black light globe???

[Mattzilla]

i saw in my garage one of thos black light fluro tubes...you knw the ones that make everything white glow in a dark room....

has anyone ever put one above a discus tank?

i have a douple tube light above one of my tanks that the black light tube would fit into....i was thinking of seeing what it looks like with one normal aquarium globe and the black light globe....

will it cause any damage to plants or discus?

let me know if you have any experience with it and i might give it a try

cheers

[lesley]

Hi Matzilla,

This is a tube that was called a black light tube, very blue type lighting, don't know if it is what you have or not.

I was advised by the guy in the LFS not to buy and use it 'cause he said I would have algae problems like I wouldn't believe. Boy, was he right!!
Has taken months to clear the algae from this tank, some of the plants still have some very dark algae on the leaves.

Lesley

[Mattzilla]

thanks for that....i was going to put it in tomorrow and see what it looked like. it looks good but if i am going to get an algea bloom then forget it.

cheers

[lesley]

Yes, looked great at night, but some of the algae on the glass I could not scrape off without great and protracted effort.

Sad, it would be good to hear if anyone else has managed to use them without problems. Although the lfs guy has discus (obviously a sensible person!) and he was really definite about the algae. So am I now!.

[Proteus]

Get a powerful UV unit, and some solid filtration devices, and the Black light will work...

I have seen it on a heavily planted tank with over 100 Cardinal Tetras in there, man it was awesum...

The tank was equipped with pressurised C02, and a couple of Metal Halides, the Black light was only used for an hour or two MAX, in the evening when viewing the fish, and only 3-4 days a week...

[Mattzilla]

i might just keep it handy for when people are coming over at night just to jazz up the tank for them.....

[red tiger]

I would only use a coral blue light, as the UV Black lights apparenlty make fish blind after a time due to the high output of UV Rays.

Make up your own mind, its cheaper to buy a $20.00 coral blue tube than risk your fish.

Only my thoughts

[red tiger]

I would only use a coral blue light, as the UV Black lights apparenlty make fish blind after a time due to the high output of UV Rays.

Make up your own mind, its cheaper to buy a $20.00 coral blue tube than risk your fish.

Only my thoughts

[red tiger]

I would only use a coral blue light, as the UV Black lights apparenlty make fish blind after a time due to the high output of UV Rays.

Make up your own mind, its cheaper to buy a $20.00 coral blue tube than risk your fish.

Only my thoughts

[kalebjarrod]

black lights also run alot hotter than coral tubes

i've had the glass lids crack because of them

i found the coral blue was the better looking colour anyway, little more natural :wink:

[Mattzilla]

funny you should say that about the lids cracking.... i got home from work last night to find half of one of my lids sitting in the tank on top of some driftwood

i have to get some new lids....do you think i should get thicker lids???

[kalebjarrod]

yeah they will hold in the heat a bit better too

i am unsure if the glass thickness has a direct relationship with light intensity?

does anyone know?