BeachVacationer
New member
Would that hurt nems, LPSs and other software corals? Or do they like it completely dark overnight. I personally like my tank very dimly lit overnight as I often stay up late.
very dim moonlighting overnight ok?
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Half Vaped
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Pedants will likely point out the corals need at least eight hours of pure darkness for optimum health.
I'm a pragmatist that tried both leaving moonlights on all night and also off for at least eight hours. I didn't see any difference in any of my SPS, LPS, clams and softies either way. Growth and PE seemed the same both ways. If there was any difference, it was too small to notice. I now have the moonlight turn off, but it's more for preserving the life of the LEDs.
As long as the moonlight is fairly dim, I think you should be fine. Maybe try going back and forth a couple weeks at a time to see if there's any difference.
I'm a pragmatist that tried both leaving moonlights on all night and also off for at least eight hours. I didn't see any difference in any of my SPS, LPS, clams and softies either way. Growth and PE seemed the same both ways. If there was any difference, it was too small to notice. I now have the moonlight turn off, but it's more for preserving the life of the LEDs.
As long as the moonlight is fairly dim, I think you should be fine. Maybe try going back and forth a couple weeks at a time to see if there's any difference.
Pelagic_e36
Member
Yeah, I do it at the dimmest possible level no issues.
andrewbram
New member
I disagree. I am not sure if you have ever had a night dive. But the moon light we provide is way more bright than in the ocean. Even leds at 1% are way bright. Also I worry more about the fish circadian rhythm
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Half Vaped
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I don't think anyone's claiming that letting the moonlights run all night mimics natural conditions. We're merely asserting that it doesn't negatively affect the creatures in our tanks.
Have you noticed any detrimental effect on your livestock from letting moonlights run all night?
BigDave
Premium Member
I bought one of those itty-bitty blue LED light bars on amazon.
I 3d printed clips that I used to cover all but 3 of the LED's.
I then put the LED strip light on the edge of my tank pointing up into the canopy so the mirror diffuses it back down into the tank.
The amount of light going into the tank is pretty minimal.
I have not seen any ill effects from doing this.
I 3d printed clips that I used to cover all but 3 of the LED's.
I then put the LED strip light on the edge of my tank pointing up into the canopy so the mirror diffuses it back down into the tank.
The amount of light going into the tank is pretty minimal.
I have not seen any ill effects from doing this.
Ron Reefman
Active member
I don't run moonlights except for 2 hours after my fixture has finished the sunset. I don't see any reason to run them. But I don't see any harm if the light is quite dim.
mcgyvr
New member
You are probably correct there and I should have added a statement that most of the "moonlights" I've seen sold in this hobby are way to bright and done that way because they put the humans interests ahead of the animals..
A single LED running just a couple mA is more than sufficient.. Most are probably 10 to 15mA or more and multiple LEDs per "light".. No way should your typical 3W LEDs be used for moonlighting reasons..
andrewbram
New member
I have in my opinion seen negative effect on fish. Yes some fish die for no reason. I have seen drastic changes in behavior. Could be a coincidence but it's just my .02¢. I love my LEDs and really wanted moonlights however after watching my fish because I am usually up till 3 am working. I noticed they never appeared to sleep. Wrasses would not burrow. Tangs would stop grazing and so forth.
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andrewbram
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I wouldn't be worried about corals but I would monitor the fish.
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Half Vaped
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Sounds like your moonlights might be too bright. Sometimes when I work on my tank late at night, I leave the actinics running for a couple hours after normal lights-out and some of the fish stay up during that time until the actinics are shut off.
But all the fish know the difference between actinics and moonlights and they go to bed once the actinics are off regardless of the moonlights being on or off.
I think on some types of LED systems, their 1% setting really is closer to 5% to 10%. With these bright types of "moonlight," your fish definitely better off shutting them off for a few hours a night.
Whats unclear for me here is -- none of us stay up 24-7. Why not turn off moonlights while youre sleeping? No benefit and the likelihood of disrupting normal circadian rhythm, why not set a timer and turn them off while youre sleeping?
In terms of simulating nature, its good to recognize that a) all the moonlights we use on our tanks are waaaay brighter than real moonlight and b) in nature, the full moon only shines for one night a month, and its substantially dimmer all other nights (ranging down to zero moonlight on the new moon)
In terms of simulating nature, its good to recognize that a) all the moonlights we use on our tanks are waaaay brighter than real moonlight and b) in nature, the full moon only shines for one night a month, and its substantially dimmer all other nights (ranging down to zero moonlight on the new moon)
Dang logic and reason......:lol:
Half Vaped
New member
I work on a night shift and often change my sleeping schedule on my days off. I find it beneficial to be able to enjoy my tanks at night using moonlighting, even if it's only to see the corals and a handful of sleep-swimming fish.
Even though we've established that overly bright, extended moonlighting may affect the fish's circadian rhythm, plenty of us have had personal experience that with very dim moonlighting (as the OP asks about), their circadian rhythm remain intact.
I personally use a timer to shut off the moonlighting, but I can see how someone who constantly changes their schedule might want to view their tank at all different times throughout the day and find it more convenient to keep the moonlighting on all night. Or maybe dude can't afford a timer.
The OP's question was about whether leaving moonlights on all night will harm his tank inhabitants, not if it correctly emulates nature. They make LED lighting that simulates the dimming of the moonlight based on its orbit and phase. Even though I think that's a cool effect, I've never heard of this being of any actual benefit.
Being logical and reasonable doesn't always mean to blindly follow some theory. I've found it often involves running tests and experiments to verify if the theory applies to my exact situation.
I agree. I've made this point in the past. Far better to use a dedicated moonlight than the main fixture at low power. My other pet peeve is why the blue LED's. Moon is not blue ..... it's white. Made lots of night dives.
I use the Apex LSM which models, in theory, the wax/wane of the moon. And then there's the 'white' thing :lol:
Yeah, we use that on some of our research tanks too. I like it. Side note -- simulating lunar cycles on research tanks leads to planulation in Pocilloporids. So moonlight isnt just affecting fish, it clearly affects corals too.
As far as natural moonlight -- I've done a bunch of night dives during full moons. Even in the full moon, its almost completely pitch black down there at night. I wont quibble over white vs blue -- theyre all waaaayyy too bright to really simulate nature
As far as natural moonlight -- I've done a bunch of night dives during full moons. Even in the full moon, its almost completely pitch black down there at night. I wont quibble over white vs blue -- theyre all waaaayyy too bright to really simulate nature
Yes, indeed it does. Got pocilopora everywhere.
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