Fish & Led Lights

[mark4785]

About 3 weeks ago, when visiting a LFS, I met a friend of my Dad who happens to work at the LFS who specialises in marine saltwater aquariums and the growing of coral reefs. He told me that the lighting equipment that you use which is usually attached to the lid of the aquarium (in the form of flourescent bulbs) can be perceived as quite stressful for the fish and coral if it abruptly turned on or off due to the simple fact that in nature they would not be faced with abrupt changes from darkness to light or vice versa.

He introduced me to LED lighting which he said is low wattage to run, can last for 10 years at a time and can be turned on in between turning the traditional flourescent bulbs on or off to make the transition between darkness and light more smooth. He said that the LED lights would resemble moonlight to the fish. So instead of having the transition between darkness and lightness take place in split second, the LED lighting could be switched on for a few hours in the morning prior to full light from the flourescent bulbs and used again a few hours after the flourescent bulbs are switched off. This schedule would resemble darkness, moonlight, sun light, moonlight and then darkness. Without such a schedule, the fish may not be able to establish a smooth sleep-wake cycle also known as a circadian rhythm.

So, is LED lighting a waste of money or should I consider using it? Is there anybody out there currently using LED light within a Cayman aquarium? If so, how did you integrate it!? I would like to know.

Mark.

 

[awilson360]

About 3 weeks ago, when visiting a LFS, I met a friend of my Dad who happens to work at the LFS who specialises in marine saltwater aquariums and the growing of coral reefs. He told me that the lighting equipment that you use which is usually attached to the lid of the aquarium (in the form of flourescent bulbs) can be perceived as quite stressful for the fish and coral if it abruptly turned on or off due to the simple fact that in nature they would not be faced with abrupt changes from darkness to light or vice versa.

He introduced me to LED lighting which he said is low wattage to run, can last for 10 years at a time and can be turned on in between turning the traditional flourescent bulbs on or off to make the transition between darkness and light more smooth. He said that the LED lights would resemble moonlight to the fish. So instead of having the transition between darkness and lightness take place in split second, the LED lighting could be switched on for a few hours in the morning prior to full light from the flourescent bulbs and used again a few hours after the flourescent bulbs are switched off. This schedule would resemble darkness, moonlight, sun light, moonlight and then darkness. Without such a schedule, the fish may not be able to establish a smooth sleep-wake cycle also known as a circadian rhythm.

So, is LED lighting a waste of money or should I consider using it? Is there anybody out there currently using LED light within a Cayman aquarium? If so, how did you integrate it!? I would like to know.

Mark.

Hi,

I don't know if this is relevant or if its the same thing your talking about but my aquarium light, (clip on) is a normal t5 bulb but when you turn it off it switches to blue LED's only giving the aquarium a blueish lighting and then turning off at the mains obviously turns everything off. I must admit it is quite nice to look at, whether or not the fish like it I've yet to discover!

I have also read somewhere that blue LED's do promote bad Algae growth or something?

AW

 

[mark4785]

Yes AW, your spot on. I know there are many different coloured LED's but the blue coloured LED is the one that seems to mimic moonlight the best. I'm looking around for an LED appliance but I'm not sure where I would put it on the underside of the aquarium lid and i'm not sure whether it would be safe in such a place..

 

[PDSimon]

My fish get startled when the lights come on and off, they could be in darkness and then suddenly the bulbs flash and come on and they often jump. Freshwater fish aren't going to die from that though... I'd prefer if the lights came on more gently and developed to the full brightness, but its not at all essential. Plenty of people have made the kits in the hardware forum.

 

[Javious]

I have read about using blue light to mimic moonlight. While picking up a timer for my light at WalMart I looked at the night lights. I picked up a square nightlight with blue LED light for $2. I used a short extension cord and have it setting behind my tank. This won't simulate moonlight from above, but is does give a soft blueish glow in the tank. With LED's running very cool they won't create a hotspot in my tank or harm the table it rests on. Viewing at night with the room lights off is pretty cool as well, after the main tank light has shut off.

 

[LondonguyJ]

I've also heard the theory of the sudden switch from light to dark stressing the fish but so far, haven't seen anything that proves or disproves this. Though I do use leds in my aquarium but this is mainly for aesthetic vale as I find it quite interesting as to how blue leds reflect of the fish's body.

If you are going to buy some I would recommend ebay because they tend to sell the full kit including gauges that let you select the brightness that best suits you. Also that you use them with timmed plugs so that the leds kick in one minute before the main lights go out.

Also I attached led moonlights to my aquarium and during my fishless cycle (when nitrate is highest) and at one point left them on for two weeks to help maintain my temperature and saw no algae growth.

 

[Gvilleguy]

I just went through this decision process. I decided that even if it does not help the fish transition from dark to full light and back again, it looks really cool at night to see the tank lit in dim blue lighting!! I could not find an after market solution that would seem to easily integrate into my existing light hood, but I did find a DIY that gave me enough information to do it myself for low cost ($13 for materials and about $30 for the tools I didn't already have). I created a picture journal of my effort - a link is in my signature.

 

[mark4785]

I like the idea of 'timmed plugs' but I'm not sure they would work with my aquarium as one plug powers the heater, filter system and lights so if I was to use a 'timmed plug' it would turn all 3 of those things off after initiating the LED lights.

