some stuff is collected from deeper, but mostly fish - rebreathers are semi-dangerous and expensive and fish get more money than corals. The coral that comes from more than 30 meters where the water is mostly blue is few and far-between. The vast majority of the coral that we keep got full daylight spectrum in the ocean from about 350nm to 850nm... give or take.

When we were in the Coral Sea/Indo watching guys work, they had on masks, saws/cutters and bags for the goodies that they collected - no scuba gear.

Aquaculture sites are also less than 3 meters deep and some of them are in greenhouses with saltwater pumped in to shallow flats.

 

[vetteguy53081]

???????

I don’t dive but ask any diver

The ocean is blue

The deeper down you get the bluer it is

Most of the high end stuff is found in deeper water

So actually blue is most natural for Corals

My Corals have never been healthier since switching to all blue light

If all blue is not healthy why do so many people do it that way nowadays?

This is especially apparent with those with very very expensive coral collections

If it was not healthy why would they risk a fortune on coral?

I dive infrequently but the ocean is actually clear. The blue comes from the blue sky and the effect of sunlight. I live off Lake Michigan and that lake also appears blue but is not.
The ocean appears blue because its' water absorbs colors in the red portion of the light spectrum and like a filter, the colors left behind within the blue part of the light spectrum is what we see.
The ocean takes on green, red, or other hues as the light bounces off of floating sediment and particles in the water changing its color effect. In reality, most of the ocean, however, is completely dark. Hardly any light penetrates deeper than 600 feet. See a sample pic off Jamaica waters which appears green. I was down 86 feet in these pics.

 

[John3]

I use blue only lighting and I know a whole lot of people I that only use blue as well

What are using for your light setup?

 

[UCF Alum]

I feel your pain. I got some fire and Ice zoas for my tank, but I would only see the coloration during the blue only period of my tank; as soon as my lights cut on they were plain brown.

Ditto on my Fire and Ice

 

[Surfandturf]

Just ask yourself what spectrum chlorophyll a uses...