Reef lighting that's safe for children's eyes

[Downfall]

Hello!

I'm in need of advice. We're looking for a lighting option that will be safe for and not blind my young daughter. If you've ever looked up while lying on the floor at an aquarium with a kessil or radion hanging high above the tank you know how much light gets shot directly in your eyes. Imagine being 3FT tall and looking up at this tank.

I'm thinking diffused light is the way to go, and preferably a panel. Something like ATI T5 fixture, ATI Straton, Neptune Sky, Reef Brite XHO fixture, others??? and preferably mount the light close to the water. I'd even consider adding barn doors/shades to the side of the light to prevent light spill.

Tank: Red Sea Reefer XL 300 (36"L x 22" D)

Coral: LPS and ricordea mushrooms

Does anyone have any thoughts or suggestions for me? Maybe I'm missing something easy here. Hoping the reef community can shed some light on our concern (sorry, had to, I love dad jokes).

 

[mav3rick478]

If you're really concerned about the light then cover it all with a canopy or barn doors like you said. To be honest even a diffused light can be harmful from the spectrum being emitted if it has true UV. It's the risk we all play with our tanks. But being that she is very young and doesn't understand then those might be your only options till she gets older and can understand why not to look at the light. And maybe grow taller too. But you always want them to stay small and innocent and protect them from everything but they eventually get older and become somewhat sassy and 15..oh wait what, sorry got off track.

 

[schuby]

I have my lights in a hood on my tank. There is no light-spillage other than what radiates off the rock and sand.

 

[oreo54]

T5's can practically rest on top of a glass cover.
Really your best bet.
No led that I know of would be "safe" looking up at them. Well any light for that matter.
Depending your feeling on the " blue issue" things like actinic t5's are probably only marginally safer than an LED.
Don't even think about metal halides.
So practically speaking you
would need a full blown hood.
Easy enough but not everyone's aesthetic.

How Blue Light Can Affect Your Health

Blue light can be harmful in large amounts. Learn more about how it can impact your eyes and sleep quality.

www.webmd.com

I believe current research is probing "exactly" which blue frequencies are the worst.
And actually violets are not the worst.

Blue-free white light breaks the paradigm of circadian lighting (MAGAZINE)

Non-visual receptors in humans are especially sensitive to blue spectral energy, explains Aurelien David, and the latest LED technology enables high-quality white light with reduced...

www.ledsmagazine.com

Not going unto UV because most t5's have very little and same w/ leds. Certain specialty diodes and tubes excepted .
And again no metal halides

Soo you have quantity ( density) and quality (bandwidth) issues.

TECHNICALLY safest tank would be full blown hood and blue blocker filter on the glass but what fun is that.

Just food for thought.
More than most care to know.

The Ultimate Guide to Blue Light Filters - Apps, Glasses and Everything in between

From Iris, f.lux, Redshift and other blue light filter desktop softwares to mobile apps, blue blockers, and everything in between, learn everything here!

iristech.co

 

[ZoWhat]

If you're that concerned....buy her a pair of blue light filter glasses for $25 ar Target or smthg.

Tell her she can see the fish more vividly with them on and oversell their use

Blue Light Blocking Glasses : Target

Shop Target for blue light blocking glasses you will love at great low prices. Choose from Same Day Delivery, Drive Up or Order Pickup plus free shipping on orders $35+.

www.target.com

.

 

[Jon's Reef]

1 XR30 g5 with the diffuser
2 XR15 g5 with diffuser
1 CoralCare V2
1 Sky (to be proven)
1 ATI Straton
1 kessil a360x with 55 deg lens and 2 XHO actinic strips (mount it at 12-14”)

 

[Frizzy reefnewb]

This is a thing ?! Will my leds make me blind ?! I stare at them for hours for the past 5 years I literally didn’t think they were harmful unless your literally staring into them?

 

[Frizzy reefnewb]

This is a thing ?! Will my leds make me blind ?! I stare at them for hours for the past 5 years I literally didn’t think they were harmful unless your literally staring into them

 

[coralfishreef]

T5s are easier on my eyes than LEDs. For some reason the G5’s with the diffusers are worse on my eyes than without the diffusers.

My vote is for T5s inside of a hood or canopy.

