red lights for night?
- Thread starter ryanpal
- Start date
horwitzs
Member
Re: red lights for night?
Why wouldn't fish see red light?
In deep water the longer frequency light waves (red for example) does not penetrate, so red fish are virtually invisible, but that is because of the light penetration and reflection, not the other fishies eyes. The same fish in shallow water would light right up with red color!
Correct me if I'm wrong somebody...
Why wouldn't fish see red light?
In deep water the longer frequency light waves (red for example) does not penetrate, so red fish are virtually invisible, but that is because of the light penetration and reflection, not the other fishies eyes. The same fish in shallow water would light right up with red color!
Correct me if I'm wrong somebody...
I believe you are wrong, although I haven't seen the "proof" in many years and have nothing to link to. You can test this for yourself if you get a red filter for a flashlight. I think many reef fish eyes are just not evolved to pick up red since it doesn't penetrate the water well.
weaselslucks
New member
i think thats correct too because when i was a kid i had a science book that actually said to follow skunks around using a red flashlight because it would not disturb them. maybe its a nocturnal thing.
You could also look at a auto store. they have red led strip lights and if it is too bright just use electrical tape to put stripes on the light
You could also look at a auto store. they have red led strip lights and if it is too bright just use electrical tape to put stripes on the light
I use a red lense on my flashlight as well, but I'm not so sure the inhabitants don't see it. It may be more along the lines of it not bothering them. My brittle star definitely doesn't react to it, so it may be true in his case. My shrimp don't seem particularly bothered, but they do react to it. Same thing with my clownfish, and if I shine it directly at her, she definitely sees it, and doesn't care much for it. All that said, I'd say a low intensity red light would be perfectly fine to use at night. I've even used really dim white light for a night light. As long as it's dim enough, it's not going to bother any of the tank's inhabitants.
This is absolutely true for many land based animals and even some fresh water fish. However it depends largely on the species. Red is very low energy and less intrusive under many circumstances.
It is possible however, that some fish may be able to see it very well. I did some research on this a while back. Unfortunately, color perception in reef fish has not been studied that well. Although I couldn't find definitive data, my conclusion was that it probably wasn't true for many reef fish. There are adaptive/evolutionary advantages to being able to see red in a reef.
Red is not natural in a reef and when it occurs, is typically the result of photo-luminescence or alteration, by an organism. This would often signal a predator and there is therefore an evolutionary benefit to red sensitivity. There may be some fish that are not red sensitive, but others may very well be..
It is possible however, that some fish may be able to see it very well. I did some research on this a while back. Unfortunately, color perception in reef fish has not been studied that well. Although I couldn't find definitive data, my conclusion was that it probably wasn't true for many reef fish. There are adaptive/evolutionary advantages to being able to see red in a reef.
Red is not natural in a reef and when it occurs, is typically the result of photo-luminescence or alteration, by an organism. This would often signal a predator and there is therefore an evolutionary benefit to red sensitivity. There may be some fish that are not red sensitive, but others may very well be..
I have an Inova 24/7 LED Flashlight..
It has 4 white LED's and 2 Red LED's
http://www.inovalight.com/247.html
When set to red only it's easy to search the tank at night..
All the worms and pods that react to the white light don't even notice the red.
It has 4 white LED's and 2 Red LED's
http://www.inovalight.com/247.html
When set to red only it's easy to search the tank at night..
All the worms and pods that react to the white light don't even notice the red.
Roy G. Biv
Premium Member
I used to point a red laser pointer in the tank, fish used to chase the dot.
sk8rreefgeek
New member
the first thing I thought was "why not just use a red LED instead of the blue?"
Foster and Smith are on top of the game lol
But I find it hard to beleive sometimes what "studies" prove. you can't get inside a fish's brain and see what they see. If anything, my guess would be that the fish just don't care.
as for them chasing a laser pointer....guess i'd have to see that to beleive it
Foster and Smith are on top of the game lol
But I find it hard to beleive sometimes what "studies" prove. you can't get inside a fish's brain and see what they see. If anything, my guess would be that the fish just don't care.
as for them chasing a laser pointer....guess i'd have to see that to beleive it
corals b 4 bills
New member
My fish are freaked out by the lazer pointer, Actually I didn't know fish could fly?
) but I used to play with a friend's african cichlids and they would go bonkers trying to catch the red dot 
.
Roy G. Biv
Premium Member
The Laser Pointer Experiment.
Lets see who can chime in about this to test if fish can or cannot see red
Lets see who can chime in about this to test if fish can or cannot see red
sk8rreefgeek
New member
haha. fish all over are being tormented with laser pointers now...thanks a lot RC!
lol jk
lol jk
sk8rreefgeek
New member
I did put a mini disco ball in my tank once, and they all started partying like it was 1999 :celeb1:
sorry
sorry
