1. By ReefLEDLights www.ReefLEDLights.com
LED REEF LIGHTING By
ReefLEDLights

2. LED REEF LIGHTING Advantages/Disadvantages Cost Analysis
Lighting Facts
Spectrum / Intensity
Pigments / Colour
Apples & Oranges
Types of LEDs / Drivers
DIY
Pics and Questions

3. Advantage and Disadvantages
Little Heat / No Heat
Low Energy Consumption
Long Life…11 Years
Great Coral Colours
Low Voltage
Able to Keep The Light Off The Glass
Moderate Initial Investment
Changing Technology
Numerous Options
Tight Spread

4. MH Cost Analysis 225 Gal SPS 72”L x 30”H x 24”W
Maristar HQI 3 x 250 Watt MH w 4 39W T5 Actinic Bulbs $825
3 Lumatek Electronic Ballasts $165 ea
Bulbs 4 9W T5 & 3 Ushio 250W DE $312 plus shipping
Total $2532
Annual Bulb Replacement $ 312
Annual Electric $0.12 KWH $374.25

5. LED Cost Analysis 225 Gal SPS 72”L x 30”H x 24”W
3 Quality Domestic $595 ea or $1785
Annual Cost of $0.12 KWH $129
$1000 Less Expensive
Over $500 a year in operating cost savings.

6. Cost Analysis
The Results Simply Blow My Skirt UP

7. LED Reef Lighting Facts
Most corals available to reef hobbyists are harvested between 2 and 20 meters.
A coral’s spectral needs are determined by the depth range in which each coral naturally grows
Coral can and do adapt to a change in light intensity
LED selection should reflect the lighting conditions in which most corals grow
Coral growth rate is better when the amount of blue light is increased

8. ReefSpectrum vs Full Spectrum
Most Corals do not receive light in the Red or Green Spectrum. These Wavelengths are severely limited below 10ft
Coral growth rate decreases when the levels of red light are increased, even when accompanied by an increase in Kelvin rating
Red light can cause coral bleaching
Corals have blue light-sensing photoreceptors that cue coral branching toward the blue light source, which is the dominant light in the coral environment. There is no corresponding red photoreceptor in corals.

9. 250 DE HQI MH Bulbs

10. Spectrum For The CREE XT-E
The Spectrum is perfectly suited for the reef aquarium.
Compared to the 250 watt DE MH the Cree offers a wider wavelength without the UV.
The UV is normally shielded by glass or in the case of SE MH bulbs the outer Bulb.

11. Cree XT-E & XP-E Relative Radiant Power (%) Royal Blue Blue Green
100 80
60 40
5000K K CCT 3700K K CCT 2600K K CCT 20
Wavelength (nm)
White
Relative Radiant Power (%)
100 80
Royal Blue Blue
Green
Wavelength (nm)
Royal Blue

12. LED Binning

14. Ok, What Mix Do I Need

15. Factors In LED Choice LED Efficiency LED Colour Temp / Spectrum
More expensive 5 watt XT-E are ultimately less expensive than 1, 2 & 3 watt LEDs
LED Colour Temp / Spectrum
Personal Choice. Ginger v Mary Ann
LED Fixture Cost
Numerous options and variables
Desired Intensity PAR
PAR on the Sandbed is Best.

17. Sunlight wavelength penetration depth (meters)
Ocean depth at which the sun’s light is absorbed
(Clearest coastal water category) 10
90% 20
Depth range of coral harvest
80%
70% 40
60%
50% 60
Sunlight wavelength penetration depth (meters)
40%
30% 80
20%
10%
100
<1%
120
400
Violet
450
Blue
500
Green
550
Yellow
600
Orange
650
Red
700
Colored lines represent the percentage of sunlight penetration at the specified depth.

18. Percent of sunlight penetration
Sunlight penetration to 1 meter and 10 meters depth
75%
10 meters
1 meter
50%
Percent of sunlight penetration
Dana Riddle
25% 0%
400
Violet
450
Blue
500
Green
550
Yellow
600
Orange
650
Red
700

19. 3. Which pigments do corals use in photosynthesis?
Chlorophyll a:
The pigment that participates directly in the light-requiring reactions of photosynthesis
Absorbs light very well at a wavelength of about 450 nm (blue), and again with a higher peak at 675nm (red)
Chlorophyll c2
Is called “antenna” or “accessory” pigment, because it helps to collect energy (photons) from light wavelengths which are not absorbed by chlorophyll a, then transfers the light excitation it absorbs to chlorophyll a.
Chlorophyll c2 has absorption peaks at 450nm, but also at 581nm and 630nm

