HELP! Effects of odd lighting on Corals/Fish

KaCee Bunn-Smith

KaCee Bunn-Smith

Member
I have a very odd question.

Can anyone tell me what the effect of having a pure RED light, or a pure GREEN light in a reef aquarium?

Or more precisely the effect of moving between the two?

A bit of backgorund...

My wife and I have a 125 gallon reef tank stocked with coral and fish. (I have a tank thread if you would like the specifics). The tank is located in our main living room, which is the same room as our Christmas tree, etc.

My family will all be over for Christmas morning, including our 2 year old grandaughter, so of course we want everything to be perfect.

The room is all trimmed up in red and green Christmas lights.

My wife now wants to know if it would be possible to have the tank light shift from red to green and back on Christmas morning while we all go in and open presents.

Now, I know for a fact that I CAN do this (as in, I know I can program the lights to do it), but what would the effect be on my fish and corals? This would probably be about 2-3 hours on Christmas morning, lights fading from a pure red into a pure green over the course of about 5-10 minute cycles.

I agree with my wife if would look great, but I do not want to do anything to endanger my livestock.
 
D

DaveK

Well-Known Member
I don't think one day of red and green light is going to hurt anything.

However, my personal feeling toward this is that it really makes the tank look terrible and distracts from what in in the tank. I feel this is in the same class of adding a plastic submarine or deep sea diver, but that's just me.
 
Oxylebius

Oxylebius

Well-Known Member
A couple hours probably won't make a difference, but algae love red light. In photosynthesis red light is absorbed and utilized more then any other color. It will probably freak out some of your fish.
 
KaCee Bunn-Smith

KaCee Bunn-Smith

Member
DaveK said:
I don't think one day of red and green light is going to hurt anything.

However, my personal feeling toward this is that it really makes the tank look terrible and distracts from what in in the tank. I feel this is in the same class of adding a plastic submarine or deep sea diver, but that's just me.
Click to expand...

I do get what you are saying, but in this instance, for once my wife is WANTING to distract from what is in the tank. She wants the tank to become part of the Christmas decorations just for Christmas morning.

Considering how much understanding she gives me about me spending time with the tank the other 364 days a year, I feel like I have to let her have 1 morning :/
 
nanoreefing4fun

nanoreefing4fun

Well-Known Member
RS STAFF
was googling & trying to find someone who did this... when I found the above & this one... not Christmas light leds in a tank... but some beautiful tanks thought I would share & fun vid - Would love to see what you come up with for the wife on Christmas !

 
K

Kenreefer

New Member
It will probably freak some of your fish out but look cool. If you didn't paint the back of your tank you could string colored lights behind it. We have to move our tree placement this year because of a orb tank in the corner, lol. I'll try the lights behind it tomorrow.
 
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