 

[CanuckReefer]

Hello!

I'm in need of advice. We're looking for a lighting option that will be safe for and not blind my young daughter. If you've ever looked up while lying on the floor at an aquarium with a kessil or radion hanging high above the tank you know how much light gets shot directly in your eyes. Imagine being 3FT tall and looking up at this tank.

I'm thinking diffused light is the way to go, and preferably a panel. Something like ATI T5 fixture, ATI Straton, Neptune Sky, Reef Brite XHO fixture, others??? and preferably mount the light close to the water. I'd even consider adding barn doors/shades to the side of the light to prevent light spill.

Tank: Red Sea Reefer XL 300 (36"L x 22" D)

Coral: LPS and ricordea mushrooms

Does anyone have any thoughts or suggestions for me? Maybe I'm missing something easy here. Hoping the reef community can shed some light on our concern (sorry, had to, I love dad jokes).

Sorry for the silly responses above....I get it. T5, 6 inches above, rim mounted are IMO your best option here if you don't want much light bleed. Otherwise you will need to build a hood to surround. Easily done on many tanks for the DIY.

 

[coralfishreef]

This is a thing ?! Will my leds make me blind ?! I stare at them for hours for the past 5 years I literally didn’t think they were harmful unless your literally staring into them?

My pets stare at the LED lights a lot. They are often looking up at me when I’m in front of the tanks and they’re often lying on their backs looking up. I’ve wondered if they’re hurting their eyes unbeknownst to them.

Kids may not know to not stare into the LED lights or shine cat toy lasers into people’s eyes.

 

[oreo54]

This is a thing ?! Will my leds make me blind ?! I stare at them for hours for the past 5 years I literally didn’t think they were harmful unless your literally staring into them

Well first it's not leds..it's blue light.
But offices aren't lite with actinic tubes sooo no studies.
Second most people don' t " work" at their tank so not like 6 plus hours, plus cell phone ect.

Hard to answer without minimizing or exaggerating .
Keep in mind the science is NOT complete or definitive.
Even the circadian effects are being adjusted due to analysing exact nm effects.

Ever watch a kid at a fish tank? Like 2" from the glass or however big their nose is.
Fortunately short attention spans.

 

[oreo54]

My pets stare at the LED lights a lot. They are often looking up at me when I’m in front of the tanks and they’re often lying on their backs looking up. I’ve wondered if they’re hurting their eyes unbeknownst to them.

Kids may not know to not stare into the LED lights or shine cat toy lasers into people’s eyes.

O/T but fun.

Feline Vision: How Cats See the World

A series of photographs tries to capture the world as cats see it, with both their better night vision and exceptional ability to capture peripheral motion.

www.livescience.com

Some experts believe cats' "color vision is limited to blue and grays, while others believe it is similar to dogs', but with less richness of hues and saturation of the colors," Ketring said. Dogs see the world in fewer hues than humans do and cannot distinguish between red, yellow, green and orange objects. Fish, in contrast, can see ultraviolet wavelengths that humans can't see.

 

[Bouncingsoul39]

I have an extra pair of sunglasses I can mail you. Just pay shipping and handling of $149.95.

 

[PeterC99]

Have put these 3D printed light shades on my Radions. Significantly reduces the visible glare and algae build up on the glass.

 

[tjohnson3]

Easy fix… don’t look at them lol but in all seriousness, a canopy or hood would be the way to go… if you think about it, we’re trying to replicate the sun with these lights so our reefs can thrive. We don’t stare at the sun. Just a thought

 

[rgulrich]

Good topic. Here's a little bit more to add to @oero5457 above. These are only excerpts with a few pertinent points; you'll want to read the articles in their entirety to grasp the full intent.

How Blue Light Can Affect Your Health

Blue light can be harmful in large amounts. Learn more about how it can impact your eyes and sleep quality.

www.webmd.com

"Some research shows a link between eye damage and short-wave blue light with wavelengths between 415 and 455 nanometers. Most of the light from the LEDs used in smartphones, TVs, and tablets has wavelengths between 400 and 490 nanometers." A few more interesting tidbits later on about kids' exposure to blue light as well: "Your child’s eyes don’t filter blue light as well as yours do...To protect their eyes, limit your child’s screen time. And have them put all electronic devices, including handheld game devices, away at least a half hour before bedtime."