20. 4. Additional Pigments That Aid In The Photosynthetic Process
Carotenoids
Include Beta-carotene, peridinin and xanthrophylls (diadinoxanthin and diatoxanthin)
Have two purposes:
Beta-carotene, peridinin and xanthrophylls are also antenna pigments, because they help to collect light wavelengths which are not absorbed by chlorophyll itself. They pass their absorbed energy to chlorophyll.
The perindin-chlorophyl a-protein (PCP) is a light-harvesting complex that uses perindin as its main light-harvester.
Xanthrophylls also absorb excessive energy that chlorophyll cannot use, dissipating that unused energy so that the photosynthetic apparatus is not damaged.
Pigments found in corals and tridacnid clams:
The spectral quality of light is a key driver of photosynthesis…

21. 5. Wavelengths That Are Absorbed By Each Pigment In The Photosynthetic Process
PCP complex
Chlorophyll a
Absorption
Chlorophyll c2
400
Violet
450
Blue
500
Green
550
Yellow
600
Orange
650
Red
700
Note: These pigments all have peaks between 400 and 500nm, matching the penetration of the blue wavelengths. Are the peaks above 600nm only applicable to shallow water corals?

22. 5. Wavelengths That Are Absorbed By Each Pigment In The Photosynthetic Process
Diadinoxanthin
Diatoxanthin
Absorption
Β-carotene
400
Violet
450
Blue
500
Green
550
Yellow
600
Orange
650
Red
700
Note that these pigments all have peaks between 400 and 500nm, matching the penetration of the blue wavelengths

23. Greatest photosynthetic efficiency Greatest photosynthetic efficiency
6. Different Rates Of Photosynthesis At Each Wavelength
Photosynthesis as a function of absorbed wavelength
Efficiency midpoint
Greatest photosynthetic efficiency
Greatest photosynthetic efficiency
400
Violet
450
Blue
500
Green
550
Yellow
600
Orange
650
Red
700
Photosynthetic efficiency is best between nm, and between nm.
Note that the rate of photosynthesis drops off dramatically above 500 nanometers.

24. Ranges of greatest photosynthetic efficiency
The arrows represent the top 50% of the light absorption capability of each pigment
Chlorophyll a
Chlorophyll a
Chlorophyll c2
Diatoxanthin
Diadinoxanthin
β-carotene
PCP
Ranges of greatest photosynthetic efficiency
400
Violet
450
Blue
500
Green
550
Yellow
600
Orange
650
Red
700
Note how the most efficient rate of light absorption by pigments coincides with the best rate of photosynthetic activity

25. Photosynthetic efficiency vs. wavelength penetration
This is another way of looking at the data.
Note how the rate of photosynthesis drops off significantly at 500nm, coinciding with the steep decline of the rate of light penetration above 500nm.
90% 20
80%
70% 40
60%
50% 60
Sunlight wavelength penetration depth (meters)
40%
30% 80
20%
Ranges of greatest photosynthetic efficiency
10%
100
<1%
120
400
Violet
450
Blue
500
Green
550
Yellow
600
Orange
650
Red
700

26. Sunlight wavelength penetration depth (meters)
7. Are high power (3W-5W) LEDs available for the range of wavelengths needed?
Semi P2N-U LED Violet/UV 20
430nm (generic Chinese) 40
Cree XT-E Royal Blue nm 60
Luxeon Royal Blue 450
Sunlight wavelength penetration depth (meters)
Cree XP-E Blue 470 80
Philips or Luxeon Cyan 505
100
120
400
Violet
450
Blue
500
Green
550
Yellow
600
Orange
650
Red
700

27. 8. Lighting Intensity Needs of Corals
Coral lighting is measured in units of photosynthetically active radiation (PAR)
PAR is a measurement of µmol photons/m2/second
It’s been a generally accepted rule that corals typically need a minimum PAR of 100, while some corals need much higher values.
Actual experiments show that the rate of photosynthesis reaches its maximum at a point called “photosaturation”
Typical photosaturation points range between PAR values of
The point above photosaturation where too much light is present, a situation potentially harmful to the coral/symbiont, is called “photoinhibition”
Photoinhibition is seen as a decrease in the rate of photosynthesis, even as light intensity increases
Photoinhibition may occur at very low PAR values (250 and lower)
This means that in all but rare cases, more light is NOT necessarily better

28. Lighting Needs of Corals
Shorter wavelengths
have higher energy
penetrate much deeper
produce a higher photosynthetic response than other wavelengths
PAR meters measure the photosynthetic photon flux (area) density
They do not account for the photosynthetic response in each region of the visible spectrum (e.g., blue light produces 3 times the photosynthetic response as green)
If most of the light supplied is in the blue region of the spectrum, it is a reasonable assumption to conclude that one would need fewer LEDs, possibly by half or more, than if white were used LEDs alone

29. Highlighting Pigments in Corals
This part is Art and no single recipe will be lauded by all
Process
Add a few UV / Violet, Reds or Greens
Use dimmable drivers to tweak the colour perfectly
Avoid too much as in any recipe too much spice will ruin the dish

