Moonlights? What is the purpose?

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clarnp49

Aquarium Advice Apprentice
Joined
Jul 18, 2006
Messages
21
I have read quite a bit on this forum of everything and then I come across more information and I have to start all over again.

This one just stumps the heck out of me.

Is moonlighting more of an effect preference or does it serve a purpose?
Is it for freshwater or just salt water reef/ coral tanks?

If it's freshwater, what fish shouldn't I have in the tank with moonlighting? I am designing a new 55 gallon tank for my house and want to include as much DIY stuff as I can and possibly timers and everything.

Thanks for the straight and narrow advice.
 
for sw, the use actinic lights is necessary for coral growth, however, as i understand it, for freshwater has no use for actinic lights, or any other "blue" moon light. So I guess it's just for effect on fw!
 
It's all personal preference. I use Actinic and 50/50 bulbs on our African Cichlid tanks because it brings out their coloration. Moonlights come on in the evening after the main lights turn off. It just simulates the night time that the fish would experience in the wild. It also allows you to view nocturnal fish in their natural environment. It is in no way a necessity in a freshwater tank.
 
I think moon lights are cool as heck. I recently installed two 12" blue neon lights in my 55 gal tank and it looks very nice at night.
 
Okay, first off Moon Lights are not the same as Actinics. Moon Lights (usually blue, white, or red) are just for effect whether they're being used in SW or FW. They allow you to see some of the night time activity in your tank. Might catch a glimpse of that fish you haven't seen since the day you added it to your tank and it went instantly into hiding.

Actinic lights are generally only useful in SW. However 50/50 bulbs are often used in planted tanks to help get to a specific lighting level. Some have even reported that the Actinics promote lower and more bushy growth from plants. Actinics are sometimes mixed with other lights over a FW to give a better color mix to the light so that the tank appears better to the viewer.
 
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