blue or white lights whats more important

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Your question has been debated over and over. All I can say is that there is no definite answer. Each variety of corals would respond well to certain frequencies of light (color). The important thing is that they should get enough intensity for photosynthesis. We call it PAR or to be specific PUR. The reason why most aquarists would prefer blue or actinic is because it can penetrate easily in deep salt water compared to white. I use both. I start with moonlit, followed by actinic and then combined by white at mid day and then back the opposite sequence with 1 hour intervals but with a total of 10 hrs.
 
8 hours a day is fine
run 4 hours (white) and 8 hours blue
both are important but blue light produces more photosynthesis then white that's why corals grow faster with blue and if you can go with LED (good ones not cheap ebay ones) your corals will grow like grass
 
In my experience the blues and whites are equally important for coral health and growth. A good mix of the two is what you should aim for.

I have several "eBay" fixtures and all give me good performance, just depends on the fixture itself. You can find a lot of really good lights on eBay for cheap that are really quite decent or even better than decent.
 
I really think that for a majority of the fixtures, the only true difference is functionality and controllability. short of opening them up and tweaking them, I don't believe its possible to control the Taos like one can with kessils or Radions.
 
There's absolutely nothing wrong with the Taotronics or eBay equivalents.... though I highly recommend the dimmable models. The only specific models of LED's you need to steer clear of are the Marinelands.... they are OK for FOWLRS, but so are just about any other lights.
The only thing you generally get from the really high dollar LED's is the capability to link the lights with a reef controller, allowing you the capability of slowly ramping up/down the intensity through the day & do things like replicating the moon cycle.
 
There's absolutely nothing wrong with the Taotronics or eBay equivalents.... though I highly recommend the dimmable models. The only specific models of LED's you need to steer clear of are the Marinelands.... they are OK for FOWLRS, but so are just about any other lights. The only thing you generally get from the really high dollar LED's is the capability to link the lights with a reef controller, allowing you the capability of slowly ramping up/down the intensity through the day & do things like replicating the moon cycle.
+1 That's accurate. eBay is just one place, along with Amazon, craigslist and others where you can get a bargain. There is a vast amount of information on these threads about this topic. I think the synthesis has been that you don't have to spend big bucks on LED's to get ones that grow coral just fine. Even computer controlled dimmable panels are $300, or less now, when some are still selling for $750 a piece. In this technology, you don't always get what you paid for. A fancy case on the fixture or full color ads mean little. Ask forum members if what they have grows coral. The cheap Chinese panels are growing it just as well as expensive domestic fixture are.
 
good luck with the chinese LED fixtures... unless you see a reef capable fixture in person and then you buy a cheap LED knockoff you will love your chinese LEDs

if you are looking to buy your lights once, let me know and I will guide you REEF CAPABLE LED Stripes for about $90 each
 
As far as lights go I personally prefer a little more blue than white as it brings out the color in the coral better. As far as brands there is no right or wrong answer. Some people are name brand people who spend big bucks for the ability to perform a lightning show on their tank while others prefer to save and get the basics the corals need. It's personal preference. I personally have some higher end Chinese LEDs and they are great, cheaper than Radions and I have the controllability minus the lightning storm. For half the price I could have gotten toas but I chose the pharos and like them.
 
Same here, it's a preference thing. I don't like the totally blue saturated colors. As a underwater photographer, I carried many pounds of light underwater to show corals in their true colors. I guess that's why I tend to stay away from a blue dominated tank.

The debate about Chinese panels is pretty much over. Yes, you can find some that aren't proper for coral growth, but the vast majority of them now work fine. This forum has posted exhaustive studies on these various panels and I believe you are safe with the general recommendations made. You can pay for fancy or simple, the coral doesn't care.
 
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