Welcome to Sanjay's Reef Lighting Course. Keep checking here and the MACO site for details on when the first class will meet.
Course Description:
Lighting is an important element of keeping the corals alive and healthy, and also one of the more expensive items in setting up a reef aquarium. In this 6 week course we will review the various options available to reef hobbyist for lighting, along with the basic understanding of light.
Week 1&2:
Introduction to Light
1. Importance of Light for reef aquaria
2. Light Terminology – Wavelength, Frequency, Spectrum
3. Light physics – Reflection, Refraction, Inverse Square Law and its implications for reef lighting
4. Light Measurement – Color Temperature, CRI, Lumen, Lux, PAR, Measurement Instruments
Week 3:
Characteristics of the Underwater Light Field
a) Light Transmission in water
b) Factors affecting light underwater
c) Light and Photosynthesis
Week 4:
Lighting Options, Associated Hardware and Terminology
a. Flourescent – Normal Output, Power Compact, T5, VHO
b. High Intensity Discharge (HID), Mercury Vapor, Metal Halide
Week 5:
Metal Halide Lighting Details
a. Hardware Components – Ballasts, Capacitors, Lamps, sockets
b. Types of Metal halide Ballasts – Standard Core Coil, F-can, Pulse Start, HQI
c. DIY MH lighting
Week 6:
Understanding the Light Characteristics of Metal halide Lighting Systems
a. Types of MH lamps
b. Differences in Spectral Output of lamps
c. How Reflectors affect light distribution
d. Practical Lighting Issues
Course Description:
Lighting is an important element of keeping the corals alive and healthy, and also one of the more expensive items in setting up a reef aquarium. In this 6 week course we will review the various options available to reef hobbyist for lighting, along with the basic understanding of light.
Week 1&2:
Introduction to Light
1. Importance of Light for reef aquaria
2. Light Terminology – Wavelength, Frequency, Spectrum
3. Light physics – Reflection, Refraction, Inverse Square Law and its implications for reef lighting
4. Light Measurement – Color Temperature, CRI, Lumen, Lux, PAR, Measurement Instruments
Week 3:
Characteristics of the Underwater Light Field
a) Light Transmission in water
b) Factors affecting light underwater
c) Light and Photosynthesis
Week 4:
Lighting Options, Associated Hardware and Terminology
a. Flourescent – Normal Output, Power Compact, T5, VHO
b. High Intensity Discharge (HID), Mercury Vapor, Metal Halide
Week 5:
Metal Halide Lighting Details
a. Hardware Components – Ballasts, Capacitors, Lamps, sockets
b. Types of Metal halide Ballasts – Standard Core Coil, F-can, Pulse Start, HQI
c. DIY MH lighting
Week 6:
Understanding the Light Characteristics of Metal halide Lighting Systems
a. Types of MH lamps
b. Differences in Spectral Output of lamps
c. How Reflectors affect light distribution
d. Practical Lighting Issues
