Significance of Blue Moon Light LEDs

Hello, all. Currently, I'm contemplating upgrading the lights on my tank. I do have LEDs now, but they are attached to a VERY cheap and flimsy plastic hood that came with the starter kit I purchased. I know, I know, this is what I get for purchasing a cheap starter kit! Anyway, I've located what seems to be a decent deal on Craigslist for a 48"-60" Marineland Single Bright LED strip light. It's not the programmable one that I had hoped for, but I can get this, plus the glass hood for $70. I was told it's gently used and is approximately a year old at this time.

My question is in regard to the Blue Moon Light feature. I have seen this on many lights, but I am unsure of what the significance of this is. Can someone please explain to me what the point of this is other than just looking cool? Or, is just looking cool the whole point of these lights? Do you never actually completely turn off your lights if you have this feature? Incase it matters, I have artificial plants, with driftwood and rocks only (no live plants). Does this seem like a good deal, and does it make sense for me to buy this light, or would this be more than I need given that I have only artificial plants? Thanks, all!

 

For the fish. It helps them keep a Day/Night cycle going. The jump from the blue to the all on is much less drastic than dark to sudden light. I believe that the point on marine (salt water) lights is to promote lunar habits in corals.

I keep mine on blue at night as a night light in the living room incase my son gets up in the middle of the night.

 

Thanks! I actually lost out on this light as the guy was actually looking to sell an entire set up. I didn't need anything but the light and top, and I didn't act quickly enough as he was able to sell the entire set up. But, it's still good to know a bit more about the purpose of the blue light so I can decide if it's something I should purchase, or if it's not necessary for my set up.

 

Not really needed, but is a help. There's plenty of LED options out there if it's not planted. Just search amazon or Google and you'll find cheap options. There's a beamswork for planted tanks (low light PAR, still enough to light the tank) for just $60 brand new, just no blue, but could have the all blue switch

A lid you can have a piece of glass or acrylic cut at a hardware store for them. A hinge set is a couple dollars, too.

Edit: even without plants, limit your photo periods to stop algae from blooming. The light I mentioned does have the all blue feature.

 

OK, thank you! Really, my main concern is the fact that the hoods I have now are so cheap and flimsy, and also one of them is difficult to turn the lights on already (have to turn it on and off several times for the lights to actually turn on). I would just like something that's a bit more durable and reliable, and that fits tightly. The hoods are so flimsy that they do not fit tightly!

I'd also like a programmable light as I've heard you want your lights on for no more than eight hours per day. It's been tough for me to hit the 8 hour mark as I'm either over it or under it due to having a somewhat odd work schedule. I usually turn the lights on when I get up, turn them off when I leave for work, then turn them on when I get home and off again at bedtime. Leaving them on during the day doesn't allow me to look at my tank at night, but doing it how I have been makes it easy to have them on far less than eight hours if there are any variations in my schedule. Programmable is probably the way to go, but they're so expensive for someone who's not growing plants!

 

Yup. Sad truth. You can always buy a controller or a timer if they aren't available. Spend a few extra dollars on a timer that has multiple times you can set for a single outlet

 

OK, thanks! Do you know, though, since I don't have live plants, is the amount of time my lights are on an issue, or am I overthinking this?

 

Around 8 hours of pure light? I'm not sure about the correlation of PAR and algea, but I'll let you know if I find anything out. It could help those planted and non planted with photo periods.

 

I guess my main concern is...is less than 8 hours a problem for my fish?

 

Usually not. There's normally natural light that filters into the room.

Most people that deal with algae in planted tanks usually shorten photo periods to 6-8 hours in an on off on cycle

 

Ok, thanks