Moonlights

[hankstanks]

Hey All, I just built a set of moon lights. Much easier than I expected and they look pretty cool if I might say so.

I bought Blue LED's from the local radio shack (wouldn't reccomend) and solid copper wire so they would stay as I bent them. Most people use speaker wire but that is (i thought) too flimsy.

I used 5 lights for my 65gallon and used plastic stick on clips to hold them into the canopy.

If I were to do it again, I would order lights off the internet and save money. The entire thing (plug, wire, resistors, LED's and little reflectors) cost me $43.00

[Geoff]

sounds great!! could you draw up a little diagram or post a pic of the setup so we can get a better idea on how it went together.

thanks for sharing!

G~

[Fatamaran]

i would be interested in seeing a diagram to..

[hankstanks]

http://www.kaotica.com/frag/diy/moonlight/

I used LED's from Radio Shak. I if I were to do it again I would order them off the net like the guy did in the link.

I will send a pic if anyone wants one. The entire project including shopping took about 4 hours.

Good Luck!

[fidelity]

hmm white or blue, tis the question of a life time?

ooh several of each!! on a control panel!

[ZANITO]

Hello all. I am from Portugal, i was looking in the internet how to make a moonlight system DIY and i found this post. I would like to make a moonlight with 5 leds, but with a switch, or push button, that alternate manual from automatic. The Manual part have a Pott (potenciometter) so i can regulate the intensity of the leds. The automatic part have a photo R (resistance) that automatically turns on the leds and regulates the intensity of them when became dark in the place where the moonlight is installed. more darker more intensity, more outside light few intensity, resuming, day light moon light off automatically, @ full night moonlight intensity on maximum. I dont know if you understand my project, my english is not very good, if anyone of you know how to make this circuit, your help is very welcome.

CHEERS ALL

[Loverotties]

For one thing with the blue leds,you need them to have the right spectrum 470-480nm.That will give you the right wave lenth just like having the right bulbs for daylight.As for Zanito ,I know what you mean(good english)It sounds expensive.You would need a eleictic eye and something to regulate it with something to regulate the output of the circuit.I think Icecap makes it for daylights, You program it to give out different outputs during the day for clowdy and rainy days ,as well as phases of the year closer or farther away from earth.

[RobinsonFam1]

i cheated.....stopped by Advance Auto Parts and picked up some blue LED kits. 3 leds wired and ready to go for $6 for the nano
8 leds wired ready to go even in clear bubbles to protect them for $15.

i couldn even buy the leds and resistors for those prices.

[Steve-O]

Oh man, that moonlight looks great. Thanks for sharing.

[pmh]

I bought a complete "plug and play" moonlight set-up off of e-bay for 15.00. I was going to build my own, but there comes a point when it just doesn't make sense to!


pmh

[darthteddy]

Just to Elaborate on what lovrites said

People should really do their reserch like the guy on that site. If you did you would know that every light has a spectrum. So does the moon and the sun. The moon has around 480nm specrum. Lights for cars(auto zone lights) dont have the same spectrum. Granted if you just wanted the lights so you could look at your fish at night then fine these are great. But if you want them so that it simulates he actual moon. The same pertains to sun lights. People buy lights to simulate the real thing. If this wasnt so then why not just take a lamp apart and use a regular incandesent lightbulb for your tanks lights. I did the same Project for my Nano cube. I bought everything the same as he did. And it works. I experimented with some cheap lights and it wasnt the same. There was some difference ut not as much as the lights in the right spectrum. You might as well go to the site listed on that site and get the starter pack for 15 for like 20 bucks. Also one way to save money which i did before i could get the power adapter thingi was run it off a 9 volt. When i ran out of those (uesed about 1 every 2 nights for 5 LEDs) i got a big battery from a flashlight(the square ones) and that has kept it powerd for a few weeks. My corals visually seem better then the few weeks that i had no lights. And my clown seems less depressed since i got them. He seems like he get a good nights rest. Just my 2 cents worth.

[webdr]

why do u not recommend radio shack lights? just curious

[Loverotties]

Well for one thing they don't have the same spectrum.It's supose to be 480nm-490nm.I was at radio shack a couple days ago the closes I saw was 460nm I think.

[darthteddy]

Exactly. It does not benifit your animals at all to have cheap stuff.

[Geoff]

OK, moonlights are one of my pet peeves. just some food for thought on all of your silly "blue" light is best thinking.

http://www.physlink.com/Education/AskExperts/ae592.cfm

http://www.madsci.org/posts/archives...6879.Ph.r.html

http://www.labyrinth.net.au/~saul/essays/05colour.html

in other words, just use red lights. you have a greater chance of not annoying your critters with a light blinding them all night.

BTW- a light on at night represents the moon as well as a PH represents a tide. it is not the fact that a light is on, it is the changing intensities over a month of time that these critters respong to.

G~