NATUREBATSLAST

Green Your Reef!

Welcome to the first edition of Green Your Reef! As the title suggests, I'll be writing about matters that pertaining to "Green" aspects of reefkeeping. But, "Green"? What exactly is it and what can it do for you? For my purposes here I'll use Green to frame issues such as new technology, efficiency matters of electric and water consumption, reusing and recycling when you can, sustainibility issues in the marine fish and coral trade, educate and inform those new to the hobby (or the general public) of environmental issues such as ocean acidification or the "Great Pacific Garbage Patch". Mainly, I want to expand the discussion of efficiency in a hobby that has been known to be above average consumers of utilities (electric and water) and resources (salt, fish, coral, live rock).

Photo: Nat'l Geographic

Why Green? I once had the priviledge to ask a question to the famed Dr Charlie Veron (the man and ledgend who's credited for discovering over 20% of the worlds coral species, over 7000 hours logged underwater, 66 expeditions and author/photogragher of Corals of Australia and the Indo Pacific). My question was simple, "How ethical is this hobby in a world of climate change, impending ocean acidification, shrinking livestock and coral resources? Does my $100 a month electric bill, my water bill and and it's associated carbon footprint actually work against the hobby?"
His answer, "No, the educational value of an aquarium and a willingness to discuss difficult issues outweighs its resource use. I'll live with your electric bill and carbon footprint if your willing to educate the public about the reefs and oceans."

So where do we start?.....

Lighting Efficiency

With so much new equipment that's come out over the last 3 years, it's almost impossible to keep up with some of the advances. And lately it seems most of the advances lean to efficiency improvements, and probably the best example is lighting. LED's, T5 HO's, even digital ballasts have boosted efficiency rates by decreasing electricity use. A simple change (if finances permit) of switching a 250w MH run on magnetic ballast to a digital ballast can save a few watts by not overdriving the lamp and extending bulb life. A bigger change would be switch to T5's altogether. Depending on the tank and it's depth, changing out a the same 250w MH on a magnetic ballast to a regular output, 4 bulb T5 combo with individual reflectors would save a little over 100w an hour. Now, times that by 8 hours a day, 30 days a months and 12 months a year...the savings are substantial.

Wave of the future? Probably. The Pro's- low electricty use, long bulb life.
The Cons paying premium for LED systems and a Moore's Law approach to improvements.
What's next for LED, how about OLED or Quantum Dot LED's?

But here's 10 simple fixes that can improve your lighting performance...
-Magnetic ballasts will consume more electricity than digital ones. But, color temp may be effected.
-For MH user's, match your ballast with an appropriate lamp for optimal output. Consult Sanjay's Lighting Pages (above link) to compare outputs of different bulb and ballast.
-Keep you reflectors, bulbs AND lenes clean and free of salt creep.
-Lamps that are fan cooled will have a higher output (PAR/PPFD) when compared to those that are not cooled.
-Use the Inverse Square Law. Increasing or decreasing the light distance is inversely related. A light that is raised to 8" off the surface from 4" will be reduced to 1/4 of it's original intensity, which translates to decreased growth rates.
-Minimize light losses in your canopy by using reflective surfaces (reflective mylar or flat white paint) and being aware "holes" inside the canopy.
-If possible, supplement with sunlight! It's free, full spectrum and your tank loves it!
-Change your old bulbs. MH's have a lifetime of roughly 18 months, T5 HO 18 months. Overdriving bulbs will increase the bulb output, but will decrease bulb life. Old bulbs have poor spectrum.
-Refugium lighting can be as simple as a $5 CFL screw in bulb . A 5000 to 6500K spectrum is optimal for macroalgae growth, which in turn, promotes nitrate and phosphate export.
-Lastly, ask to see what others in your local, regional or national reef club are doing. If your not a member, join!