actinic lighting

[penny]

What are the benefits of actinic bulbs?I know they penetrate deeper than other light spectrums.Other than this what are the benefits of actinic bulbs?I have heard and or read that it is mainly for our viewing,it makes the colors more pleasing us humans to view.Thank for all in-put on this subject.
I argued this with my boss.He got his REEF SECRETS book out and started reading.I thought he was going to have a fit about it.I was just shocked that he could read,LOL.
TY ALL!

[lReef lKeeper]

it IS for our viewing preference. they also help with coral coloration IIRC.

[poppin_fresh]

I personally have never heard that they penetrate further than normal lights. I have always read and experienced that they are more for the observer's pleasure. The blue/purple spectrum emitted by the actinics enhances the colors of the corals to our eyes. Whether or not it does anything for the corals themselves is still somewhat a mystery.

[CarmieJo]

***Nerd alert, please don't read if you don't want a science lesson.***

This all goes back to our elementary school friend ROY G BIV who reminded us that the spectrum of visible light is red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet. Water absorbs the longer wavelengths (red) first so blue does penetrate further than red but the blue light does not contribute much to photosynthesis. Cookie Absent As you can see in this abstract light at the red end of the spectrum is more available for photosynthesis and the energy needs of the coral. But, to our eyes, the blue is prettier. The blue lights also bring out some of the fluorescent pigments but once again I think this is a limitation of our eyes and not that of the coral and the color of the light that is available to it.

[microbius]

i recently upgraded my lighting with seperate actinics for sunrise and set effect ,and my xenia elongata colony's have gone pulsing crazy so i guess its doing something for those specimen's, wether thats just the extra light or the actinic spectrum i dont know

[CarmieJo]

Well, you know, xenia is a low light species I guess that it could be that it is happier with the period of less intense light.

[microbius]

good point carmie

i think maybee the whole tank has benefited from the gentle wake up and bedtime call
of the seperate 15w actinic a seperate daylight tube of the low watage would most likely have the same effect though the actinic period is pretier