UV lighting

Hey I read a article today that talk abought what i have seen before that a lot of corals floress under uv light.
it talked bought using UV to add one more lighting dimention,
I'm going to try adding a uv (blacklight) bulb  not a bright one just enoufgh to make some floresence.
Opinions ???????

 

You mean like actinics?

 

im pretty sure thats a... really bad idea. i think uv rays will blind fish and kill alot of otherstuff... actinics will give off the same vibe, just stick with them until you read up on it... i once wired up UV moonlights and set everything up... and then before i ran them i was thinking it didnt seem right... why didnt i see anyone else with something like this? it would look soo cool. so i read about it... its not a good idea.

black light is not good! hahaha. keep the by your fuzzy posters.

 

VHO Blacklights don't put out enough power to hurt anything. I would definitely stay away from black light metal halide bulbs though.

 

I would stay away from blacklights.  My goal and I would think the goal of every responsible reefer is to match the natural environment that the fishes and corals we house as close as humanly possible.  Last time I looked there was no big black light in the sky at night.  The night time lights I use is so that I can try to simulate moonlight.

 

I use a small uv all the time to look at the corals at night
I will post a picture,

 

weird. sorry for my misinformation then!

 

.

 

Posted By CyberJester on 11/05/2007 9:26 PM
I would stay away from blacklights.  My goal and I would think the goal of every responsible reefer is to match the natural environment that the fishes and corals we house as close as humanly possible.  Last time I looked there was no big black light in the sky at night.  The night time lights I use is so that I can try to simulate moonlight.
I guess if that's the case then everybody who has a barebottom tank
needs to start over with sand and the people using 20k lights and
actinic also need to discard their lights and buy new 10 or 12k lights.

 

Posted By tibbs2 on 11/06/2007 8:33 AM

Posted By CyberJester on 11/05/2007 9:26 PM
I would stay away from blacklights.  My goal and I would think the goal of every responsible reefer is to match the natural environment that the fishes and corals we house as close as humanly possible.  Last time I looked there was no big black light in the sky at night.  The night time lights I use is so that I can try to simulate moonlight.
I guess if that's the case then everybody who has a barebottom tank needs to start over with sand and the people using 20k lights and actinic also need to discard their lights and buy new 10 or 12k lights.
Not true, I am a diver and have dove off of Rock bottom reefs before as well as ones that comprise more of crushed corals and large particulates then sand.  As for the blue intensity of your light; that is a matter of depth.  There is a point at water depth where 20k is the natural condition on the reef.  However, I have never seen a UV light in the sky at night.   A lot of the organisms we keep are caught in the wild habitat and moved to ours.  How would you feel if someone removed the amount of O2 in your air or dialed up gravity a bit for you?  I don't think you would appreciate it very much.  Now I know we can't simulate a perfect environment for each of our little friends (due to preferred habitat depth, pressure, and a variety of other factors), but, as I said I believe it is our job to at least try.

 

isnt the sun at high noon only 65k?

i know that depth changes color and everything...

 

You're right ben, I think it is something like 6500 k or something.

I do subscribe to the natural environment theory myself. But I think a small black light wouldn't be much different than some of the actinics people use.  Most of the SPS I saw were in shallow water with less blue light but i seem to see more actinic and deeper blue SPS tanks. It may not be as natural but it does seem to make the corals flouresce a little more.
So where did you dive at?
My only ocean dives so far were at Miyako island, about an hours flight southwest of Okinawa. I hope to dive somewhere tropical again next year.

 

the reason i got a uv light was i had a coral that showed no polyp extension it was only under uv light i could see them.
a very large abount of reef inhabitants flourese under uv light,   it is just a diffent dimention to photography, or looking at your tank.
Not as a means of lighting or causing coral growth.
just because they glow is not a bad thing
 [face=Arial size=2>White T-shirts and socks normally glow under a black light because modern detergents contain phosphors that convert UV light into white light. This makes whites look "whiter than white" in normal sunlight[/face=Arial size=2>White T-shirts and socks normally glow under a black light because modern detergents contain phosphors that convert UV light into white light. This makes whites look "whiter than white" in normal . What you are seeing in sunlight is the normal reflection of visible white light from the cloth, as well as the emission of white light that the phosphors create from UV light in sunlight. The T-shirt really is whiter than white!
UVA is present in natural sunlight as well as the more harmfull UVB.

 

If you ever buy a used mattress, never swipe a UV light over it before purchasing it. /site/DesktopModules/NTForums/themes/_default/emoticons/wink.gif