30. Fluorescent Pigments
The following graph to compares excitation wavelengths (wavelengths of light absorbed by fluorescent pigments) with the emitted fluorescent light for the 90 different pigments listed in an Advanced Aquarist article. (
The data on the graph is limited to the data provided in the article
The vertical axis is the wavelength of light emitted by the excited molecules in the pigments
The dots are colored to match the color of the emitted light
The horizontal axis is the light wavelength that the pigment absorbs
Line “A” represents the boundary between UV and visible light
Line “B” represents the point at which the rate of photosynthesis drops off, around 500 nanometers (nm)
“Wavelength” is the distance between successive peaks of a wave
A nanometer is 1 billionth of a meter, or one millionth of a millimeter
Line “C” represents the longest peak wavelength at which fluorescent pigments are stimulated (583nm)
When a pigment has multiple excitation and/or emission peaks, I’ve graphed each excitation/emission pair separately, which is why there are 169 points on the graph compared to 90 pigments listed in the article
For example, if one pigment is excited by 450nm, and emits light at 500 and 550nm, you’ll see a point on the graph at (450,500) and (450,550)

31. Fluorescent Pigments Interesting reading in the article found here:
The fluorescent emissions from some pigments may actually serve to excite other pigments to fluoresce
An experiment was conducted in which one pigment produced weak green emissions between 330 and 380nm when excited by 482nm (blue) light
A blue-emitting pigment was then mixed in solution with the green-emitting pigment (blue pigment’s excitation peak was at 382nm)
When the two pigments were exposed to 382nm light, the green emission increased by 4 to 7 times
Fluorescent pigments are believed to have multiple purposes:
In excessive sunlight, they dissipate excess energy from light wavelengths that don’t contribute significantly to photosynthesis
Reflect ultraviolet and infrared light
Regulate the light environment of coral host tissue, actually collecting additional light energy in low-light environments

32. Fluorescent Pigments Pigment emissions in the visible spectrumA B C
Red
Orange
Yellow
Pigment emissions in the visible spectrum
Green
Blue
Violet
Violet
Blue
Green
Yellow
Orange
Red
Fluorescent pigment excitation wavelength

33. RGB
Red Green & Blue have been used in combination to produce almost any colour.
The first colour TVs colour film and even modern flat screen displays use RGB to produce almost any colour

34. Why Use RGB ? Red Green & Blue can produce almost any colour.
Why add tertiary non growth LEDs like Lime or Yellow when with the proper control you can tweak the looks of your reef and even offer a different look based on the time of day.
Your Primary Grow is nm. Based upon the previous pigment chart you have the flexibility to highlight these pigments efficiently to suit your individual taste.
After you have the grow solved you want your reef to look the best without adding too much of the warmer spectrum which may enhance nuisance algea.

35. Conclusions?
Most fluorescent pigments (111 of 169) are excited by peak wavelengths between 400 and 510nm
76 pigments are excited by peak wavelengths between 400 and 499nm
35 pigments are excited by peak wavelengths between 500 and 510nm
Red light does not excite the fluorescent pigments, infact it’s the first wavelength blocked by the ocean
Max excitation peak wavelength is 576nm (orange)
Only 7 of the pigments are excited by UV light

36. OK How Many Watts Do I Need

37. Never Compare Fixtures By Watts
Many are shocked to learn that Fixture Wattage is a poor judge of LED light output (PAR) and penetration

38. Comparison Of Three Similar Wattage Fixtures
EBAY Chinese Fixture
145 watts 200PAR
OK Chinese Fixture
139 Watts 397PAR

39. Domestic Fixture 150 Watts 700 PAR

40. DIFFERENT TYPES OF LEDS
Epistar 3 watt
Up To 700mA
mA or .25 l/mA
CREE XP-E
Up To 1000mA
mA or .34 l/mA
CREE XT-E
Up To 1500mA
mA or .39 l/mA
mA or .28 l/mA
Luxion ES
mA or .35 l/mA

41. Drivers
Standard
Dimmable
PWM
Analog

42. Forward Voltage and Current
Mean Well LPC
Forward Voltage of 9-48
Constant Current of 700mA
Mean Well ELN 60-48D
Forward Voltage of 24-48
Constant Current of up 1.7A

43. CREE XR-E Forward Voltage of 3.2-3.6 LPC 35-700
9/3.2= /3.6=13.33
ELN 60-48D
24/3.2= /3.6=13.33

44. DIY How To

46. Solderless DIY Much Easier LEDs Can Be Swapped Out or Changed
No Soldering Mistakes
Use BJB Solderless Connectors

47. Solderless Build

48. Solderless Build

49. Solderless Build
Build Questions?

50. Know The Facts and Options
Don’t Be This Guy

51. Questions Sources Special Thanks
Special Thanks
Dana Riddle
Dan Kelley aka Crit21 on RC