Loaches Online Forum

I understand that my loaches would benefit from a "blue moon" light system. Since I'm new to all of this could someone give me a little more info on these types of lights? I have googled and found several different systems but I'm not sure which one to invest in or try. Currently I have an Eclipse lid with light (F18T8 Natural Light - 24" long) for my 30 gallon tank. My loaches have been a great source of entertainment and I want to make their environment as healthy for them as possible. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.

I don't know that much about different commercially available lighting systems. I have a moon light simulation on my tank, by using a simple blue LED strip that I turn on at night. Seems to work well, my loaches are very active during night hours now that I have this.

I just use a 48" Hagen Marine Glo standard T8 light tube on my 7ft clown loach aquarium, and a 30 Interpet Blue Moon T5 tube on the 3ft river tank.

Hopefully someone who is familiar with the tank that you have will be able to advise on what would be best in your situation. Your loaches will definitely enjoy their time under such subdued conditions. If it's clown loaches that you've got in the 30 gallon, you might find it more worthwhile spending out on a bigger aquarium for them first, then adding the lighting, rather than spending out on the extra lighting twice.

Good luck,

Emma

The Eclipse system does not offer great possibilities for adding such lights. The lids are well sealed, and the humidity builds up in there (not good for electric), and there is not much room to add a bulb or anything. Try it, it does not take much, especially if you have access to the little LED lights that are often used in computers.
A very simple way to test if you would like this is to...
1) Cut a piece of cardboard just a little bigger than the hood.
2) Cut one or two holes in the cardboard, about 1" X 2" (2cm X 5 cm)
3) Cover the holes with clear blue plastic, perhaps the lid from a tupperware container, or cut from a plastic school binder, or even cut from some theatrical lighting colors.
4) Put the cardboard over the tank, under the hood. Turn on the light in the hood. What comes through will be just a little blue light through the small holes.

Want more light? Cut more holes before enlarging the existing holes.
Got a favorite spot in the tank to light up? Cut a slightly bigger hole, or a couple of holes above that spot.

To make this item more durable, paint it so the water will not soak into the cardboard, or make this part out of something a little more water resistant.

Thanks for the suggestions. I have my tank in a room with one window and 3 skylights. While the tank does not get any direct light the inhabitants (3 clown loaches, 4 green cory cats, 3 tetra and 1 pleco) have developed what I would think is a normal cycle - busy in the early morning and evening hours and somewhat quiet during the middle of the day. I try to use the tank light only a few hours each day but still want it to fit into this cycle. Yes, a new tank is part of my plans but not possible right now.

I'll try the suggestions and let you know which one worked the best. Again, Thanks for the help.

linarite wrote:I understand that my loaches would benefit from a "blue moon" light system. Since I'm new to all of this could someone give me a little more info on these types of lights? I have googled and found several different systems but I'm not sure which one to invest in or try. Currently I have an Eclipse lid with light (F18T8 Natural Light - 24" long) for my 30 gallon tank. My loaches have been a great source of entertainment and I want to make their environment as healthy for them as possible. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.

I can recommend a blue cold cathode fluorescent light (CCFL) intended for PC case modding as a moon light.

Very low power draw (<5 W), cheap (<$10) long-living (~25.000h+) and intensly bright. I added one to my tank cover, it's the longish thing in the middle.




HTH,

Connor

Just remember it doesnt have to be blue. Many think that moonlight is suppose to be blue, Moonlight is only blue in deep ocean waters much the same as regular light (heavily actinic) in those deep waters. Ive put together some blue and white LED systems and cold cathodes. I like the white ones the best so far. The problem I had with some of my blue led setups was that even though the led's were insanely bright, hardly anything in my tank showed up under the blue, and didnt look natural at all. The moon actually reflects sunlight very well, and if I recall usually falls in the 4,000-5,500K range to viewers in the surface of earth. Of course if there is alot of dust and pollution in the atmosphere it looks more dull and orange.