Moonlighting

[reefrookie379]

Hello everyone,
Just looking for discussion and opinions on whether or not this “moonlight” is too bright for my nocturnal dwellers. Photo below, thanks. I have a Reef Breeders Photon 24 V2+ With the moon light setting at only 1%

 

[Ludders]

I've always thought this and don't use it myself, but am interested in others opinions

 

[Kinjirra]

maybe its the camera but that looks awfully bright to me

 

[Ludders]

maybe its the camera but that looks awfully bright to me

What are yours like? Can you post a pic please to compare.

 

[clifg]

Here's mine from the apex lsm

 

[Ludders]

yeah that looks a lot better. Do you always use it?

 

[Auquanut]

I run my blues for a short time in the evening, but go full dark for most of the night.

As a diver whose done a lot of night diving, I can say that even a few feet down, under a full moon, it's DARK. Like can't see your hand in front of your face dark. If the aim of the moonlights is for aesthetic appeal, I would say keep them as low as possible. If it's for the nocturnal inhabitants, I'd say they don't need it. From what I've read, a low level of moonlighting all night doesn't seem to hurt anything. I've also read that it may also encourage spawning in some corals under certain conditions.

I have a beer sign that I keep lit up in my mancave as kind of a night light. I'm absolutely certain that it produces far more light for the tanks than they would ever receive overnight in the wild. Just the way I look at it.

 

[attiland]

Quite agree the corals or other aquatic life don’t depend on the light part of the moon cycle and likely other impacts like tides etc have more effects to trigger things. This live you with the moonlighting is mainly for your entertainment.

 

[reefrookie379]

Here's mine from the apex lsm

That is much better. What kind of lights are those as they look to be separate from your main light ?

 

[reefrookie379]

maybe its the camera but that looks awfully bright to me

No that is how bright it is which is why I was a little concerned and started the thread.

 

[Rubberfrog]

Hello everyone,
Just looking for discussion and opinions on whether or not this “moonlight” is too bright for my nocturnal dwellers. Photo below, thanks. I have a Reef Breeders Photon 24 V2+ With the moon light setting at only 1%

That is way too bright

 

[ca1ore]

When I used the older photon lights, I experimented with them at 1% blue channel for moonlight and concluded (based on memory from doing night diving) that it was way too bright. I too ended up using the Apex LSM and have been very happy with it. I even experimented with making a LED string from cool white diodes ..... ended up going back to the apex blue ones. I even find them too bright and only use a single diode for every 2 feet of tank length.

I think that aiming to replicate the natural environment to the greatest degree possible is a worthwhile goal even if moonlighting is unlikely to be the difference between success and failure.

 

[clifg]

That is much better. What kind of lights are those as they look to be separate from your main light ?

Apex LSM