Question about lunar light.

MoonInTn · 01/07/2007, 09:08 AM

Not sure if I posted in the right forum but here goes. How much time should you set the lunar light to be on? And is it really beneficial for the residents of the tank. Mine is a reef tank. I've read that it should have at least one hour of total darkness. Since the lights in the room are on until we go to bed, which is sometimes late, I have set the timer for the lunar light to come on around 1:00 a.m. (The other lights goes out around 7:30.) And the lunar light is set to go off around 7:30 am and the first light, (actinic) is set to come on around 8:30 am. Is this a good set up or should I change it?

Also, we turned the lunar light on early last night and got a glimpse of our first hitchhiker guest. We've heard all about the hitchhikers and "surprises" you get with saltwater, and we got to see the first one last night!! Freaked us out! LOL It's a little crab of some kind, and not one of our own crabs looking for another home. It looks along the lines of a sally lightfoot, but according to all the pics we looked at last night, none of them looks like the one we saw in the tank. Tried to get a pic for posting and id-ing, but it was gone before we could get the camera.

sir_dudeguy · 01/07/2007, 10:03 AM

personally i dont buy into that thing that says there has to be at least one hour of total darkness. If you go out to a reef in say...hawaii or something...theres always the moon right? Yes, i know that the moon is not always out, but in an average night....is it not out all night? I mean...the moon doesnt just go out for an hour and then come back on does it?

No matter how low the light from the moon is, there is still light coming from it.

Anyways, moonlights are not completely needed. They dont give off any light to the corals to use. Mostly they are just for looks, but some people believe that they do help with stuff like spawning (in making it more natural)

for the crab, what color was it? And was it fuzzy all over? Or was it fuzzy on just the legs? If it is fuzzy all over, it could be a gorilla crab. If it is just fuzzy on its legs it could be an emerald crab.

Tarkus70 · 01/07/2007, 12:02 PM

I use my moonlights more for effect. As far as total darkness I agree with Sir_Dudeguy there is always light unless its cloudy at night.
It is very cool when they are on to see all the things you don't normally see during the day.

MoonInTn · 01/07/2007, 01:45 PM

Thanks for the input. I was thinking the same thing but thought I'd throw it out there and see what came back. As far as the new crab? I did a search on the net and finally found a pic of them. It really looked like the gorilla crab but without the hair. Could it have been a junenile? If so, then I guess it's not a good crab and I'll be going crabbin' tonight and get it out of the tank!!

lakwriter · 01/07/2007, 01:55 PM

I have my daytime lights on until about 7:30, with the lunar lights coming on at that time. They are on until 5 A.M. There is a little ambient light in the room at that time in the A.M. so I don't need the lunars on until later. My daytime lights come back on at 8 A.M.

01/07/2007, 09:08 AM	#1
MoonInTn Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: East Tn. Posts: 183	Question about lunar light. Not sure if I posted in the right forum but here goes. How much time should you set the lunar light to be on? And is it really beneficial for the residents of the tank. Mine is a reef tank. I've read that it should have at least one hour of total darkness. Since the lights in the room are on until we go to bed, which is sometimes late, I have set the timer for the lunar light to come on around 1:00 a.m. (The other lights goes out around 7:30.) And the lunar light is set to go off around 7:30 am and the first light, (actinic) is set to come on around 8:30 am. Is this a good set up or should I change it? Also, we turned the lunar light on early last night and got a glimpse of our first hitchhiker guest. We've heard all about the hitchhikers and "surprises" you get with saltwater, and we got to see the first one last night!! Freaked us out! LOL It's a little crab of some kind, and not one of our own crabs looking for another home. It looks along the lines of a sally lightfoot, but according to all the pics we looked at last night, none of them looks like the one we saw in the tank. Tried to get a pic for posting and id-ing, but it was gone before we could get the camera.

01/07/2007, 10:03 AM	#2
sir_dudeguy Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Portland, OR Posts: 10,841	personally i dont buy into that thing that says there has to be at least one hour of total darkness. If you go out to a reef in say...hawaii or something...theres always the moon right? Yes, i know that the moon is not always out, but in an average night....is it not out all night? I mean...the moon doesnt just go out for an hour and then come back on does it? No matter how low the light from the moon is, there is still light coming from it. Anyways, moonlights are not completely needed. They dont give off any light to the corals to use. Mostly they are just for looks, but some people believe that they do help with stuff like spawning (in making it more natural) for the crab, what color was it? And was it fuzzy all over? Or was it fuzzy on just the legs? If it is fuzzy all over, it could be a gorilla crab. If it is just fuzzy on its legs it could be an emerald crab. __________________ TAKE...LUCK!!!

01/07/2007, 12:02 PM	#3
Tarkus70 Twinkies everything Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: North Haven CT Posts: 105	I use my moonlights more for effect. As far as total darkness I agree with Sir_Dudeguy there is always light unless its cloudy at night. It is very cool when they are on to see all the things you don't normally see during the day. __________________ Can't Sleep Clown's Will Eat Me ---------------------------------------------- Current Tank Info: Nothing at this time

01/07/2007, 01:45 PM	#4
MoonInTn Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: East Tn. Posts: 183	Thanks for the input. I was thinking the same thing but thought I'd throw it out there and see what came back. As far as the new crab? I did a search on the net and finally found a pic of them. It really looked like the gorilla crab but without the hair. Could it have been a junenile? If so, then I guess it's not a good crab and I'll be going crabbin' tonight and get it out of the tank!!

01/07/2007, 01:55 PM	#5
lakwriter Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Pittsburgh Posts: 562	I have my daytime lights on until about 7:30, with the lunar lights coming on at that time. They are on until 5 A.M. There is a little ambient light in the room at that time in the A.M. so I don't need the lunars on until later. My daytime lights come back on at 8 A.M.