Nicrew 30W Lighting: The right light for this color?

[testuser]

Hi guys, I got several new euphyllia coral that I think look stunning, but the colors for some of them are just nowhere near what I was expecting. I imagine it is due to my light setup, and I want to know if it is a spectrum issue. I have a Nicrew 30W LED light and it's been good. However, tuning it feels limited. I have a blue and white channel, and I keep it at a 1/10 ration between blue and white (40% blue and ~4-5% white).

I recognize that when taking pictures you need an orange and/or yellow lens, and I didn't take the best picture here, but my torch was supposed to be yellow, but it seems to be the inverse. I've attached below the pictures and the respective torches.

Basically, my question is: do I need a different LED to achieve these colors, or am I missing something? They seem to be negatives like film, haha.

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

What size is the tank for that light ?

But yes, different lights and different spectrums make corals appear different. The same coral can look completely different under different lights.

 

[testuser]

What size is the tank for that light ?

But yes, different lights and different spectrums make corals appear different. The same coral can look completely different under different lights.

4.8g.

 

[testuser]

What size is the tank for that light ?

But yes, different lights and different spectrums make corals appear different. The same coral can look completely different under different lights.

Any recommendations on light selection for such a small tank without cooking my corals?

And just to confirm, would you say that my light can't achieve that spectrum as the pictures from the shop illustrate?

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

That’s a good light for that size tank. Those online shops use a lot of photo editing, its not just the light, keep that in mind when window shopping online.

Your light is good, but very basic and made for a small tank like yours. If you had an AI Prime for example then you can adjust 8 colors rather than just 2.

To be honest, coral lighting in regards to getting that color 'pop', which is what we all want, is very complicated and huge, I don't fully get it.

I attach a couple of introductory articles below which will lead you on the path if you want. Good luck

Photosynthetic Efficiencies of LEDs: Results of Short Term Exposure to LED Lights

Dana Riddle studies zooxanthallae exposed to varying intensities and colors of LEDs between 365nm (UV-A) and 657nm (red). The collected data sheds light on how different spectra affect photosynthesis and the Xanthophyll Cycle, helping us to better understand how corals use and respond to light.

reefs.com

Light and the Marine Aquarium

By Tim Wijgerde, Ph.D. Light is one of the most discussed topics in the marine aquarium hobby. It is also amongst the most dreaded, due to its complicated na

reefs.com

Light in the Reef Aquaria

Light is one of the main life-supporting resources on our planet. Being photosynthetic, many marine invertebrates require light to live; Their symbiotic zooxanthellae need light for photosynthesis to produce sufficient nourishment both for their own use and for the host coral.

reefs.com

 

[testuser]

That’s a good light for that size tank. Those online shops use a lot of photo editing, its not just the light, keep that in mind when window shopping online.

Your light is good, but very basic and made for a small tank like yours. If you had an AI Prime for example then you can adjust 8 colors rather than just 2.

To be honest, coral lighting in regards to getting that color 'pop', which is what we all want, is very complicated and huge, I don't fully get it.

I attach a couple of introductory articles below which will lead you on the path if you want. Good luck

Photosynthetic Efficiencies of LEDs: Results of Short Term Exposure to LED Lights

Dana Riddle studies zooxanthallae exposed to varying intensities and colors of LEDs between 365nm (UV-A) and 657nm (red). The collected data sheds light on how different spectra affect photosynthesis and the Xanthophyll Cycle, helping us to better understand how corals use and respond to light.

reefs.com

Light and the Marine Aquarium

By Tim Wijgerde, Ph.D. Light is one of the most discussed topics in the marine aquarium hobby. It is also amongst the most dreaded, due to its complicated na

reefs.com

Light in the Reef Aquaria

Light is one of the main life-supporting resources on our planet. Being photosynthetic, many marine invertebrates require light to live; Their symbiotic zooxanthellae need light for photosynthesis to produce sufficient nourishment both for their own use and for the host coral.

reefs.com

Thank you very much for the links! I'll check them out.

Totally agree that there's some photoshopping and things done in post with those photos. But I'm not even going for the pop honestly. I just want it to look yellow instead of grey haha.

I think that it I can control 8 colors instead of just 2, I imagine that will get me somewhat closer to the intention of the coral colors, right?

Would a Kessil A80 be another light that would be good for my tank but also give more control over the colors?

As for the AI Prime, would that also be fine for my tank? I just don't want to cook/bleach my corals. I would imagine both lights mentioned would have to be at 50% or less.

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

Thank you very much for the links! I'll check them out.

Totally agree that there's some photoshopping and things done in post with those photos. But I'm not even going for the pop honestly. I just want it to look yellow instead of grey haha.

I think that it I can control 8 colors instead of just 2, I imagine that will get me somewhat closer to the intention of the coral colors, right?

Would a Kessil A80 be another light that would be good for my tank but also give more control over the colors?

As for the AI Prime, would that also be fine for my tank? I just don't want to cook/bleach my corals. I would imagine both lights mentioned would have to be at 50% or less.

I’ve never had a kessil but it has a great reputation and it’s often suggested here. AI Prime is a nano light and you can control both these lights to turn them down. It’s also a good light.

But if your in the market for a new light you might want to start a new thread asking for suggestions. All kinds of options out there.

In this case, me personally, I would turn your light all the way up. Torches like medium/higher par so higher lighting might make the color show better. Dull color is from low par so try slowly increasing the intensity and see if that makes a difference.

 

[testuser]

I’ve never had a kessil but it has a great reputation and it’s often suggested here. AI Prime is a nano light and you can control both these lights to turn them down. It’s also a good light.

But if your in the market for a new light you might want to start a new thread asking for suggestions. All kinds of options out there.

In this case, me personally, I would turn your light all the way up. Torches like medium/higher par so higher lighting might make the color show better. Dull color is from low par so try slowly increasing the intensity and see if that makes a difference.

That's fair, makes sense. But it's always so tricky... I have a Florida Ricordea, a leather, some hammers, octospawn, and torches. They just came in yesterday, so all but the leather are on the sand bed. Can the rest of the corals handle the greater brightness? If I go this route, I think I should only do 10% increase per day. I've been trying to acclimate them this week, so I didn't want to do too much yet. I planned on putting the torches on the rockwork which would bring them halfway up the tank, but still wasn't sure on how much light I should give them.

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

That sounds like a plan. Start by moving them up towards the light and give it a few weeks see how it reacts. Then you can make a decision on increasing or not.

Ultimately the best solution is to rent a par meter. Some LFS’s rent them out, this is the only one true way of knowing if you’re providing enough light or not. Otherwise it’s just a guess based on wattage, tank size, etc…

 

[testuser]

That sounds like a plan. Start by moving them up towards the light and give it a few weeks see how it reacts. Then you can make a decision on increasing or not.

Ultimately the best solution is to rent a par meter. Some LFS’s rent them out, this is the only one true way of knowing if you’re providing enough light or not. Otherwise it’s just a guess based on wattage, tank size, etc…

Solid, thanks again!