Actinic Lighting
Actinic lighting peaks in the 420 nanometer range and emits a fluorescent blue light and is usually used as supplemental lighting.
Actinic Lights: A type of florescent lighting with a high blue spectrum. It's the primary color of light in the ocean below 30 feet, required by corals and most reef creatures containing photosynthetic algae.
Actinic: A type of lighting that provides the proper spectra for photosynthesis. Best used for aquariums with live plants or chlorophyll containing species such as reef coral.
Actinic Lights - A fluorescent light that emits blue light (the color of the ocean water
below 10 meters) which is beneficial to marine life.
Actinic: A type of fluorescent lighting that provides the proper spectra for photosynthesis and is the color of the sea below 10 meters. Best used for aquariums with live plants or chlorophyll containing species such as reef coral.
actinic light
Actinic light comes from the blue end of the color spectrum, so it appears blue and is usually combined it with a full spectrum (white) lamp for clear viewing.
Actinic - A type of fluorescent bulb that gives off blue colored light often used in marine aquaria to make corals appear to glow with brilliant colors and to give the tank a "deep ocean" feel to it.
Actinic bulbs
Actinic bulbs provide their spectrum in the range required for the the Photosynthetic process and health of Marine corals and Invertebrates and to a lesser extent freshwater plants.
Actinic Lights - A florescent lighting system which emits a blue spectrum which is required by corals and most reef creatures which contain photosynthetic algae. Click here to read our lighting guide.
actinic lights Actinics are a type of fluorescent light that is very blue. This is the color of light that is most useful to the chlorophyll in marine life, and is the color of the sea below 10 meters.
VHO Actinic Bulbs
by tse-at-ra.nrl.navy.mil (Anthony Tse) (29 Apr 92)
VHO Actinic Bulbs ...
Are actinic bulbs necessary? (reef systems only)
The next question that comes up is if supplementation of actinic 03 radiation (that is, lighting that ranges from ~380 nm to ~480 nm, with a major peak at ~420 nm) is needed with the higher Kelvin ...
Next come the Actinic (or Actinic blue) tubes. These tubes emit light only from the blue end of the spectrum and are used in marine set-ups to supply the blue that is missing from normal aquarium lighting but is required by marine algae, ...
Zoanthids under actinics.
'LPS' Corals
Blastomussa merleti (2)
B. wellsi (2)
Caulastrea (2)
Echinophyllia
Euphyllia (5: One Torch, Four Frogspawns including one volleyball size specimen that has been with me forover 5 years now)
Lobophyllia ...
That means you need at least 4 of the longest bulbs that you can fit over your tank, usually in a ratio of 50% actinic and 50% full spectrum bulbs.
You will commonly see 250 watt or 150 watt HQI metal halide bulbs paired with T5 or Power Compact Actinic Blue bulbs to produce a dawn/dusk impact.
In SPS coral tanks lots of light is necessary and actinic may need to be added even if high K degree lights are used
In fish only system this is not necessary of course ...
This has led to development of fluorescent bulbs that emit light primarily at this peak: Actinic 03-type bulbs. While you could use all actinic lighting on a reef, you may find the result disappointing.
First of all, you are not hurting your plants by using an actinic bulb. However, it's probably not doing them any good either. That's because plants use specific wavelengths of light for photosynthesis.
For instance, a popular hood nowadays is the compact flourescent hood incorporating an actinic bulb, a full spectrum bulb and a moon light.
Many people (especially LFS owners) will try to tell you that actinic blue lights are critical for the success of photosynthetic corals.
This is NOT true.
For instance, actinic lights began in the salt water realm, but are seeing increased use in fresh water systems. However, actinic bulbs can lead to algae outbreaks.
or actinic) light. If this is the case, then your Anthozoan belongs to a group of hermatypic, or light loving species.
I use a double fluorescent fixture with one daylight bulb and one actinic blue bulb (which is their favorite) to simulate dusk, dawn. I perform one 25% water change per week with a gravel siphon and make the fish fast every sunday.
If you have any invertebrates you will need some actinic lighting which provides the correct types of blue light found in oceans that invertebrates use. This actinic light is usually provided by fluorescent lights as tubes or power compacts.
Since MH is closer to incandescent lights they do not fluoresce some of the corals as some may want. In this instance one can supplement the MH with an actinic PC or actinic VHO fixture to bring out the colors of the coral more.
Deep red. Darker red bumps over smooth surface. Expensive and rare. Like actinic light but not direct metal halide.
cdf=1, fll=4-9, dff=
5, mhl=1-2, dfm=
marmoratus (marbled or green marble mushrooms) ...
The Spectramax Super Daylight Bulb contains rare earch trichromatic phosphors which give a brilliant light to enhance color and clarity. Unique mix of 75% 6,000K and 25% actinic 03 blue. Full spectrum, high-intensity lamp enhances color and clarity.
A range of spectra, from general lighting to special uses like freshwater planted, full sunlight, and high-blue actinic, are all available for different uses.
Many bulbs are rated in Kelvins.
My fish room has a single actinic blue light which allows me to view the fish at night, but it is still hard to photograph these catfish as they wheel energetically around a planted aquarium.
However, the basic four alternatives - plant grow, daylight, actinic and 50/50 - are all readily available at prices comparable to good quality standard fluorescents.
Anemones require very strong, full spectrum lighting, supplemented with actinic blue. The general rule of thumb is a minimum of 3-4 watts per gallon, with the higher values for deeper tanks (greater than 18-24 inches).
I used Ehiem 2215 straight in line and than the Ehiem 2217 as well by using different bio medias to clear my water. My lighting system I went with six 10,000K, two actinic blues, and two 50/50 lighting system.
 See also: Water, Aquarium, Fish, Lighting, Blue
  
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