Recreating a thunderstorm idea....

[am3gross]

This is what I was thinking and I am wondering if anyone else has tried it.. I set up a new tank, 375 gallons... I wanted some moonlights.. Well walking down the xmas isle I seen some nice blue led lights for the xmas tree... I thought to myself, self, I could use those as moonlights!!! So I bought some.. Strung them inside around the canopy and boom, I have my moonlights.. Now I want more.. Do you think that if I put one of those blinker bulbs in there that they will flash, and make it look like a thunderstorm? I am going to head to Wally World tomorrow and see if I can find the little flasher bulb and see if it works, so stand by for a video!!

I have spent so much on this tank, It will be nice to spend a little bit of money and maybe get alot of enjoyment out of it!!

 

[gaki]

Sounds like it might work... just don’t zap the water or anything lol! Idk if you have AI prime, but there is a built in @weather mode” where you can add lightning and stuff like that. Good luck!

 

[am3gross]

Sounds like it might work... just don’t zap the water or anything lol! Idk if you have AI prime, but there is a built in @weather mode” where you can add lightning and stuff like that. Good luck!

Yeah, I thought about getting better lights, and I will some day. But this idea sounds like a way cooler idea, and way cheaper!!lol!!!!!

 

[User1]

See if you can pick up a used Reef Angel controller. They have probably the best cloud and storm library out of any controller on the market today. Based on the main code block it will check if there is a chance of clouds or storms instead of a set time like most controllers. Meaning you may go several days without a storm or cloud cover and when you do BAM it is thunder and lightning. Flashing or lower intensity for clouds. Really an amazing library and I've seen nothing like it from others because it isn't part of their core code like the RA.

 

[gaki]

I was just thinking- if you try the weather feature, depending on what fish you have, they might get super stressed out. Of course, your corals may love it because it’s just a bit of variety. I personally haven’t seen anyone who uses it, so lmk how it goes!

 

[sp1187]

my lights controller has a random "storm" program. it's an aggravation.(and it's turned off)

it also has "clouds" so it gets "shady" from left to right across the tank like clouds moving across the sky. again completely random and length of "shade" varies. turned that off also.

 

[Brett S]

It’s one of those things that sounds like a great idea on paper, but in reality, not so much. My radion lights support this as well and after having it enabled for a day or two I too disabled it and never looked back. It really wound up being more of an annoyance than anything and I also worried about the flashing lights freaking out the fish (although tbh they really didn’t seem to react much)

I’m not sure that blinking Christmas lights will really work well to simulate lightening. I think they are too dim and flash too slowly and regularly. Lightening is more of a random, fast, very bright flash.

 

[Bpb]

I was just thinking- if you try the weather feature, depending on what fish you have, they might get super stressed out. Of course, your corals may love it because it’s just a bit of variety. I personally haven’t seen anyone who uses it, so lmk how it goes!

Not sure I can agree on corals loving variety. They don’t get bored. They thrive with stability.

 

[am3gross]

I am having trouble finding the little flasher bulb, might get my lights out the attic and see if I have some in there. Appreciate all the replies!! Probably not something that will work the way I want but we will see. Worth a shot.

 

[xxkenny90xx]

I am having trouble finding the little flasher bulb, might get my lights out the attic and see if I have some in there. Appreciate all the replies!! Probably not something that will work the way I want but we will see. Worth a shot.

I really like your idea here but am concerned that it's gonna be too consistent of a flash instead of random (like @Brett S said). Also it would flash all the time instead of occasionally like a real storm.

Anyways lets see some pics of the Xmas lights set up, I'm intrigued!

 

[A. grandis]

Initially I thought this thread was a joke, I'm sorry.
Hopefully by now this is going to be understood once for all.
Whatever lighting/thunder storm effects LED fixtures could offer aren't to be used.
There is absolutely no need for that in a reef tank. Fishes will get stressed.
Christmas lights are to be used for decoration.
We already have too many Christmas lights pretending to be useful reef lighting.

 

[am3gross]

Initially I thought this thread was a joke, I'm sorry.
Hopefully by now this is going to be understood once for all.
Whatever lighting/thunder storm effects LED fixtures could offer aren't to be used.
There is absolutely no need for that in a reef tank. Fishes will get stressed.
Christmas lights are to be used for decoration.
We already have too many Christmas lights pretending to be useful reef lighting.

Well don't worry, I couldn't find the little flasher bulb to fulfill my curiosity. And I am using the Xmas lights for decoration, its just inside my canopy, as moonlights. I expect no beneficial effects to come from this, other then me being able to see what looks like moonlight from them. And that is a success.

Also thanks for your reply, I like hearing everyone's opinion, even if I think they are not useful or are a joke.

 

[Bpb]

Initially I thought this thread was a joke, I'm sorry.
Hopefully by now this is going to be understood once for all.
Whatever lighting/thunder storm effects LED fixtures could offer aren't to be used.
There is absolutely no need for that in a reef tank. Fishes will get stressed.
Christmas lights are to be used for decoration.
We already have too many Christmas lights pretending to be useful reef lighting.

Oh cmon where’s your holiday spirit

 

[A. grandis]

Sometimes I get carried away. Sorry guys.. It's just that hurts when I see those postings promoting lightning and such. LOL!
Merry Christmas to all.

 

[Mike from TN]

I love thunderstorms but I think the lightning flashes would get old real fast for the humans in the room AND the fish.
O.P., if you want “effects” get a White noise machine that has different sounds. I got one off Amazon that has about 30 different noises. It’s in my cabinet under my tank and runs 24/7 on low volume making the sound of crashing waves.

 

[Scdell]

Where in the world do people come up with the fact that thunderstorms stress fish????
It happens in nature and they deal with it. I personally have thunderstorms activated and my fish just go on like it's normal. Been that way in my tank for years. I kinda like the random thunderstorms. I'm thinking it's the fish keeper that gets stressed. To each his own.

 

[Sleeping Giant]

I would like to see this

 

[Brett S]

Where in the world do people come up with the fact that thunderstorms stress fish????
It happens in nature and they deal with it. I personally have thunderstorms activated and my fish just go on like it's normal. Been that way in my tank for years. I kinda like the random thunderstorms. I'm thinking it's the fish keeper that gets stressed. To each his own.

I don’t think it’s the thunderstorm that could potentially stress fish, I think it’s the rapid flashing of the lights on top of the tank that stress the fish. In a ‘simulated thunderstorm‘ those lights are going to be flashing much more intensely and frequently than what fish would see from real lightning in a real thunderstorm.

 

[Scdell]

I personally wouldn't put Xmas lights in a hood with moisture, etc. You just might get a real light show going one day!

 

[Scdell]

I don’t think it’s the thunderstorm that could potentially stress fish, I think it’s the rapid flashing of the lights on top of the tank that stress the fish. In a ‘simulated thunderstorm‘ those lights are going to be flashing much more intensely and frequently than what fish would see from real lightning in a real thunderstorm.

I don't buy that either. I've seen some pretty intense thunderstorms. Worse than what my lights put out.