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Are moonlights necessary?


ravenlot

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I've seen some people use blue LEDs and others use a weaker actinic PC to create a moonlight effect on their tanks during the evening hours.

 

Some people have said that corals are less stressed when moonlights are used since the lighting period doesn't end abruptly but I haven't heard of anyone noticing any significant improvement. So, are moonlights necessary for the health of the corals or is it just a feature for viewing your tank at night?

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it's more for aesthetics than anything else. i don't think that it's necessary for corals, but it sure does look cool. my blue led's make some of my corals glow throughout the night. if anything, it might reduce stress on your fish leaving them just a little bit of light as opposed to being in complete darkness.

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I don't know if its necessary, but it looks cool! I love to see the dim white light over my reef at night. Plus, since it's single point, I get a cool shimmering effect.

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bktomodachi, all the necessary parts for a moonlight system can be purchased at radioshack. you might even have some of the parts laying around the house. if you were to buy a moonlight online, you could spend more than twice as much than doing it yourself.

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OxInYourBox

Autopart stores carry LED products that can be spliced into a 12V power supply as well. That's the route I went. You can also buy premade as well.

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LED's are a thing of the future, today.

 

IMHO, it's something else to waste your money on. Remember, there are noctournal animals that depend on the night cycle to emerge and go roaming around the LR. Use moon lighting carefully, like those low power blue LED lights, and be careful not to "light spook" your pods, shrimps and worms from doing their job at night.

 

BTW, your corals also extend their feeding tentacles at night to catch those pods (and other zooplankton).

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