Strife Posted January 8, 2003 Share Posted January 8, 2003 okay, just got 2 blue led's setup over my 7 gallon minibow for night time viewing.... cant explain how nice it is...but i really love it.. makes my corals glow... the LED peaks at 480nm..so corals should love it pictures: http://www.stryfe.com/moonlight Link to comment
Dave ESPI Posted January 8, 2003 Share Posted January 8, 2003 Spectral output is in that range, but IME, it offers no real intensity for the corals. FWIW, I wish they did. I just use 9 W PC actincs 24 /7 on a few tanks and they work awesome. Link to comment
tinyreef Posted January 8, 2003 Share Posted January 8, 2003 hey strife, are you thinking of varying their intensity like fossa/nilsen notes? (i.e. replicating the different phases of the moon) i'm curious whether that has as much effect as having/not having moonlight. i'd think you could turn both on for full moon, one for half moon, etc. or vary their distance (more advanced diy) to adjust their intensity to match fossa/nilsen's suggested bell curve. Link to comment
Strife Posted January 8, 2003 Author Share Posted January 8, 2003 im yet to do my own research towards effects of LED's on reef tanks.. my next purchase will be a lux meter.. so i can see how deep the LED's penetrate i have seen mix reviews and im tired of taking peoples opinions on how it would and it wouldnt..so ill keep you updated towards the "real" results..(at least close to being real) hehe I am carefully watching my corals and fishes,(its coloring, its growth, fish behavior, etc) so basically any adverse effects from the LED.. the led purchased was carefully selected, i had to make sure it peaks more than 420nm so it can penetrate deeper. and i hit the jackpot.. found one that peaks 480nm (manufacturer claims) in terms of effects and behaivior, i already have seen that it does something.. when lights go off, all my corals are usually retracted within the hour ( 4 months of investigation ) but last night, they stayed "partially " out till the LED's went off..perhaps it was too strong, so i will try to find different bulbs..hopefully i spot one that peaks exactly at 420nm.. i also have red and green LEDs for the test DOH!!.. almost forgot.. last night i felt that the led's was pointing towards one area..so i pointed the led's up to the reflector and let it bounce back... i just thought that it should lower the intensitiy a lil bit, or at least light up the tank more... BOOM, it worked.. the whole tank was lit by the led gave a nice glow all over..and corals was neon green.. Link to comment
tinyreef Posted January 8, 2003 Share Posted January 8, 2003 strife, that 280nm claim from the mfg. sounds like bs. maybe it's a uv sterilizer led. never heard of one tho. ??? i would think the main improvement should be in zooplankton from the spawnings (bio-lunar clock). that should indirectly help everything else tho. keep us abreast of your findings. Link to comment
LiQuiD Posted January 8, 2003 Share Posted January 8, 2003 By all means, I am no light expert, and make these statements more as questions. I have been wanting to do the night lighting thing for a while myself and it has not been top priority, which gives me more time for research. My purpose for getting the night light would be to view the nocturnal creatures that are not out during normal lighting times (brisstle worms, stars, some shrimp, some crabs, etc.) Everything I have always read says that the "RED" spectrum would be used for such night viewing because the creatures can't register the spectrum as light. The blue I read would resemble deep water conditions, but during the day non the less. I myself would prefer a blue light glowing through my tank at night as apposed to a red light but want to achieve being able to view the night critters as well. Does the blue light at a low intensity allow the night dwellers to roam freely, or must I get the red LED to achieve the goal? Does anyone have any good hard evidence that the nocturnal hunters come out with the blue? Link to comment
DeskJockey Posted January 8, 2003 Share Posted January 8, 2003 Liquid- I have both red and blue leds on my 65. I put the red lights on with the same intention as you stated, I can see them and they dont know it. But after a few nights of observation I noticed that the fish and pods can sense or see the red light. To test this I left the room in complete darkness for 2 hours and then switched on the red lights with only 3 volts (very dim)and my clowns were definitely startled. I hardley ever use the red leds anymore (damn waste of money). And yes I believe that the blue light is low enough for nocturnal life to come out, as I have seen pods, bristle stars, and all kinds of other strange stuff out and about. So IMO just stick with the blue lights as the reds dont offer much of a difference and the corals dont have a fluorescence effect with the reds either. good luck! Link to comment
Strife Posted January 9, 2003 Author Share Posted January 9, 2003 Originally posted by tinyreef strife, that 280nm claim from the mfg. sounds like bs. maybe it's a uv sterilizer led. never heard of one tho. ??? i would think the main improvement should be in zooplankton from the spawnings (bio-lunar clock). that should indirectly help everything else tho. keep us abreast of your findings. ahem... its not 280..its 480 to you buddy.. HEHE Link to comment
Strife Posted January 9, 2003 Author Share Posted January 9, 2003 i really worry about using red led's... without a lux meter, its really hard to tell, but all that can be done is guess.. red bulbs imo would put out high red spectrum, wich can be bad for the tank..algae loves the red spectrum.. sort of like using old bulbs. Link to comment
MiKeE Posted January 18, 2003 Share Posted January 18, 2003 okay, its been changed http://www.reefseven.com/moonlight Link to comment
SoS Posted January 18, 2003 Share Posted January 18, 2003 Originally posted by Dave ESPI Spectral output is in that range, but IME, it offers no real intensity for the corals. FWIW, I wish they did. I just use 9 W PC actincs 24 /7 on a few tanks and they work awesome. What size tanks do you do this on? I assume a 9W on a 10 gallon would be too much. I have a 29 gallon and I think it still might be close to too much unless I raise the height on it too several inches above the tank. That seem like a nice and inexpensive nightlight for larger tanks. Link to comment
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