[dwarf_puffer]

my 6 foot tank is my foot board to my bed and every night i turn off the lights all the fish freak out and swim to the right side of the tank where there is some light. i looked around and saw the LED moonlighting in a few tanks online and really liked the cool blue look to it. since my tank is my foot boards of my bed i dont want the hole thing to be lit up so bright i cant sleep however the ones i saw online looked really cool with just a few lights on. any subjestions i saw a few little devices on ebay for around 20 bucks?

 

[VinnyD]

get the blue colour or similar...cuz if you get the white LEDs..it might seem bright at night. you can also use a timer on them so that they turn off after a while. i saw some that double as bubble wands...so it's like a LED and bubble wand combo

 

[target]

I have this one in my tank:

http://www.fishbowl-innovations.com/products/90-moontube-moon-controller.aspx

I am sure there are cheaper ones out there. It allows you to dim the LED to whatever setting you like, or set it to follow a 28 day lunar cycle, where it gets brighter to simulate a full moon, then fades to simulate a new moon.

 

[dwarf_puffer]

i think i would prefer the ones that are just single bulbs with a spot light effect does anyone use those? i know marina makes one but im not sure how good they are.

 

[someguy]

i learnt a lesson about moonlights. they kill discus!

well, sort of. i saw some moonlights, and they looked SOOOOO kool. so i got some, put them in, and yup just like i thought, KOOOOOL. set them up as a sunrise and sunset on the timer, a couple hours each. almost a month later, discus got sick. one by one they died. couldn't figure it out. one by one, they would show swim bladder problems, and be dead the next day. usually thats not such a quick problem. this went on until the last one, and then it dawned on me, that the moonlights was the last thing that was changed on the tank. took them out, at the same time that the last one was showing symptoms, and taaa daaa, i still have the last one. i figure that the moon light was stressing them for some reason...... but...... i have some moonlight for sale,lol

 

[Ursus sapien]

^^^most excellent sales pitch lol^^^

 

[dwarf_puffer]

i learnt a lesson about moonlights. they kill discus!

well, sort of. i saw some moonlights, and they looked SOOOOO kool. so i got some, put them in, and yup just like i thought, KOOOOOL. set them up as a sunrise and sunset on the timer, a couple hours each. almost a month later, discus got sick. one by one they died. couldn't figure it out. one by one, they would show swim bladder problems, and be dead the next day. usually thats not such a quick problem. this went on until the last one, and then it dawned on me, that the moonlights was the last thing that was changed on the tank. took them out, at the same time that the last one was showing symptoms, and taaa daaa, i still have the last one. i figure that the moon light was stressing them for some reason...... but...... i have some moonlight for sale,lol

that not good..lol?? did you have the spot light ones or the bars with bubbles?

 

[someguy]

i had both running. i don't think i could say for a fact, that my exp would be true for everyone, or everyfish. Including personalities, i may have had the only discus in the world that had a problem with moonlights, or maybe it's just a discus thing, which is what i'm more incined to believe. Discus come from pretty dark waters to begin with, so maybe i had to much moon light? and it was too close to their natural day light?? lol, i guess me point is only just a word of caution.

 

[effox]

You can make the moonlights easily with a led, bottle cap, wire, resistor if necessary and a ac\dc adapter... Super easy to make, and you wouldn't see it if it looks ugly, only the cool shimmer of blue it gives.

 

[neven]

resistors should always be used when using LEDs. Limiting the current will prolong their life, and plus it allows you to adjust how dim you want them by swapping around the values. Some mix up blue and white LEDs to give a softer blue tone. Biggest thing is to not make it too bright as it will affect fish behavior in some species

 

[dwarf_puffer]

i was thinking i would only put 4 lights on my 6 foot tank one every foot do you think that will be to over stressful for the fish?

 

[neven]

4 bulbs or lights? if its premade units, make sure it comes with dimmers. your goal is to light it enough to see nocturnal activity, not to give total illumination of the tank. I'd personally rather have the more units dimmed than a few bright spots.

I've really only heard of discus dropping like flies to moonlights after weeks with too bright moonlights, but i've not heard of other deaths like that.