Shimering Water Effect

[FishFox]

Can any tell me the best way to get a water shimering effect through the water on to the greavel below.
I have a 4ft Aqua One with 3 batten lighting.
Do I need different lighting or will reflectors do the job...
Any help will be great...
Thanks....

 

[Nauplii]

Not sure how great this would work but i have an idea...

If you attach an eheim spraybar to the end of your outlet, and place it at the surface then maybe it will have this effect?

 

[gizmo001i]

That should work with any luck, but if you have CO2 being injected into your tank, then I wouldn't try it as it would rid the water of the CO2.

 

[andywg]

The best way is to have a fairly strong current disturbing the surface of the tank, then have a Metla Halide light on it. Works a treat, though not many people use MH for FW.

 

[BigIan]

you need lots of water disturbance at the top.

because as the water peaks and troughs at the top it refracts light more into one area than the other,
ut for that carribian ocean look you will need alot of waves on a big tank

 

[andywg]

you need lots of water disturbance at the top.

because as the water peaks and troughs at the top it refracts light more into one area than the other,
ut for that carribian ocean look you will need alot of waves on a big tank

I'm not sure it is quite that difficult. While it is probably true of normal T8 lightin (if you can even do it with that) it is not true of MH.

I have a tank that has a surface area of 21x21" and the surface movement is such that it starts in one corner and the ripples have faded by the time they reach the opposite corner to almost nothing. This light creates perfect shimmering just like the ocean floor.

I would sya it is more important to have light coming from a single source or two (such as a single MH bulb) than to have excessive amounts of surface movement. The flourescant tubes will create light all along their length so you will end uop with fairly similar light amounts hitting any area.