Hey everybody, long time no post.
Just set up a reef tank because I apparently don't already have enough expensive hobbies involving exotic animals.
Anyway, I'm learning reefers are very picky about lights and there are tons of options available. The most popular being T5 High Output Fluorescent, Metal Halide, and most recently LED. Reefers deal with all sorts of different light intensities and wavelengths. The difference between indoor and outdoor raised phelsuma means that we deal with very light sensitive animals too.
So why are most of us still using wimpy t8 or t12 fluorescents and yellow-orange halogen puck lights made to light garages, cabinets and desks? Aren't there ways be can better simulate sunlight?
About a year and a half ago I switched from 5000k T8's to a quad fixture, reflector that holds 4 6500k 2 foot 24 Watt T5 High output bulbs I bought from an online hydroponic outfitter.
The difference in the appearance of the tank is night and day. Tons more light, tons more plant growth. My klemmeri have brightened up a bit-especially the male-but still nowhere close to pictures of outdoor raised or wild ones I've seen.
So I did some more research. Check out a chart from this excellent article on aquarium lighting: Aquarium Lighting; Reef, Planted Light Information. PAR, Bulb, Watt, Kelvin, Nanometers, MH, LED.
Notice the wavelengths where a daylight bulb spikes? Deep blue, yellowy green and orange.
Does this have something to do with the orange/brownish/brick red mottling we see on captive Barbonicas, Ornatas and Cepedianas? How about the brown on my male Klem's back where wild ones are bright blue? Do we need to target certain wavelengths to get certain colors out of our favorite critters? Not being glib, but seriously asking because I don't know how this works. Just a hair brained theory of mine.
Or is it maybe about light intensity? This is where Metal Halides come in, which theoretically give Phelsumas better colors, but I can't find anything about it online. In fact, i recently did a google search for "phelsuma metal halide" and all I got were care sheets from LLL that say you can use halides if you want and a link to a thread here where I, myself had asked about halides some time ago. I realize there's a lot of reasons most people don't use them. They're expensive, suck a lot of juice and they're hot. But how do they work if employed right?
I guess it might even be worth thinking about LED's. They don't have much output but you can get them specific to any number of wavelengths and what they lack in power, they can make up for in focus. Maybe setting the right one next to a basking lamp could make a big difference.
Anyone have any insight or Ideas? Am I naive for thinking it might be as simple as "better light=better color?"
Anyway, I'm experimenting a tad on my own. I just cruised by my local reef shop and grabbed an actinic t5 bulb that fits in my fixture. I just installed it in the second slot on the fixture. Actinic bulbs spike at a 460nm wavelength, which as you can see from the chart above is pretty close to a Klemmeri's blue. I'm also toying with the idea of hanging a metal halide from my laundry room ceiling and finding a distance for a safe basking temperature and setting up a viv under that to see what I come up with.
I may be wasting time and money with all this, but I guess I'm just perplexed as to why it hasn't been explored more. Or maybe it has and I have no idea because I can't read or write in German. Again, any input will be much appreciated.
Just set up a reef tank because I apparently don't already have enough expensive hobbies involving exotic animals.
Anyway, I'm learning reefers are very picky about lights and there are tons of options available. The most popular being T5 High Output Fluorescent, Metal Halide, and most recently LED. Reefers deal with all sorts of different light intensities and wavelengths. The difference between indoor and outdoor raised phelsuma means that we deal with very light sensitive animals too.
So why are most of us still using wimpy t8 or t12 fluorescents and yellow-orange halogen puck lights made to light garages, cabinets and desks? Aren't there ways be can better simulate sunlight?
About a year and a half ago I switched from 5000k T8's to a quad fixture, reflector that holds 4 6500k 2 foot 24 Watt T5 High output bulbs I bought from an online hydroponic outfitter.
The difference in the appearance of the tank is night and day. Tons more light, tons more plant growth. My klemmeri have brightened up a bit-especially the male-but still nowhere close to pictures of outdoor raised or wild ones I've seen.
So I did some more research. Check out a chart from this excellent article on aquarium lighting: Aquarium Lighting; Reef, Planted Light Information. PAR, Bulb, Watt, Kelvin, Nanometers, MH, LED.
Notice the wavelengths where a daylight bulb spikes? Deep blue, yellowy green and orange.
Does this have something to do with the orange/brownish/brick red mottling we see on captive Barbonicas, Ornatas and Cepedianas? How about the brown on my male Klem's back where wild ones are bright blue? Do we need to target certain wavelengths to get certain colors out of our favorite critters? Not being glib, but seriously asking because I don't know how this works. Just a hair brained theory of mine.
Or is it maybe about light intensity? This is where Metal Halides come in, which theoretically give Phelsumas better colors, but I can't find anything about it online. In fact, i recently did a google search for "phelsuma metal halide" and all I got were care sheets from LLL that say you can use halides if you want and a link to a thread here where I, myself had asked about halides some time ago. I realize there's a lot of reasons most people don't use them. They're expensive, suck a lot of juice and they're hot. But how do they work if employed right?
I guess it might even be worth thinking about LED's. They don't have much output but you can get them specific to any number of wavelengths and what they lack in power, they can make up for in focus. Maybe setting the right one next to a basking lamp could make a big difference.
Anyone have any insight or Ideas? Am I naive for thinking it might be as simple as "better light=better color?"
Anyway, I'm experimenting a tad on my own. I just cruised by my local reef shop and grabbed an actinic t5 bulb that fits in my fixture. I just installed it in the second slot on the fixture. Actinic bulbs spike at a 460nm wavelength, which as you can see from the chart above is pretty close to a Klemmeri's blue. I'm also toying with the idea of hanging a metal halide from my laundry room ceiling and finding a distance for a safe basking temperature and setting up a viv under that to see what I come up with.
I may be wasting time and money with all this, but I guess I'm just perplexed as to why it hasn't been explored more. Or maybe it has and I have no idea because I can't read or write in German. Again, any input will be much appreciated.
