New stuff all the time!

[Doodaa]

Seriously...who besides me is amazed at what grows in your tanks? I'm always finding something new especially at night after the lights go off with my flashlight. I've been trying to see if I can find my bristleworms I purchased about a month ago. I can't, but what I did find was a pretty big crab. Where did that come from? Funny! It must have hitched a ride a long time ago and it must have been pretty small, but now it's body is about the size of a nickle. I'm trying to catch it...I haven't been able to ID it, but I think it's the reason my 2 peppermint shrimp disappeared mysteriously...makes sense now.

I'm just shocked that something that big has escaped detection in my tank for this long. I remember a thread that someone found a 6 foot? worm in their pvc tubing...wow! is all I can say. This hobby is very interesting

[tholleyh46]

Something new everyday, the bristleworms are hard to spot but I do find them occasionally. I'm glad I'm not the only culprit with a flashlight at night, my wife thinks I'm crazy and am harrassing the fish. But its a whole new world at night! I have two sea cucumbers and I only spot them once every couple of weeks.

Never a dull moment, that's for sure!

[Ninong]

Don't use white light. All of the critters you're trying to see will disappear in less than two seconds.

Wait until an hour after all aquarium lights are out. Make sure that all lights in the room have been off for at least half an hour. Use an astronomer's red flashlight or cover the lens of a regular flashlight with red cellophane. That way you will be able to observe everything without them even knowing anything about it.

You will be amazed at how much you will see that you had no idea you even had in your tank. And you won't disturb the fish.

[Ninong]

I forgot to mention that most of the red LED astronomy flashlights are too dim. If you get an astronomy flashlight, be sure to get one that is bright enough. Ideally you would want a red filter lens for one of those small Mag-lite flashlights.

[Doodaa]

Very good pointer Ninong. I have been using a white LED flashlight and the critters do run away from it. I never thought of using a red light. Thanks!

[tholleyh46]

Good gouge! I have a blue or white light, does both - but never thought of using red. I guess the critters see blue light though.

[Ninong]

I guess the critters see blue light though.

Yes, they see blue better than we do. They don't see red at all.

[Doodaa]

I used to have red filters for flashlights when I was in the army. I could have swore I still had them around, but they were nowhere to be found. I searched my whole house for some red plastic...even thought about breaking a tail lamp out of a car. I ended up finding a piece using a Old Spice deodorant cap and searched my tank real quick before bed. I found one of my Eurythoe complanatas. I was so happy to see one and it was 3 times larger than my purchase size about a month ago.

[sober_pollock]

Are they blind enough to red that I could mount a row of red LEDs in the hood and turn them on when I want to observe at night?

[Ninong]

I used to have red filters for flashlights when I was in the army.

That would have been ideal. I used to have a very nice red flashlight -- actually a small Mag-lite style flashlight with a red lens -- but I gave it away when I sold my telescope back in 1997. I bought a red LED flashlight in 2002 but it wasn't nearly as bright as I expected.

I found one of my Eurythoe complanatas. I was so happy to see one and it was 3 times larger than my purchase size about a month ago.

They grow very fast. I started out with a dozen 1" babies that I got from Inland Aquatic and about five or six weeks later they were 3" long. Within three months, some of them were 6" long. Within six months I had dozens of them in all sizes. They reproduce asexually in our tanks, so all you need is one healthy one. You probably have more than that but as long as you have at least one, you should see more in a few months unless you have something in the tank that eats them.

[Ninong]

Are they blind enough to red that I could mount a row of red LEDs in the hood and turn them on when I want to observe at night?

Yes, you could do that as long as they aren't too intense. You could mount red LEDs and only turn them on when you want to view the tank after dark. Remember to wait at least an hour after all the lights over the tank and all the room lights are off for best results.

Most red light is absorbed in the top one meter from the surface in the ocean. Not absolutely all red light, but most. In fact, 60% of sunlight is absorbed in the top one meter, 85% is absorbed in the top ten meters and by 150 meters about 99% of light has been absorbed. Blue light penetrates the deepest. Most red is gone by 1 meter, most yellow is gone by 10 meters, most green is gone by 50 meters and most blue is gone by 100 meters.

Marine animals aren't adapted to see red light because there is no red light where they spend most of their time.

[tholleyh46]

Ninong,

What is your stance on all this moonlight business showing up in all the light bars. I've heard of people going and buying these really bright LED lights made for mounting under cars and putting them in their canopies for moonlights. You van get them auto parts stores and they come in blue, green, and red LED lights. That can't be a good idea, can it?

[Ninong]

Ninong,

What is your stance on all this moonlight business showing up in all the light bars. I've heard of people going and buying these really bright LED lights made for mounting under cars and putting them in their canopies for moonlights. You van get them auto parts stores and they come in blue, green, and red LED lights. That can't be a good idea, can it?

I have answered that question so many times that I just link to one of my previous posts now whenever it comes up. Here. And here.