Do moonlights harm anything?

[Pezzep]

If I turn on my moon lights after my regular lights go off and I leave them on all night until morning will this affect anything? Like does it stress fish, cause algae, or mess with plants in any way? Cause if not ima keep these bad boys on every night, is it ever relaxing just staring at the fish tank late at night with these lights on...I don't think I'm going to beable to go to sleep!

 

[jehenry89]

In my experience, the moonlights in my tank haven't affected algae/plants. I had a recent outbreak of BBA but that was for other reasons. The fish really don't seem to care either way in my tank, they are all happy little campers dark or with light. However, before I got moonlights to stretch across my entire tank, I had a small 11 inch light I put up top so I could still look at them and it seemed like my guppies gravitated toward it. I would move it and they would follow. I don' know why, I am assuming they were curious. If fish could talk....

 

[Rivercats]

I normally only run moonlights for a few hours so the tanks get some total darkness but I have a 6g planted betta tank in the kitchen that we run the moonlights on all night and both the fish and plants have done very well over the past 2 years.

 

[Pezzep]

They still get some darkness, tank turns on 330 till 1030 then moon lights till about 7am. So a about 8hours of darkness. Good to know it won't hurt anything tho

 

[sodbuster95]

I think the general consensus is that "moonlights" have no ill effects on either fish or algae.

Having said that, I've read a number of studies which suggest that exposure to 460nm light (I.E. the blue lights many people use as moonlights) directly effects circadian rhythms in both humans and fish by interrupting the uptake of melatonin. Such studies (the ones I've read) further suggest that cognitive reactions improve after such exposure. The inference therein being that sleep is disrupted and that long-term exposure or exposure at the onset of the circadian cycle can lead to sleep disorders.

True? I dunno; that's not my field.

In any event, I choose to use moonlights for a few hours at night and in the morning, but make sure the tank goes dark for at least 7-8 hours every night.