Coral lighting is a complex topics because corals cannot communicate with humans what kind of lighting they need. It can be difficult for humans to understand the lighting needs of there corals because they have to observe the color of the corals to determine if the lighting levels are the correct ones for those corals. Many peoples use the color changes of their corals to determine how to adjust the lighting for there corals.
However, without a point of reference, it is hard to know what is the best lighting adjustment for the corals. The provided lighting chart can help remove the uncertainty that many keepers have in this situation because the chart displays what lighting levels each group of corals need to thrive in their tanks. Using the lighting chart, people can plan the lighting for their tanks by observing the responses of each group of corals.
How to Light a Reef Tank
Reef lighting is effective because the corals hosts tiny algae that convert the light into the energy that the corals require to survive. The tiny algae need specific wavelength of light to perform properly to keep the corals healthy. These wavelengths are mostly composed of blue and violet light.
Pure white lights are generally insufficient for providing the proper lighting for most species of corals. This is because most pure white lights do not emit the specific wavelengths of blue and violet light that is necessary for the growth of the algae that live within the corals. By understanding this relationship between coral pigments and the light spectrum, human beings can make decisions regarding coral lighting for their tanks more easiler.
The placement of the corals within the aquariums is another important variable in coral lighting. The placement of the corals is just as important than the spectrum of the lighting for the aquariums. The diagram of the reef tank shows the various zones within the tanks and which species of corals should be placed within which zones of the aquarium.
For example, SPS corals such as Acropora require high levels of light, so they should be placed near the top of the tank. Other corals, such as hammer and brain corals, should be placed in the middle of the tank. Soft corals and mushroom corals do not require as much light, so they should be placed in the lower portions of the reef tank or placed in shaded portions of the tank.
By understanding each of these zones and where each type of coral needs to be placed, people can better manage their corals and take care of them. A table of the ten most common types of corals exists to help people to understand the needs of these corals. The table displays the intensity levels of light that each type of coral need and the placement of each type of coral within the reef tank.
For example, SPS corals require high intensity levels of light, while soft corals require low light intensity levels. Using this table, people can easily understand the placement of each type of coral and determine if their current reef tank lighting specifications is compatible with the corals that they wish to keep in their tanks. This table helps people to save time when purchasing new corals for there reef tanks.
Timing of the lights in the reef tanks is another important aspect of coral lighting. The lights must be cycled at the appropriate time of the day to simulate the natural lighting of the reef environment that the corals are attempting to replicate in their tanks. The graph of the reef lighting schedule demonstrates that the reef tanks should have increasing light levels during the morning, the highest light levels in the middle of the day, and decreasing levels of light after midday.
The cycles of light that corals are exposed to over time help to control the growth of the corals and keep them healthy. It is important for reef tank owners to maintain this lighting schedule each day to help the corals thrive in these environments. Common mistakes with coral lighting include treating lighting as a single variable instead of several combined variables.
One of the most common mistakes is providing too much light intensity for the corals. High levels of light can cause bleaching of corals. Another common mistake is providing low levels of light but exposing the corals to long periods of light exposure.
Providing long periods of light can cause the corals to turn brown over time. The lighting chart can prevent these mistakes from occurring in reef tanks because it displays the minimum and ideal light levels for each type of coral. Acclimation of the corals to the lighting spectrum is a process that many reef tank owners often neglect.
However, acclimation is important because the corals that are purchased are from different lighting environments. If the lighting in the reef tanks is suddenly changed to that which is required of the corals, the corals may shock. To acclimated the new corals to the reef tank lighting, start the corals at one-third the normal lighting intensity for the species.
Slowly increase the lighting over the several weeks to the normal light intensity for the corals. This process will allow the corals to adjust to the lighting levels in the tank and will prevent any shock from the lighting change. Another important task with reef tanks is to clean the glass of the reef tanks.
Corals require alot of light to thrive, and if that light cannot reach the corals due to salt creep or algae on the tanks glass, the corals will fade in appearance. Wiping the glass of the tanks will restore the light values that are required by the corals, ensuring that the lighting for the tanks remains accurate. While coral lighting does not have a single perfect setting, it is about finding the proper balance of spectrum, intensity, and placement for the corals within the reef tank.
Finding the proper balance of spectrum, intensity, and placement for the corals and maintaining that balance is the key to maintaining healthy corals in reef tanks. By understanding each of these variables, reef keeping becomes an easierer endeavor and the corals can be more easily maintained.
