# moon simulation?



## cbreon (Apr 25, 2005)

I was just looking over some compact fluorescents and noticed some "lunar lights." I imagine that these lights are meant to replicate moonlight for marine aquariums. But I also noticed that the add mentions using these lights helps in fully replicating a natural environment and encourages "spawning." So, would such lights be beneficial in breeding pdf's? Has anyone ever tried using lunar lights with their frogs? I would love to hear of anyone's experiences with such lights. I found these lights at http://www.thatpetplace.com under: fish supplies>lights


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## elmoisfive (Dec 31, 2004)

Since PDFs are diurnal and usually hide away during the night, I wonder if those lights would have any effect. It's an interesting question though.

I have used a 'moonlight' with our RETF but that was for viewing convenience while they were active during the night.

Bill


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## DartMan (Nov 29, 2005)

cbreon,

Funnie you should post on this. I just bought the exact same light at "That Fish Place" this past weekend for my son's Christmas gift. Oh yeh, I have one on my list as well. So, Poopie if you're looking through these posts here's a hint! :wink: 

Anyways, I can't speak whether it will enourage breeding or not, but I will say it is built well. It's not a piece of junk. The CF bulb is independently wired from the Lunar light, so that they can be turned on/off separately and on two different timers if you care to do that. The smallest I saw available was 12-inches long and is 18 watts. They go up from there to VERY large fixtures.

Hope this helps a bit.


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## NCSUdart (Oct 1, 2004)

they are really nice if you keep nocturnal gecko species like i used to keep.


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## josh raysin (Nov 28, 2005)

i dont know how these lunar lights would affect pdfs but they are commonly used to encouraging corals to grow and spawn in aquariums. anyway i have a ODYSSEA and it a piece of crap. i ordered it from aquatraders.com. the legs didnt fit, the fans make loud noises for the first 10-15 mins when i turn it on and the switch broke, like into small pieces from normal use after only 8 months. if you descide to get one, go with the coralife, its a quality product. later josh


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## Guest (Dec 20, 2005)

I run a petstore called Aquatic Habitats in southeast Texas. I think the question about the lunar lights has already been answered, however I would just like to say the Odyssea lights are indeed a piece of crap. The Coralife Aqualight brand powercompacts are a much better light system for anything be it corals, live plants, or pdfs.

casper


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## Mr. elder (Jan 29, 2011)

just the fact that they can hunt for couple more min and more natural light change ,then just turning off one light.it should be a little more relaxing for the frog and nicer looking (at night). to simulate breeding you would need to have it on a lunar cycle, strong during full moon , weak when not. I sure these would produce some sort of positive for breeding.these is good cheap experiment.


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## boombotty (Oct 12, 2005)

I have the Fishbowl Inovations moon controller. It is really cool, as you set it to the lunar cycle and it dims and brightens with the cycle. Totally unneccessary and doesn't do anything for the frogs, but cool none the less.


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## Pumilo (Sep 4, 2010)

It would be hard to imagine some of my frogs breeding any better than they already are. I don't use any type of moonlights. 
My comment on Coralife after more than 10 years farming thousands of corals. I don't have a comment on the fixtures themselves. The coralife bulbs, however, are amongst the absolute worst on the market. The K ratings are off. Some of their 10K bulbs are absolutely blue and obviously closer to 20K. In testing, their PAR (photosynthetically active radiation) is some of the weakest in the business. They are so much weaker than other bulbs you can see the difference for yourself in a side by side comparison with just about any other similar K rating bulb in the business.


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## eclipsepilot (Mar 15, 2009)

Checkout DrsFosterSmith.com they have a great selection of lunar lights at a good price. I have used them for years for fish supplies. Great prices


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## jeosbo01 (Mar 1, 2004)

I use simulated moonlight for my clownfish and it most certainly makes a difference with their breeding...but I doubt it would make much difference with dart frogs. My thought is that the clownfish, while diurnal, are a lot more out in the open and are a lot more likely to be exposed to moonlight, while most of our dart frogs live in dense jungles, which are on the dark side in the middle of the day and are likely completely dark at night. I have never been to the native habitat of any dart frogs so this is just speculation but I have spent time in the woods, day and night, and I can tell you that the relatively thin forests around here are still startlingly dark at night, regardless of the moon cycle.


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## GRIMM (Jan 18, 2010)

Oldest....Thread....Ever 

lol


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## jeosbo01 (Mar 1, 2004)

GRIMM said:


> Oldest....Thread....Ever
> 
> lol


Didn't even notice!!!


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## leuc11 (Nov 1, 2010)

2005 wow do I need to check dates more regularly


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## mattolsen (Feb 26, 2009)

This is hypothetical but logically I'm not sure if it would have any effect on breeding, although it may. 

All animals whether diurnal or nocturnal are a lot more in tune with their environment than we are today. I keep my light cycles close to 12/12 as it would be closer to the equator. However, moon cycles create varying degrees of gravitational pull on Earth and are hypothesized to have influence on animal behavior. Although, those lights would only provide the light sensation of the moon cycle it may have some effect. And to the person who mentioned that darts are diurnal and it wouldn't matter I would ask why do my darts call at night quite a bit? They obviously are somewhat active at night. I sometimes find my frogs calling more frequently when I have my desk lamp on at night but I don't know that is the cause for more calling. Overall, I believe that light cycle, temperature, abundance of resources, and proper health are the largest factors in breeding however overlooked variables like barometric pressure changes, gravitational pull, and moon cycle might have some effect. This would be an interesting study. Maybe I'll start logging these variables in excel and see if there seems to be any correlation. Interesting subject nonetheless.


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## jeosbo01 (Mar 1, 2004)

mattolsen said:


> And to the person who mentioned that darts are diurnal and it wouldn't matter I would ask why do my darts call at night quite a bit? They obviously are somewhat active at night. I sometimes find my frogs calling more frequently when I have my desk lamp on at night but I don't know that is the cause for more calling.


This is actually really interesting to me. I have talked to several people who have made similar observations, darts calling after lights out. Think I'll start another thread on it looking for more info.


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