[WHOSYOURDADDY]

Ever wonder what happens in your aquarium when the lights go out? If you have not looked, you really should, it’s pretty fascinating. The saltwater aquariums especially reefs have their daytime inhabitants but like humans they also have inhabitants that enjoy the “Night Life”.

Growing up around the beach, saltwater and reefs fascinated me to no end. I started with freshwater at the age of 5, then in 1973 at the age of 13, I started my 1st Saltwater Tank. I used to just lie in my bed at night and watch the little critters that came out at night. My Moonlight then was a little night light plugged in at the foot of my bed. It was interesting to see the shrimp and worms swimming around at night as well as watch the fish hunker down for the evening.

I then had the opportunity to travel to Puerto Rico and Scuba Dive around some reefs during the day as well as do some night diving. This adventure only enhanced my fascination and appreciation of saltwater reefs and its eco-systems.

About a year ago I started to read about these “New” Moon Lights that people were putting into the aquariums to provide supplemental lighting after the main lights were turned off. Like humans, fish, corals and other aquarium inhabitants need a period of darkness. However, as it turns out tropical reefs are not typically pitch black at night.

Even at the depths of the coral reefs, moon light penetrates down and provides a very small amount of light. So it seems that providing an artificial moonlight to the aquarium, was not such a bad idea.

There is a lot of debate on the different attributes of moon lights. Different colors are used for different purposes, and people argue over this everyday.

Another area of debate is that some purists (thats me) want a system where the moon light simulates the phases of the moon. They believe that this may aid in spawning and would provide a more natural environment. To do this you would need a sophisticated controller timer of some kind. Lucky for me I have a “Smart House” that controls my lights to allow them to turn on and off and dim, as well as, allow for DST (Daylight Savings Time). My opinion on this is it comes down to user preference.

Part 1 - Moon Lighting - Introduction
Part 2 - Moon Lighting - What is a Moon Light
Part 3 - Moon Lighting - The Color of Moon Light
Part 4 - Moon Lighting - The Benefits of Building them Yourself

contributing to articles The Lebos Corporation
/James