Hi Jeffrey,
When I was planning on upgrading my Goldfish tank 4 years ago I had
similar thoughts about the lighting & wanted something that would gradually
brighten & dim the lights at the appropriate times of the day. The problem
with regular strip lights is they use gas & that means that they are off
until the current supplied to them is great enough & then the starter motor
kicks in & they are instantly on a full brightness-there is no half way
house.
I did find a company that made really expensive computer controlled
lighting units that did replicate daylight with sun & cloud-even to the
extent of having Summer & Winter lighting times with sunrise & sunset. The
night time hours were punctuated with a blue LED moon in lifelike phases ie
getting brighter until the full moon & then getting darker with some nights
moonless just like the real thing. Unfortunately I cannot remember the make
offhand & a quick Google didn't turn anything up either so perhaps someone
reading can help identify this?
Good though those lighting units were I was not prepared to pay out close
on £3000 for the lights which was the same price as my custom built 100
gallon acrylic tank so instead I got a couple of excellent double T8 units
by BioPur off a German eBay site & they came to a very reasonable £100
including Airmail to the UK. These are a good company because whereve in
the world you are they fix the voltage accordingly on the model you have
won. As supplied they each had 2 standard white bulbs but I swapped one in
each for an Arcadia pink tropical bulb which together with the white light
gives a reasonable approximation of daylight & also a softer & warmer caste
to the fish & decor whereas both white lights were quite harsh & cold. I
also got a set of blue moonlight LEDs off eBay for £15 & I was all set. I
have a lot of real plants so I give my tank 7.5 hours of light from the
units but they don't come on until the early afternoon because the natural
light in the room takes care of the plants in the a.m. The fish have
already experienced a natural & gradual daybreak & are already asking me
for their breakfast by the time I draw the curtains in the morning. The
lights coming on in the afternoon don't cause any sudden changes because it
is already light-they just add some intensity, especially during the Winter
months when it is starting to go dull soon after lunch time.
When the lights go off it is dark but as they are set 30 minutes apart then
only one end of the tank is suddenly darker then the other but not by a
great deal & I have the sidelights on in the room anyway a it is where I
watch TV & work at my computer. 10 minutes before the second main unit goes
off my blue LEDs come on so again there is not really a great difference
for the fish. The LEDs are on until 0100 in the morning & when they go off
I am still usually on my computer but only with a small sidelight so the
fish are not bothered. I would add that this 3 hour moonlight window is one
of their most active times & they really love the moonlight, I have 4 big
Goldfish, 2 of them are silver & 2 are orange. The blue LEDs make the
silver fish blue & the orange fish black-it looks fantastic. The moonlights
are in one strip connected to a transformer plug that steps down to 12
volts. There are several different lighting intensities available by
clicking a control on the plug unit-I have mine set around half way. The
very highest setting is way too bright & they look like lasers, the lowest
is too dim to illuminate anything. They are in 3 separate strips so I have
one in the middle of the tank &one at each end at the top. Because my tank
is one piece I have the lighting units & also the LEDs on the top so they
shine through the clear acrylic.
After the moonlights go out there is still some light in the room from the
street lights outside so I gradually draw the curtains until the room is
near pitch black & then retire leaving the fish to get a good nights sleep
in darkness just as they would outside in a pond. I know this is not an
option for some people but me & my fish have lived this way for many years
now & it seems to work great with no stress or sudden lighting
changes-anyway, just some ideas for you.
John*<o)))<*
On 26 July 2012 14:19, Jeffrey <n9mxtham@gmail.com> wrote:
> **
>
>
> Hello All,
> I was wondering is there a light that I can utilize at night too be on or
> something that make my standard hood light slowing turn on getting brighter
> and brighter each minute upon day hours?
>
> I ask because I run a 150gal wild fish tank "Bass, bluegill, channel cat,
> bullhead cats, and a few other breeds. Anyway, when I turn the lights on in
> the morning the fish go nuts. Mostly the catfish freak out and swim in high
> speed around the tank and stir-up rocks and other things in the tank. I
> need the lights to slowing go on and slowly brighten just like in nature
> when the sun rises. I feel bad because instant on freaks them out so badly.
>
> What do you all suggest?
>
> Jeffrey
>
>
>
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
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