Tanks with "interesting" lighting

[der_wille_zur_macht]

All too often, the lighting in our reef tanks is extremely uniform. As reef keepers, we typically strive for uniformity of light distribution. We evenly space our bulbs above the tank and try to get even coverage across the entire volume of water. Obviously, this can have positive implications if you're running a coral farm, but IMHO it does not represent the natural reef very well. It may be the best way to get good growth across the entire tank, but perhaps that's not always the goal one is striving for.

In planning my next tank, I am trying to take this into consideration - I would much rather have "interesting" light and sacrifice a little bit of growth potential. By intetesting, I mean live rock that casts shadows, dimly lit caves, or even entire areas of the tank that have less light. This month's TOTM has an interesting light distribution:

http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1525231

It seems as if larger tanks are easlier to light more interestingly. The appearance of point-source light creating a "shaft" of sparkle lines down into the water column, for instance.

Anyone out there have pictures of other tanks with interesting, non-standard approaches to lighting? Anyone done a tank like this themselves?

 

[supersurfer12]

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[der_wille_zur_macht]

The spotlights in Invincible569's old tank also qualify as "interesting" IMHO:

Also, a cool, shadowy cave from the Dudester's awesome office tank:

IMHO we get so fixated at providing the "best" lighting for our corals to produce the best and most even growth, that we often overlook the strong influence lighting can have over aesthetic impact or mood.

I know there have to be many more examples of awesome, atypical lighting setups in all the great tanks out there, so show off what ya got!

 

[HippieSmell]

I'm sure you know this, but Japanese tanks often have interesting lighting with multiple colored spotlights.

 

[der_wille_zur_macht]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13917144#post13917144 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by HippieSmell
I'm sure you know this, but Japanese tanks often have interesting lighting with multiple colored spotlights.

Definitely, and while Invincible's tank leans in that direction, I'm personally more interested in "natural" interesting lighting. The Japanese approach always struck me as a little overboard and artificial. Not that there's anything wrong with that, but it leaves open the possibility for interesting lighting that's more natural in appearance.

 

[der_wille_zur_macht]

Anyone?

How about tanks with light movers?

A concept I'd love to see implemented would be a single, extremely powerful point source of light high above a tank, on a semi-circle light mover. This way, you'd get nearly horizontal light at dawn and dusk, but bright, overhead light during the daytime.

 

[corbett_n]

Does anybody have any pics of those spot lighted japanese tanks.

 

[GSMguy]

DWZM we were talking about tank design and asthetics a couple years ago, you promised me you would show me a tank in a few months i promised the same, wheres your tank at y0!?

I pretty much fell in love with Edwards tank so tried to something like it on a smaller scale. I plan on adding a 6500k spotlight or 2 as soon as i get my main lighting figured out, i don't want the whole tank lit up darker areas are going to be necessary when i have a large school of apogon cardinals, so i have both of my pendants off center close to each other, i am upgrading to better reflectors so this is temporary, when im done it will look like this only brighter where i need it.

 

[GSMguy]

Sorry here is a recent FTS

 

[cash cow]

man...........that's an awesome concept!! i bet you just opened a whole new can of worms with this one! your one of the first people i've ever heard of with this idea........i think that this could be the future in lighting.......nice work and keep us updated......

 

[PaulieWalnuts]

very cool love to see what else they have going on

 

[adammreef]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13920393#post13920393 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by corbett_n
Does anybody have any pics of those spot lighted japanese tanks.

Heres a few pics I found.

 

[GSMguy]

problem is finding those pendants and the bulbs.

I want them so bad...

 

[JustinReef]

I have been messing with getting the effect I want for a few years now. Not too much luck but on these four tanks I have tried...I get 6 japanese pendants from Singapore in the New Year. I am also in Hong Kong next spring, so I will be looking even more into it.

Oldest to newest:

 

[der_wille_zur_macht]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13921178#post13921178 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by GSMguy
Sorry here is a recent FTS

I have been messing with getting the effect I want for a few years now.

Nick and justin,

Interesting tanks. I appreciate the use of spotlights and dark areas as both of you are creating in your tanks, but I guess I missed something in my original post - what I'm really hoping for is a sense of dynamics - i.e. these dark areas, shadows, etc. would hopefully change through the day. Not just by turning different bulbs on and off (I've done that, it's pretty boring in the grand scheme - to me at least) but though some sense of recreating the sun's movement across the sky.

Nick - yeah, yeah, yeah - I'm supposed to have a tank. Well, I moved to a different state, changed careers, and am currently trying to sell my old house while establishing myself in this new locale. So it's on hold. The good news is, we will shortly be house shopping down here (in an apartment now), and suitability for a LARGE tank is near the top of our list of priorities.

 

[GSMguy]

There are plenty of tanks with light movers, Hahnmeister has one, tuberider has one, and a few of the larger tanks, MY lfs has them, its not all that Dynamic, in the end 6 or 8 of those pendants properly placed on a controller could be much better as far as im concerned.

Glassbox Design has a cube with a the spotlight pendants that are mounted really high off the tank, the shadows they create seem pretty spot on.

also have you seen the Elos Tank backgrounds that change color throught the day, very nice.

 

[asonitez]

do you have a link to the elos thing GSM?

 

[GSMguy]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13928931#post13928931 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by asonitez
do you have a link to the elos thing GSM?

No sorry, posting from my phone, it's pretty darn cool that along with an elos suncolor color changing pendant would be preety kewl.

 

[seapug]

I know some of the new LED fixtures are dimmable and capable of simulating the passing of clouds.

 

[eros]

LED lighting can also simulate lightning storms. I've never seen it but I bet it is awesome.