[Big.Gmunoz]

:idea: Just wondering if any one has had any negative/positive reactions to puting a BlackLight to your tank at night. Any ideas. It looks cool! Especially with a white and purple tipped condy, and purple/green shrooms. Could there be any benefit to this idea? Am I going to cause any damage doing this? All advise welcome.:read:

 

[Timmy]

You get nice flouresence with blue moon lights. Not sure about black lights though.

 

[Big.Gmunoz]

well so far they light up my tank pretty nice but I'm actually wondering if it will promote any type of growth good or bad.

 

[D.J.]

black lights are supposed to simulate TRUE MOON LIGHT and be better for nocturnal creatures and any nocturnal going ons in your tank. im actually debating on building my own black light fixture to run on my 90 and and in timers and stuff to try and cycle the lights with the moon phases....

there is a guy on RC that is running blacklights on his 300g(i think it was) setup. i cant remember the name of the thread but im sure i could find it...

 

[Big.Gmunoz]

yeah its kinda weird cause it seemed like there was noticeably more growth on the rocks after only a few days of adding these lights. I was just worried I might be growing the wrong stuff lol.

 

[D.J.]

as long s you keep your levels good you should be ok greg....but dont hold me to that....i havent tried this yet and havent seen anyones setup with it....

im sure that some algea will benifit from the lights....just keep an eye on what grows and i wouldnt run them everynight....

 

[hansmatt]

So "black lights" use a coating to restrict higher wavelengths of light. We see light from around 400-700nanometers...the Violet Indigo Blue Green Yellow Orange Red...ROYGBIV colors of the rainbow spectrum...where Violet is very short and red is very long (relatively). Infra red is beyond our ability to see, but does a great job warming our french fries, Ultra violet is too short for us to see (but not for bees to see) except for the very longest wavelengths. Photosynthetic organisms, including plants and the photosynthesizing zooaplankton in our corals, typically respond best to light in the lower end of the spectrum, with several active peaks at different wavelengths. Actinics are usually between 420-450nm, which have lower energy than say "white, 10K mH bulbs, but is where the corals tend to need light for producing pigments that we think look cool. That said, the 10K white bulbs do allow for arguably more growth because of more energy, but less coloration.
ok, enough with the science...Black Light is even lower than the violet/indigo 420nm, around 370nm. Though they do look cool, and make our corals floresce, they probably don't help them grow much.

Recall...the colors that we see are those that are reflected by an object...a red shirt absorbs most colors except red, black absorbs, white reflects. Black "light" is pretty much the absence of color and white light is all colors. If you shine a purple light at a white shirt (which reflects everything) it will look purple. A red light would make it look red.

happy reefing!
the Professor...

 

[Loverotties]

So "black lights" use a coating to restrict higher wavelengths of light. We see light from around 400-700nanometers...the Violet Indigo Blue Green Yellow Orange Red...ROYGBIV colors of the rainbow spectrum...where Violet is very short and red is very long (relatively). Infra red is beyond our ability to see, but does a great job warming our french fries, Ultra violet is too short for us to see (but not for bees to see) except for the very longest wavelengths. Photosynthetic organisms, including plants and the photosynthesizing zooaplankton in our corals, typically respond best to light in the lower end of the spectrum, with several active peaks at different wavelengths. Actinics are usually between 420-450nm, which have lower energy than say "white, 10K mH bulbs, but is where the corals tend to need light for producing pigments that we think look cool. That said, the 10K white bulbs do allow for arguably more growth because of more energy, but less coloration.
ok, enough with the science...Black Light is even lower than the violet/indigo 420nm, around 370nm. Though they do look cool, and make our corals floresce, they probably don't help them grow much.

Recall...the colors that we see are those that are reflected by an object...a red shirt absorbs most colors except red, black absorbs, white reflects. Black "light" is pretty much the absence of color and white light is all colors. If you shine a purple light at a white shirt (which reflects everything) it will look purple. A red light would make it look red.

happy reefing!
the Professor...

Well Said!

 

[firsthesitation]

Geez Matt, ya nerd. haha. Always a healthy source of information your friendly neighborhood Matt Hanson

 

[hansmatt]

Helps when you have a B.S. in Bio and have been teaching science for 14 years...

 

[D.J.]

:bigeek:JUST WOW....thats all i can say..:bigeek:...ya know teach...after hearing that lecture im starting to remember my science class and marine bio class....THANKS now i feel old!!!!!! LOL

when i grow up i want to be just like you!!!! :lol:

great info matt.....i figured that it probably wouldnt help much and in the line of growth or what have ya......but like the guy on RC said...its "SUPPOSED" to simulate true moon light better than lunar leds or what ever....but i havent a clue as to if thats true.....

 

[hansmatt]

:bigeek:but like the guy on RC said...its "SUPPOSED" to simulate true moon light better than lunar leds or what ever....but i havent a clue as to if thats true.....

