using blacklights

[leeweber85]

Does anyone know if it's safe to use a blacklight on a reef? tonight I was just messing around and tried it out for a couple minutes and was AMAZED! My tan finger leather actually glows bright green, the green star polyps/zoas/ palys glow 10xs more than under actinic, my maroon mushrooms glow a bright red, my purple shrooms glow pink, and the coraline algae acually shows a bunch of different colors.

Has anyone kept one on long term with no ill results?

[jasob]

I was walking through home depot the other night and saw the black lights. I sat there staring off into space trying to picture my tank under a black light. Only reason I didn't purchase is because it seems like black lights give off a lot of UV. I may be wrong on this, but if not I think I found a new setup to try for a moon light!

[rockindacheeks]

actinics werent designed for aquarium use so why cant a black light be used?

actinics were made for copy machines or something...

[leeweber85]

I wonder if you could use tempered glass to stop the UV like in double ended halides.

[jasob]

That's the same thing that went through my head. I'm not even sure if there is a lot of UV from the black lights, but you'd want a shield from the water anyway. It seems like black lights burn hot and will blow up like a DE hallide would if any water touched it.

If I can find the right setup before someone who's done it posts, I'll get it setup and let you know if it nuked anything. lol

[leeweber85]

from this guys experiment, it appears the blacklight doesn't harm the corals if used as supplemental. So I don't think running it a couple hours a day would harm anything.

[leeweber85]

http://www.saltwaterfish.com/vb/showthread.php?t=135370&page=1&pp=50&highlight=blacklight


sorry forgot the link

[Aquabucket]

Fluorescent black lights are typically made in the same fashion as normal fluorescent lights except that only one phosphor is used and the normally clear glass of the bulb may be replaced by a deep-bluish-purple glass made with nickel-oxide, and cobalt-oxide, which blocks almost all visible light above 400 nanometers. The color of such lamps is often referred to in the trade as blacklite blue. Most peak at 365 nm. A typical fluorescent balck light is no more harmful in regard to UV radiation to our tanks than an 03 actinic.

You can also make a black light from halides, mercury vapor lamps and xenon lamps including strobes by placing a special glass filter over them. Many of the high powered "stage lighting" black lights come with a special glass that filters out harmful UVA and UVB light/radiation.

I use many types of black lights with my light sculptures and own 2 US patents with regard to black light and motion.

Here is a link to my website:

http://www.millevolte.com

[Zoos]

I'd be afraid to use them, despite literature that proves otherwise, I've just heard to many horror stories.

[Aquabucket]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8229605#post8229605 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Zoos
I'd be afraid to use them, despite literature that proves otherwise, I've just heard to many horror stories.

Please explain or give us an example or a link.

If used as a supplement with typical aquarium lighting regular black lights (blacklite blue) should pose no problem to our tanks and corals. In fact thier PAR levels are quite low and would hardly benifit growth so using them on thier own is useless. The only real benifit is an asthetic one.

I have been using a "black light" cathode bulb for my moonlight for 6 months now and my tank is just fine..

[old salty]

I wanted to take a look at my tank at night, so I grabbed my military flashlight which has different colored lens covers in the handle. Since I didn't have the red, I put the purple one (blacklight) on and went for a look. I too, was amazed at how the corals and anything alive popped with odd colors. It was definately cool.

[PatrickJ]

I always wanted to, but I never did. I really would like to.

[Travis L. Stevens]

Here's some information on this question

http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=165881
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?postid=4811056

[sir_dudeguy]

i might be saying the same type of thing as aquabucket, but arent all those black lights that are sold at say home depot and lowes too week to be considered dangerous because of UV? Like the ones that are just a regular incandescent bulb is the ones i'm talking about. I had a clamp lamp with one on my tank and it made everything glow a lot. But wouldnt those just be too week to be dangerous?
and also like aqua said...

quote:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Originally posted by Zoos
I'd be afraid to use them, despite literature that proves otherwise, I've just heard to many horror stories.
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[Aquabucket]

Incandescent lamps utilize what's called Wood's glass and are really not very effective black lights as they allow too much visible light to pass through. They also run very hot so a shield of some sort is a must.

Fluorescent black lights are really not all that different than 03 actinics. The actinics peak at 420 nm which is more suited for coral growth. Both actinics and black lights emit rays in the UVA spectrum. Its UVB and particularly UVC light radiation you need to worry about. UV sterilizer's and other germicidal lamps emit UVC light.

[areze]

any black light you find in homedepot is in no way harmful to living organisms.

its just filtered light of the same sort you get outside in the sun(less harmful than the sun actually; you wont get a tan from it unfortunatly). its like things that glow in the dark, they are still glowing when your out in the sun, its just overpowered by the visible light.

point is, go for it. though Ive found myself, if your "moonlight" is too bright, corals may suffer, mine did. its always hard to really pinpoint cause and effect in tanks, but this seemed to have a correlation. maybe the corals needed to rest at night, I dont know; I dont claim to be a biologist. point is, Id keep the output low, and I personally have my moonlights on a timer from 9pm-2am. on when I could see it, but no need to have it persist when I cant.

btw, they make UV LEDs that are also perfectly safe if you want to get creative and kick the heat/hazard issues..

[kryppy]

What you will find is the blacklight will show every single thing in the water column. When I tried it, my clear water looked like a cloudly mess from the phyto and pods floating about.
It won't hurt anything, if it did everyone at the night clubs would be blind. :)

[Zoos]

I don't have any links, but like I said I have heard bad things, maybe he say, she say, but I've heard enough to deter me.
Felix