How blue light is both bad for you AND good for you! (Huh?)

7 key facts about blue light and how to protect your eyes from it.

www.allaboutvision.com

"Because of their higher energy, violet and blue-violet rays are more likely to damaging to the eye. For this reason, these rays (380-455 nm) also are called "harmful blue light.""

And coming down firmly on the side of "moderation in all things" is Harvard:

Will blue light from electronic devices increase my risk of macular degeneration and blindness? - Harvard Health

...

www.health.harvard.edu

"Compared to the risk from aging (I'm sunk personally on this one, I'm afraid...;Nailbiting), smoking, cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, and being overweight, exposure to typical levels of blue light from consumer electronics is negligible in terms of increased risk of macular degeneration or blindness. Furthermore, the current evidence does not support the use of blue light-blocking lenses to protect the health of the retina, and advertisers have even been fined for misleading claims about these types of lenses."
"Blue light from electronic devices is not going to increase the risk of macular degeneration or harm any other part of the eye. However, the use of these devices may disrupt sleep or disturb other aspects of your health or circadian rhythm."
Granted, in the article they also mention the hazards of looking directly at an LED (or other bright point-source light, for example) and compare it to looking directly at the sun - not advisable.

So, bottom line shield the light source so you're not able to look directly at it, and limit exposure time to blue light fields within a half hour or so before bedtime.

Cheers,
Ray

 

[Downfall]

Have put these 3D printed light shades on my Radions. Significantly reduces the visible glare and algae build up on the glass.

Thank you for this idea. I like it. Who 3d printed these shades for you?

Thinking something like a Philips coralcare gen 2 + a shade might work well

 

[Downfall]

Good topic. Here's a little bit more to add to @oero5457 above. These are only excerpts with a few pertinent points; you'll want to read the articles in their entirety to grasp the full intent.

How Blue Light Can Affect Your Health

Blue light can be harmful in large amounts. Learn more about how it can impact your eyes and sleep quality.

www.webmd.com

"Some research shows a link between eye damage and short-wave blue light with wavelengths between 415 and 455 nanometers. Most of the light from the LEDs used in smartphones, TVs, and tablets has wavelengths between 400 and 490 nanometers." A few more interesting tidbits later on about kids' exposure to blue light as well: "Your child’s eyes don’t filter blue light as well as yours do...To protect their eyes, limit your child’s screen time. And have them put all electronic devices, including handheld game devices, away at least a half hour before bedtime."

How blue light is both bad for you AND good for you! (Huh?)

7 key facts about blue light and how to protect your eyes from it.

www.allaboutvision.com

"Because of their higher energy, violet and blue-violet rays are more likely to damaging to the eye. For this reason, these rays (380-455 nm) also are called "harmful blue light.""

And coming down firmly on the side of "moderation in all things" is Harvard:

Will blue light from electronic devices increase my risk of macular degeneration and blindness? - Harvard Health

...

www.health.harvard.edu

"Compared to the risk from aging (I'm sunk personally on this one, I'm afraid...;Nailbiting), smoking, cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, and being overweight, exposure to typical levels of blue light from consumer electronics is negligible in terms of increased risk of macular degeneration or blindness. Furthermore, the current evidence does not support the use of blue light-blocking lenses to protect the health of the retina, and advertisers have even been fined for misleading claims about these types of lenses."
"Blue light from electronic devices is not going to increase the risk of macular degeneration or harm any other part of the eye. However, the use of these devices may disrupt sleep or disturb other aspects of your health or circadian rhythm."
Granted, in the article they also mention the hazards of looking directly at an LED (or other bright point-source light, for example) and compare it to looking directly at the sun - not advisable.

So, bottom line shield the light source so you're not able to look directly at it, and limit exposure time to blue light fields within a half hour or so before bedtime.

Cheers,
Ray

Thanks for this Ray, I agree, all things in moderation. We have a little concern around blue light, but it's more to do with the intensity and ease of looking into one of these fixtures by mistake.

 

[PeterC99]

Thank you for this idea. I like it. Who 3d printed these shades for you?

Thinking something like a Philips coralcare gen 2 + a shade might work well

Light shades 3D printed for me by @chemisfun11