can i??...

[emonemo420]

alright time for another question from emonemo...anyway im sure everyone has seen the regular tops the come on freshwater tanks....the ones that are split into two...well i removed all the crap and was given a 48" strip that sits on the top with no screen or protector or nething..i was told by the gentleman who gave it to me from my reef club im better off without it neway...so the question is can i take those 2 old 24'' light strips and put like acrylic or plexiglass underneath them and then use light blacklights or something for a night time light..... i have seen some cool looking tanks when they have "night" lights on em and i want something to look at at night instead of a dark tank...any suggestions for lights?? can i just use black lights or does it have to be like a "moon" light....thanks:)

[jwddboy]

Most people just use blue lights.

There are ideas about it having to be the right spectrum... but thats only really true for day lighting, when you have plants.

It has never really been proven that moon lighting makes fish happier or worse. Generally its all to do with the hobbiest wanting to see them at night.

[Reefscape]

Blues are really there just to enhance the colors on the corals...not seen any documented eveidence yet that that proves that corals need blues....Personally, i like to have them, i believe they make a great difference in a tank and make the corals really stand out..

Moonlights, are different...They are simply a row of low power LED's, about 10w in power that will give a nice glow to the tank to simulate teh moon, and to aid in a pleasuable viewing when all main lights and actinic blues are off....

Niko

[emonemo420]

well thanks for the tips but didnt get an answer to one question ......can i use regular old blacklights for it? obviously the whole point would b to just give it a look at night and possibly a view of the fish without affecting their night patterns to much

[Reefscape]

its a personal preference, yes, you could....sorry that i did not clear up your question.....

Niko

[emonemo420]

hey thats fine thank u very much.....now i gotta go to lowes and see if i can get some plexi glass and bulbs and give my tank a new look

[dorkfish]

A blacklight emits mostly UV light... Honeslty I would not want that over my tank... nor even near me really...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_light#Safety

Read the part under "safety" about skin cancer.

[Reefscape]

lol....i miss read that...i thought it said back light........woopsy

[emonemo420]

glad i didnt go buy em yet....so what can i use for at night thats easy and cheap...just like a blue light?.....im talking like wal-mart or lowes type of deal....someting cheap...does it have to be so dark?

[Reefscape]

any simple led lighting that is water proof, and of low light....

eBay sell some great kits for this aswell

[Almondsaz]

If you look on ebay you can find the blue led lights quite inexpensive and they mount onto the hood. I like the fact that you can then place them in the hood according to your tank layout or overflow location so you get the best bang for the buck.

[emonemo420]

when i looked i only found like 2 4" strips or something of the sort...if someone could find a good one for my 55 that would look nice send me the link....thanks....however all this costs money something i dont have i still wanna venture into the idea of cutting the acrylic and laying my two light systems down with some type of bulb ....ill look into bulbs and get back to yall and see what ya think...i guess as long as its not bright it will work...and obvuiously black light outta the ?

[Grins]

I know of a few people that use blue rope lighting for moonlights. They aren't all that bright but they are pleased. You can get it at Lowes/Home Depot

[Almondsaz]

Here is a link for Marine Depot:
http://www.marinedepot.com/ps_AquariumPage~PageAlias~lighting_moonlight_moon_ lunar_lamp_current_usa.html
Note: they have three colors so you need to be careful what you order.

There is only one set like these on e-bay...really no price difference so you might as well go for new.

[ricsreef]

I have a blue led 6' strip over my 150g and it works very well for the nighttime visual effect.I found it on ebay from a place called cbconcepts for $20 delivered. Its 120v with cord,just plug it into timer and leave it.The one I have is not completely waterproof,although it is encased in thick plastic tubing,The manufacturer suggest not to submerge it.I made something to hang mine on over the tank and out of the way.