Lighting unit and method of controlling

1. A lighting unit comprising:

a housing;

an emitter assembly at least partially received in the housing, the emitter assembly comprising a light emitter having different light colors;

a heat sink at least partially received in the housing and disposed vertically over the emitter assembly;

a fan assembly at least partially received in the housing and disposed laterally in the same plane as the emitter assembly, the fan assembly comprising a fan blade for generating an airflow, and a curved baffle situated over the fan blade for maintaining laminar airflow through the fan assembly, the curved baffle configured to direct airflow in the direction of the heat sink; and

a microprocessor electrically connected to the emitter assembly and the fan assembly;

wherein the microprocessor drives the color output of the light emitter.

2. The lighting unit of claim 1 , wherein the light emitter comprises a first light emitter having a first color and the emitter assembly further comprises a second light emitter having a second color, the first light emitter being controlled on a first channel and the second light emitter being controlled on a second channel.

3. The lighting unit of claim 1 , further comprising a communication unit operably connected to the microprocessor.

4. The lighting unit of claim 1 , wherein the housing comprises a bottom cover having a grate through which the airflow is drawn by the fan blade.

5. A habitat comprising:

a marine aquarium; and

the lighting unit of claim 1 above the marine aquarium.

6. The lighting unit of claim 1 , further comprising a temperature measuring device.

7. A method of controlling environmental conditions in a marine habitat comprising:

selecting an operating mode having associated data related to light intensity, and light color;

transmitting the associated data to a first lighting unit comprising a light emitter assembly, a heat sink and a fan assembly;

storing the associated data in the first lighting unit;

adjusting the operating parameters of the first lighting unit to correspond to the associated data;

wirelessly transmitting the associated data from the first lighting unit to a second lighting unit and a pump to adjust the operating parameters of the second lighting unit and the pump in concert with the first lighting unit; and

controlling the environmental conditions inside the habitat to accommodate growth or sustain marine life living inside the habitat.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein said selecting is done through one of the group consisting of a user interface on a lighting unit and a computer.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein said selecting an operating mode is accomplished by a user gesturing in contact with the user interface.

10. The method of claim 7 , wherein said adjusting the operating parameters includes lowering the intensity of light and reducing the amount of light to the minimal amount of light to support photosynthesis in a habitat.