Does anyone use moonlights? Are they just for aesthetic purposes or are they beneficial to our critters?
I think the jury's still out, but I'll bet if they're not on some sort of lunar timer, then they're just for aesthetics.
I have moonlights in my fixture. For the most part they seem to be aesthetics but it is nice not to have to use a flashlight when wanting to see something at night. They also give the shimmer effect like the MH do so it makes for a cool night light.
I'd leave the true meaning to scubadog, but IMO, if we think about the real ocean and the orbit of the moon around the earth and the tide on the reef it just make sense to have moon lights. Corals are light sensitive and most spawn at night during specific seasons and moon phases. I remember seeing a show on discover that Corals will span during full moon in the spring. Correct me if i am wrong. So the question is do you want the moon lights for show or do you want to mimic the seasons through the year to get your corals to reproduce? Yes i have moonlights in my fixture and have had spawning (milky white tank) which my skimmer cleared up. (cup full of white soup) Now I can't say that because I have moonlight I got the spawning b/c across the room from my tank was a tall window that let in natural moon light. Now I don't know if you want to call this good or bad. Most fish can see in the darkness of our aquariums at night. What happens if a crab or shrimp brushes up against a fish in the darkness? If it is startled it'll dart around possible hurting itself or ending up on the floor. Better yet if you have a evil hitchhiker darkness is it's friend. Moonlights give the good guys a chance to see what is coming, and allows you to see what is going on in the tank w/o being seen yourself.