Yeah D.J....I've read that as well. Some of the controllers & lights simulate moon/seasonal changes, and some have reported their corals spawning (for those that do). Can't verify (out of my field) but I wouldn't be suprised. I'd like to try moonlights, but can't find any that "fit" my application (living room hanging fixture)

 

[fishfarmer]

So "black lights" use a coating to restrict higher wavelengths of light. We see light from around 400-700nanometers...the Violet Indigo Blue Green Yellow Orange Red...ROYGBIV colors of the rainbow spectrum...where Violet is very short and red is very long (relatively). Infra red is beyond our ability to see, but does a great job warming our french fries, Ultra violet is too short for us to see (but not for bees to see) except for the very longest wavelengths. Photosynthetic organisms, including plants and the photosynthesizing zooaplankton in our corals, typically respond best to light in the lower end of the spectrum, with several active peaks at different wavelengths. Actinics are usually between 420-450nm, which have lower energy than say "white, 10K mH bulbs, but is where the corals tend to need light for producing pigments that we think look cool. That said, the 10K white bulbs do allow for arguably more growth because of more energy, but less coloration.
ok, enough with the science...Black Light is even lower than the violet/indigo 420nm, around 370nm. Though they do look cool, and make our corals floresce, they probably don't help them grow much.

Recall...the colors that we see are those that are reflected by an object...a red shirt absorbs most colors except red, black absorbs, white reflects. Black "light" is pretty much the absence of color and white light is all colors. If you shine a purple light at a white shirt (which reflects everything) it will look purple. A red light would make it look red.

happy reefing!
the Professor...

Well check out the big brain on Matt!!:bigeek:
Great info! Another thing to consider with black light. Would'nt it light up all of the growth or little particles that are on the glass as well? Black lights typically show all dust and fuzz so just seems to make sense to me.

 

[firsthesitation]

the Professor...

WAIT a minute, didnt the Professor get Mary Ann?? Dang you Matt, she was supposed to end up with ME! :angry:

 

[Big.Gmunoz]

So if it does produce a better moon effect then it is a good thing??? Or am I simply wasting the fixture and electricity? Do you thing it work be better over my sump for the rocks i have down there to grow?

 

[jakecaps]

So "black lights" use a coating to restrict higher wavelengths of light. We see light from around 400-700nanometers...the Violet Indigo Blue Green Yellow Orange Red...ROYGBIV colors of the rainbow spectrum...where Violet is very short and red is very long (relatively). Infra red is beyond our ability to see, but does a great job warming our french fries, Ultra violet is too short for us to see (but not for bees to see) except for the very longest wavelengths. Photosynthetic organisms, including plants and the photosynthesizing zooaplankton in our corals, typically respond best to light in the lower end of the spectrum, with several active peaks at different wavelengths. Actinics are usually between 420-450nm, which have lower energy than say "white, 10K mH bulbs, but is where the corals tend to need light for producing pigments that we think look cool. That said, the 10K white bulbs do allow for arguably more growth because of more energy, but less coloration.
ok, enough with the science...Black Light is even lower than the violet/indigo 420nm, around 370nm. Though they do look cool, and make our corals floresce, they probably don't help them grow much.

Recall...the colors that we see are those that are reflected by an object...a red shirt absorbs most colors except red, black absorbs, white reflects. Black "light" is pretty much the absence of color and white light is all colors. If you shine a purple light at a white shirt (which reflects everything) it will look purple. A red light would make it look red.

happy reefing!
the Professor...

What are you a science Teacher??!!!?!!?

!

 

[phishdreams]

im with big gmunoz on this on i understand what mat was saying on the light spectrum long and short . but i think the question was whether the black light was better for a nocturnal light then the leds. i have heard that the blck light is not good for fresh water fish, in the respect that it could burn the rettna in the fishes eyes. so if your like me and have a reef tank with a few fish i dont really want to blind them cause they eat the algae. i would think they would need to be able to see it to eat it.
mat thank you for the text book answer but would you be able to explain that for the lamen in the groop like me ? lol

 

[firsthesitation]

I think the basic answer there is, at that wavelength its not going to help promote growth but there is nothing to support that it couldnt promote more effective coral spawning at night during our "moon" cycle.

 

[hansmatt]

yep, They look cool, but probably don't do anything to help your tank for growth or spawning, seeing as how the moon doesnt' produce any light at all. The led moonlights are simply low power, low energy actinics that are like strong starlight/moon reflections. Can't tell you anything about hurting the retina of fish.

 

[phishdreams]

ok thanks matt lol so a black light might be a good alternative to the led "moon" lights since they are still rather spendy and a black light is avalable most anywhere so long as it is still a low porwed light and the 370 nm is a lower energy delivering style light