Dimmer for lighting.

[Cuervo]

Another breeding question, this time about lighting.

For larval fish, it is commonly thought that very bright light either scares them or blinds them, however they do need enough light to hunt, because they typically hunt by sight.

Typically a regular shop style 4ft or 6ft flourescent light is used to light the larval tanks, and the intensity is adjusted by moving the fixture further away from the tank. In some setups though, this is not preferrable.

Any ideas on ways of dimming the lighting in the scenario?

As I recall, dimmer switches don't work properly with flourescents, do they make a special dimmer for this application?

I was considering just cutting squares of screening to fit over the tops of the larval tanks, which simply filters some of the light, but some kind of dimmer switch would still be preferrable.

 

[hllywd]

There are dimmable florescent fixtures , both residential and comercial, they require, as far as I know, manufacturer specific dimmers and fixtures. When I looked at them they were very expensive.

The IceCap 660 is dimmable and specific to the hobby. Probably a good choice.

Tim

 

[Cuervo]

IceCap 660 seems a bit high end for just letting the baby fish see their food.

That is one option though, thanks!

 

[hllywd]

I don't disagree about the 660 but any dimmable florescent that I've seen is going to be expensive.

Tim

 

[aomont]

Would that work on LEDs ? LEDs can be trick when used for corals but for fish may be fine and if dimmable could be great, couldn´t it ?
Anderson.