Light Metal Halide

Light Metal Halide
Why do the metal halide lights usually come with actinic light?What purpose dose the actinic light have?

I am going to keep one marine reef aqurium, the light is of vital importance. Can the metal halide lights simulate sunlight? If so, why do I need actinic light as well? need help.
Thanks in advance.
nuo

Actinic lights are primarily for aesthetic purposes, although they do serve a practical function for certain invertebrates such as coral.

In nature, reefs are located generally from sea level to 40 or 50 feet deep. On average, 10 to 20 feet of water is typical. When sunlight hits the water, much of it is simply reflected away. Some doesn't and penetrates deeper in the water. Because of the wavelengths, the red end of the spectrum gets filtered out/blocked first. This is why red things (fish, coral, etc.) under water aren't very common, nor are they easy to see -- they look black without the red spectrum.

The blue end of the spectrum is the last to be filtered out -- hence the typical deep blue hues you see in underwater pictures, and a reason there are so many blue fish in the ocean.

Actinic bulbs mimic these hues, and make an aquarium look as if it is deeper than the foot or two under water that it really is. In addition, because the blue is the last to be filtered out, it is used by various invertebrates like corals and sea anemones as food. That is, the zooxanthellae in their tissues use the light as food, and their wastes (starches and sugars) are what feed the animal.

Hope it helps!

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