lighting experiment

this light goes under the tank. i placed a 12v halogen through a amber lens underneath the tank and ran it off a computer power supply with a 12v fan to keep it cool. in the tank i cleared a spot in the sand and placed a projector lens to spread the beam. this is only temporary setup for now and will be expanded upon and adjusted more. the pic is not great, in real life it is wicked.

[wxboilermaker]

that's nice looking. I did something similar with a submergable flourecent blue moon light. I burried it in the gravel and masked it from the front with plants and logs, so you can't see the bulb.

It does look really cool. I put mine on dual timers so that the blue light comes on first for about 30 min, followed by the main hood, where both are on for about 45 min, then the blue shuts off for the remainder of the day. In the evening, the pattern reverses, ending with just the blue on for about 30 min. Each of the 3 combinations gives the tank a whole new look and feel.

[875mill]

Really like the uplighting effect from the amber bulb. May have to try that my self.

[zacusmaximus]

I imagine you don't need a heater for that tank any longer?

lol, no heater needed. i use the fan to keep the light it'self cool, it does not affect the tank. i like the timer idea and i am going to make a little rock volcano around the lens. it will look like it is getting ready to spurt lava at any moment.

here is the volcano. i placed a diffuser inside and the bubbles have a nice amber glow effect. this camera cannot do it justice, i cannot capture the atmosphere projected by the volcano light and neon blue moonlight. i have set timers to kick it on and off. since the light eminates from underneath, it doesnt interfere with the whole tank.

the next experimental lighting effect is to create lightning. not bright like a flash bulb, but more subtle, to kick in at night in combination with these effects. a little pink floyd playing in the background, a few thunder bolts, and it's better than television.

[mr funktastic]

wow thats a cool idea. u should post it in the DIY section so other people can try it to. go into a little more depth on how u did it and stuff to.