Question about actinics

[First90]

Will actinics promote algea growth? Or just the "white" ones?

[crvz]

light color does not promote algae growth; if you have algae, you have too many nutrients in the tank (nitrate/phosphate). light intensity does have an impact on the growth rate of algae, and usually actinics have less PAR output compared to lower Kelvin rated bulbs, but if you're worried about algae issues bulb color should be about the tenth thing to consider.

[skiergd011013]

pretty sure actinics will support algae growth this light immitates the lighting under the sea surface. my local saltwater store uses 75% actinic light and 25% daylight in their healthy reefs so actinic is very beneficial with reefs.

[Hop]

CRVZ gave you the correct information... Light is light. Some is more useful at various spectrums than others and intensity plays a large role. Promoting algae growth is an outdated term IMO since it takes light, plus nutrients to grow algae. Removing or limiting nutrients is the key to keeping a tank with a minimal level of algae In otherwords if you have an abundance of nutrients than it doesn't matter what light you use, you will grow algae. And there is a direct correlation between light intensity, nutrient levels and algae growth.

[skiergd011013]

i do not now how to make a new thread i see nothing to click. i have a remora aqua c skimmer and it was tested at the store and worked great. i have a brand new saltwater tank with no life in it yet i hooked the skimmer up and it seemed to produce way to many bubbles and the collection cupped filled with water rapidly. is this just because the tank has nothing for the skimmer to collect yet?

[Reeftanker3295]

Originally Posted by skiergd011013

i do not now how to make a new thread i see nothing to click. i have a remora aqua c skimmer and it was tested at the store and worked great. i have a brand new saltwater tank with no life in it yet i hooked the skimmer up and it seemed to produce way to many bubbles and the collection cupped filled with water rapidly. is this just because the tank has nothing for the skimmer to collect yet?

Go to forums, general reef discussion and there will be a "New thread" button.

[Hop]

Make sure you are logged in when you do this and I'll remove these posts, merge the unmoderated thread and combine them all into that one.

[Loverotties]

Originally Posted by Hop

CRVZ gave you the correct information... Light is light. Some is more useful at various spectrums than others and intensity plays a large role. Promoting algae growth is an outdated term IMO since it takes light, plus nutrients to grow algae. Removing or limiting nutrients is the key to keeping a tank with a minimal level of algae In otherwords if you have an abundance of nutrients than it doesn't matter what light you use, you will grow algae. And there is a direct correlation between light intensity, nutrient levels and algae growth.

+1

[bcrum51]

I had hair algae in a tank pretty bad kept fighting it and fighting it and final I took everything out(fish and corals) and just ran actinics because I had a little GSP and few other small things in there and the hair algae started to die and now its gone completely

[Hop]

Originally Posted by bcrum51

I had hair algae in a tank pretty bad kept fighting it and fighting it and final I took everything out(fish and corals) and just ran actinics because I had a little GSP and few other small things in there and the hair algae started to die and now its gone completely

Likely because you removed the light intensity in correlation to the nutrient level. Since corals are higher up in the food chain they have a bit more of a reserve for inadequate lighting that algae doesn't have.

[First90]

Since my tank is new (3 weeks) I was just wondering if actinics would not produce as much brown algea. The kind that I was told I would get in the begining.

[bcrum51]

Originally Posted by Hop

Likely because you removed the light intensity in correlation to the nutrient level. Since corals are higher up in the food chain they have a bit more of a reserve for inadequate lighting that algae doesn't have.

I have also noticed a higher color temp on my bulbs greatly reduces the amount of algae that grows

[Hop]

Originally Posted by bcrum51

I have also noticed a higher color temp on my bulbs greatly reduces the amount of algae that grows

Probably because the intensity or par value drops with the higher kelvin rating

[crvz]

Originally Posted by bcrum51

I have also noticed a higher color temp on my bulbs greatly reduces the amount of algae that grows

Yup, as Hop points out, this is because you were limiting your light. Depending on the type of bulb, actinics will often have less than half the PAR output of similar wattage bulbs in the ~10kK range. So it wasnt the color of light that was limiting the algae, it was the lack of available light.