Moonlighting

[mpyers]

What are the do's and donts of moonlighting?

 

[mcgyvr]

Make sure its a job you enjoy..
Make sure you are still getting adequate sleep..
Make sure that picking up this second job is not effecting your other.

 

[Ron Reefman]

Ha,ha, ha, ha, ha! I got a good chuckle out of that one.

What are the do's and donts of moonlighting?

Not a comprehensive list, but:
1) It is completely unnecessary and doesn't do anything at all for the coral
2) Don't make them bright
3) I use blue or violet, I think some do red
4) They are completely unnecessary!

 

[mcgyvr]

Ha,ha, ha, ha, ha! I got a good chuckle out of that one.

What are the do's and donts of moonlighting?

Not a comprehensive list, but:
1) It is completely unnecessary and doesn't do anything at all for the coral
2) Don't make them bright
3) I use blue or violet, I think some do red
4) They are completely unnecessary!

OH.. That type of moonlighting :lolspin:

Yep.. That list just about sums it up..

 

[sde1500]

Two solid lists right there lmao

 

[mpyers]

Lol ok. But i ask because my controller has it as an option. But it's not timed. So i have purple on 1% all night. Is all night too much? I know it's all for my doing but will it hurt.

 

[mcgyvr]

Lol ok. But i ask because my controller has it as an option. But it's not timed. So i have purple on 1% all night. Is all night too much? I know it's all for my doing but will it hurt.

1% of what? 1% of 1,000,000 lumens or 1% of 100 lumens?

In general.. Its supposed to mimic the "light of the moon"... Does it look "moonlit" to you?
Are your corals staying extended or are they retracting at night like normal?

You can use it or not.. It won't really "hurt" and its not going to really do anything beneficial to the tank either.. Its a personal "oh look.. its like its lit by the moon...how wonderful"

 

[billdogg]

FWIW - I have been on night dives many, many times, and I gotta tell you - once the sun goes down, there is NO LIGHT AT ALL. As in black - like inside a cave black.

If you want to see your corals at night, I would suggest a red led flashlight. It will not disturb the fish or corals in any way while still allowing you to observe them.

 

[sde1500]

I have moonlights on for an hour before and after lights on/out for the day. Thats it. NO need for 24/7 light, no matter how low it is lit.

 

[mpyers]

1% of 10x 3w purple. Idk the lumens.

 

[Ron Reefman]

I run a few violet leds for a few hours after the tank hits sunset. But then the tank is dark until sunrise.

I have been up a couple of times and with my new fixture I can run the reds at 1% and see in the tank pretty well. But it doesn't take long and it only happens on rare occasions.

billdogg, I snorkel a lot, I've been through scuba school, but it's not for me. So I've never been snorkeling at night. We are going to go camping at Ft Jefferson (the Dry Tortugas- 70 miles west of Key West). They recommend doing a night snorkel around the mote that surrounds the fort. I'm looking forward to it. That and seeing the Milky Way spread out across the sky with the nearest light being 70 miles to the east!

 

[ozreef88]

I dont really think there are many downsides. Never leave them on all night though. I used moonlighting because it looks nice and tells my wrasse when to sleep. Its pleasing for the human eye, doesnt really make much difference to your reef.

 

[billdogg]

Do the night snorkel! So that you can better appreciate the changes, do the same snorkel in daylight first. It will also help to keep you oriented. I also suggest at least two lights per person. One narrow angle and one side.

 

[Ron Reefman]

Do the night snorkel! So that you can better appreciate the changes, do the same snorkel in daylight first. It will also help to keep you oriented. I also suggest at least two lights per person. One narrow angle and one side.

Thanks for the tips. The park website recommended doing the snorkel during the day before as well. Maybe with a little luck we'll have some day vs night comparison photos. We've been looking at lights and haven't bought any yet. Any recommendations?

We did the day trip to the Tortugas a couple of years ago and between snorkeling, lunch and touring the fort (it's huge) we didn't have nearly enough time. Thus the camping trip so we can have 2 days and a lot of the time is after the tour boat leaves and before it comes back.