Moonlights: Good, bad, ugly?

[Llarian]

Somebody brought this up in Krish's DIY moonlight thread, and I've noticed it in my own tank so I figured I'd ask here. =)

Are moonlights detrimental to things like zoanthids that stay open even when exposed to the low intensity light of the moonlights? I've noticed one small cluster of zoanthids in my tank that's most exposed to the LEDs appears to have grown less than the others in the tank.

Anybody have any thoughts on this?

-Dylan

 

[Krish]

Somebody brought this up in Krish's DIY moonlight thread

What did I do this time!!! Good question Dylan. I'm curious to know the answer as well.

 

[james734]

I've gotta follow along on this thread...

 

[spongebob lover]

What did I do this time!!! Good question Dylan. I'm curious to know the answer as well.

sheesh Krish you're famous :lol: .
I'll stick to this one but i think that they lights look really nice and i believe it suppose to help clowns to help estimulate spawning .....but i could be pretty wrong .

 

[Mauisreef]

Good question. Hmmmmmmmmm.............

 

[Llarian]

Guess Anthony is AWOL.

bumping anyways. =)

-Dylan

 

[Anthony Calfo]

I have had first hand experience in my travels (2-3 clubs/cities monthly for the better part of a decade now) where I've seen more than a few aquariums with certain style/brand moonlights that irritated or even harmed ("bleached") spots in corals for having the light shine down on them at night or 24/7

Moonlights serve very little practical purpose... they are useful for sighted animals if you are trying to manipulate spawning cycles, but beyond that they are near useless and purely aesthetic.

FWIW... I like (and have seen harmless or good results) ARADs moonlights (IceCap mfg/brand).

 

[Llarian]

Interesting. Thanks Anthony.

Have you observed coral with an obviously light/dark state remaining in their daylight state with exposure to that brand of moonlight?

(I'm thinking zoas in particular, but that's just because they're the most obviously different between night and day in my tank.)

-Dylan

 

[Anthony Calfo]

not with any consistency... its not about PAR stimulating spectra here... just radiation. And irritating to some corals at that.

Moonlights are more marketing magic than magic We think they are more cool than they are actually useful.

 

[spongebob lover]

ok i was wondering something.
Do they help fishes not to get scared (no that they would tell us :lol: .....sorry pregnancy hormones) because once the lights go off.... they just run to hide... wouldn't they help for that.

 

[Anthony Calfo]

it's a nice/sweet thought... but it's not really an issue here. There is no significant attenuation of light.

 

[Krish]

ROFL Gabbs. Maybe you look scarey in the dark

 

[Llarian]

No argument with that. I like them primarily for aesthetic reasons. I have nothing in my tank that could breed anyways short of snails, so it serves no purpose other than letting me see some of the tank at night. I suppose my goal is to find the least damaging way of doing that.

-Dylan

not with any consistency... its not about PAR stimulating spectra here... just radiation. And irritating to some corals at that.

Moonlights are more marketing magic than magic We think they are more cool than they are actually useful.

 

[Anthony Calfo]

no purpose other than letting me see some of the tank at night. I suppose my goal is to find the least damaging way of doing that

the safest and easiest way to do this by far is with a red light. You can use an incandessant party bulb in a booklamp... or you can buy a red plastic sleeve for a fluorescent lamp. Most light sensitive or sighted reef creatures do not see this light well or get disturbed by it. An easier way to see nocturnal worms, fishes, etc.

 

[tike]

I think they are good for fish so in the middlke of the night they can find there way to the potty!:lol:

willie

 

[Mauisreef]

Thanks Anthony.
Stayin busy ah Brah?

 

[NeuroDoc]

After reading through this thread so far, and knowing that I want moonlights on my tank, here is what I have decided to do.

Since I am home mostly at night, I will run my regular lighting until about 9 pm. This gives me a chance to observe everything in my tank in the early evening with the lights on. Lights go out and the moonlights come on for a couple of hours (until midnight) so that I can observe my sun polyp and chili coral that come out at night. Then the moonlights go off so everyone can sleep.