LED REEF LIGHTING

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

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. 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 Advantage and Disadvantages

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 Cost @ $0.12 KWH $374.25

5. LED Cost Analysis • 225 Gal SPS • 72”L x 30”H x 24”W • 3 ReefSpectrum Fixtures @ $495 ea or $1485 • Annual Cost of 354W @ $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 www.advancedaquarist.com/2008/12/aafeature1

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 www.advancedaquarist.com/2008/12/aafeature1 • Red light can cause coral bleaching www.advancedaquarist.com/2003/11/aafeature • 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. http://jeb.biologists.org/content/212/5/662.full.pdf

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. 400 450 500 550 600 650 700 750 Wavelength (nm) White 400 450 500 550 600 650 Wavelength (nm) Royal Blue Cree XT-E & XP-E

12. LED Binning

14. Ok, What Mix Do I Need

15. Factors In LED Choice • LED Efficiency • 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 • 100-200 PAR on the Sandbed is Best.

17. 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 40% Sunlight wavelength penetration depth (meters) 30% 80 20% 10% <1% 100 120 400 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. Sunlight penetration to 1 meter and 10 meters depth 75% 10 meters 1 meter 50% Percent of sunlight penetration 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.

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. 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 400-500nm, and between 630-680nm. Note that the rate of photosynthesis drops off dramatically above 500 nanometers.

24. The arrows represent the top 50% of the light absorption capability of each pigment Chlorophyll a Diadinoxanthin Chlorophyll a β-carotene Chlorophyll c2 PCP Diatoxanthin 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 40% Sunlight wavelength penetration depth (meters) 30% 80 20% 10% <1% 100 Ranges of greatest photosynthetic efficiency 120 400 Violet 450 Blue 500 Green 550 Yellow 600 Orange 650 Red 700

26. 7. Are high power (3W-5W) LEDs available for the range of wavelengths needed? Semi P2N-U LED Violet/UV 410-420 20 430nm (generic Chinese) 40 Cree XT-E Royal Blue 450-465nm Luxeon Royal Blue 450 60 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 100-400 • 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. (www.advancedaquarist.com/2006/9/aafeature) • 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: • http://www-personal.usyd.edu.au/~cox/pdfs/nat_preprint.pdf • 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 C A B Red Orange Yellow Pigment emissions in the visible spectrum Green Blue Violet Violet Blue Green Yellow Orange Red Fluorescent pigment excitation wavelength

33. 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 in the article • Max excitation peak wavelength is 576nm (orange) • Only 7 of the pigments are excited by UV light

34. OK How Many Watts Do I Need

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

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

37. Domestic Fixture118 Watts 460 PAR

38. DIFFERENT TYPES OF LEDS Epistar 3 watt Up To 700mA 180 Lumins @ 700mA or .25 l/mA CREE XP-E Up To 1000mA 122 Lumins @ 350mA or .34 l/mA CREE XT-E Up To 1500mA 139-160 Lumins @ 350mA or .39 l/mA 428 Lumins @ 1500mA or .28 l/mA Luxion ES Up To 1000mA 351 Lumins @ 1000mA or .35 l/mA

39. Drivers • Standard • Dimmable • PWM • Analog

40. Forward Voltage and Current Mean Well LPC 35-700 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

41. CREE XR-E Forward Voltage of 3.2-3.6 LPC 35-700 9/3.2= 2.81 48/3.6=13.33 ELN 60-48D 24/3.2= 7.5 48/3.6=13.33

42. DIY How To

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

45. Solderless Build

46. Solderless Build

47. Solderless Build • Build Questions?

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

49. Questions • Sources • www.advancedaquarist.com/2008/12/aafeature1 • www.advancedaquarist.com/2008/12/aafeature1 • www.advancedaquarist.com/2003/11/aafeature • http://jeb.biologists.org/content/212/5/662.full.pdf • Special Thanks • Dana Riddle • Dan Kelley aka Crit21 on RC