I think plugs exist that have integrated timers so I suppose one of those would be useful as I could schedule the LED's to come on during certain time periods.

I'm no good at DIY so making my own LED light is not something I envisaged. It might have to use an external LED light as I think a bit of DIY would be needed to attach it to the aquarium hood. I'd rather just buy an external LED light without having to mess about with tools or risking it drop into the tank water off of the tank hood..

 

[PDSimon]

Mark, can't you just buy an extension cord or am I missing something obvious?

 

[mark4785]

Mark, can't you just buy an extension cord or am I missing something obvious?

Maybe I misunderstood what LondonguyJ said.

I interpreted it like so: the timmed plug contains two plug sockets (what you would expect to see on a double adaptor). One plug which powers the flourescent lights goes into socket one and another plug which powers the LED goes into socket two. You can somehow configure the 'timmed plug' to shut off power to one of the lights and give power to the other.

In my situation though, one plug powers the heater, flourescent lights and filter system so LondonguyJ's idea wouldn't work.

Maybe I completely misunderstood him lol! Please let me know if I did.

 

[bailey0789]

Yes, they need to make this a standard of buying tanks.

 

[LondonguyJ]

My apologies for the confusion...

As pdsimon said your going to need an extension cord. And with the extension you're going to need two sockets free for the "timers." By which I mean plugs which can be programmed to switch on and off at various times during the day/night. There are generally two types, clock/dial and lcd display. The former works on a spring system and is not accurate (at least in my experience.) Whilst the plugs with an lcd displays can be programmed down to the second. Link as an example: http/www.amazon.co.uk/Digital-Electronic-Plug-Timer-Switch/dp/B003TES272/ref=sr_1_17?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1281616554&sr=8-17

But whichever type you get remember that some of these timer plugs are quite bulky and could make the adjacent socket on the extension cord unusable due to their size. So get a couple that look the slim

As I mentioned before you can buy the complete kit on ebay. Removing the need for tools as the leds are embedded in a waterproof adhesive which you simply attach them to the hood of your aquarium.

I took these last night. The quality of the camera phone I used is really quite poor but it should help give you a general idea...

According to some hobbyists this spectrum can give you an early indication of (visible) diseases on your fish that wouldn't be noticeable until much later under normal light. Emerging algae growth and general health of your live plants. I can only confirm the later two but must admit I bought them initially not for the above reason but because (to me) they look cool.

Hope this helps.

 

[mark4785]

My apologies for the confusion...

As I mentioned before you can buy the complete kit on ebay. Removing the need for tools as the leds are embedded in a waterproof adhesive which you simply attach them to the hood of your aquarium.

I took these last night. The quality of the camera phone I used is really quite poor but it should help give you a general idea...

According to some hobbyists this spectrum can give you an early indication of (visible) diseases on your fish that wouldn't be noticeable until much later under normal light. Emerging algae growth and general health of your live plants. I can only confirm the later two but must admit I bought them initially not for the above reason but because (to me) they look cool.

Hope this helps.

Hey, thanks for clearing that up LondonguyJ.

Do you have a direct link to one of these complete LED kits that you are talking about? Also, on a scale of 1 to 10 (1 being hazardous, 10 being completely safe) how safe are these third party waterproof LED's when used in the aquarium?

I just showed my Mum the picture of the LED light you have and she said "water and electricity don't go well together" lol. So they really do need to be safe and suitable for use in an aquarium.

Lastly, I agree that the different light spectrum is ideal in spotting things otherwise not seen. I'm always looking out for visible issues with the fish so I wouldn't mind anything that makes identifying problems easier.

 

[LondonguyJ]

Your mother is right! Water + Electricity = An aquarium full of dead fish.


Thankfully, the kits are 100% safe. I don't seem to be able to find the exact seller I bought my kit from. I've had a look through my ebay feedback but I bought it a while ago and made more than a few purchases since so the sellers feedback isn't listed.

*Edit*

I just sent you a link. I don't think it's the same seller I bought mine from but the kit and dimmer/plug look exactly the same.

The seller I bought it from had a recommended number of strips according to the size of your aquarium on his page I think it's two strips per 100L but am not 100% sure. What size is your aquarium?

And yes they are safe. As secure as super glue!

 

[mark4785]

Your mother is right! Water + Electricity = An aquarium full of dead fish.


Thankfully, the kits are 100% safe. I don't seem to be able to find the exact seller I bought my kit from. I've had a look through my ebay feedback but I bought it a while ago and made more than a few purchases since so the sellers feedback isn't listed.

*Edit*

I just sent you a link. I don't think it's the same seller I bought mine from but the kit and dimmer/plug look exactly the same.

The seller I bought it from had a recommended number of strips according to the size of your aquarium on his page I think it's two strips per 100L but am not 100% sure. What size is your aquarium?

And yes they are safe. As secure as super glue!

My aquarium holds 120 litres of water.

I think one strip would be good enough for the tank. I'm hoping to mimic moonlight, not a disco, so I'm confident one will go some way to achieving that.

You described the LED's has adhesive. How exactly do they adhere to a surface with a lot of water vapour on it?

Mark.