Moonlighting

[Luke_e]

Can someone give me a bit of advice here please.
I was going to buy these lights here:
http/cgi.ebay.co.uk/NEW-AQUARIUM-LED-LIG...oQQcmdZViewItem
But after contacting Arfie via pm, he told me that he had some burn out, not 100% sure if its the exact LED ones but i cant see any other LED ones from the Razer seller. The ad states that are submursible and are completly waterproof, and this is what attracted me to these lights, but i'm not to sure now. I've heard many good things about cold cathodes and that they are much better than LED lights.

Now i'm not too sure which are 'cold cathode' and which are simply 'blue lights'. I had a look at these lights, and i'm not sure if they are cold cathode or blue bulbs:
http/cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vie...item=7755142946

I've contacted the seller asking how they connect to an adapter, as i'm not sure if its simply a wire plug that plugs into the adapter and its done. The ad also doesnt state if the lights are water/moisture proof.

There is also another moonlighting kit being sold by Razer:
http/cgi.ebay.co.uk/NEW-WATERPROOF-AQUAR...oQQcmdZViewItem

These are 'waterproof' and it says they are cold cathode. So would you recomend to go for the cold cathode tube ones from Razer rather than the other ones or the LED ones.

Thank you.

 

[Luke_e]

Bump..

 

[Rooster]

The first listing is for LEDS (light emitting diodes) These are semiconductor devices, that give out a very pure coloured light.... they need a specific voltage and current, a common trick is to allow more current through them to get more light out, but this weakens them, and causes them to fail early.... If fed properly they will last longer than you will !!!!

The second ones ARE "cold cathode" all this means is that they are a minature florescent tube.... like the ones in your kitchen, or fish tank, these have 2 contacts at each end, between each contact is a small coil that acts as a heater (ish!) to get the lamp lit (the starter turns it off once lit) This is a HOT cathode.

The smaller cold cathode tubes dont need this, and they run on a higher voltage... produced from an inverter circuit, usually powered from 12 volts.
These can be had VERY cheaply from most computer shops... ask around. In addition to these, you will need a 12v power supply of some sort - doesnt need to be anything fancy, a "plug in the wall" type from the likes of Maplin, or Argos... Ive also seen these on "Pound shops" !
They are NOT waterproof, but could be made so with a little silicon.

The last listing is the same thing, but I cannot comment on the waterproofing.... I guess hes added the silicon ! lol

When I last looked, my local computer shop had these for £2.99 each... so save some money and DIY

 

[Luke_e]

Cheers Rooster.
I'll probably buy the 'waterproof' cold cathode tubes for my tank, as i'd do it DIY but i'm transfering the money to my paypal account (takes 9 days) so i might aswell buy them.
I think they are waterproof as he's put them in a protective tube so it makes sense i suppose.
Thanks for your time.

 

[Rooster]

the "protective tube" is how they are supplied from the computer shop ! And in stock at one near me for £3.99 each... so thats 8 quid then ! Why pay £20 ?

 

[smithrc]

as already pointed out - DIY is the way forward

most cold cathode kits come with 2 12" tubes - more than enough for most tanks.

I'd suggest you pay a little more for a voltage adapter that has variable output - 12V makes them very bright - 6V is better for night time use

this is what one of our tanks looks like going from 4.5V upto 12V
12V is too bright and keeps fish awake.