i need help fast before petsmart closes on moonlight!

isadoraisacat · Post by **isadoraisacat** » Wed Aug 17, 2016 6:53 pm

hey guys i have a glass top on my tank, but i want some kind of moonlight so i can watch my guys at night with out bothering them
currently after dark i have no clue whats going on. any suggestions on what i could use thats not crazy expensive that wont crack my glass lid?

edit: i should mention again im not looking for heat just night viewing. can i possibly buy a certain kind of bulb to put in a normal lamp i keep beside the tank to just turn on to view than turn off? if so what kind of bulb do i need and where do i get it?

Crabinski · Post by **Crabinski** » Wed Aug 17, 2016 7:09 pm

Yep! You can get a "moonlight" bulb to use in a regular lamp to shine onto the crabitat. A gooseneck desk or floor lamp is ideal as it can be easily adjusted to shine over the tank or through the side. PetSmart and Petco carry these bulbs in a variety of wattages: just buy the wattage for your particular lamp. Be sure to get the moonlight bulb and not the blue daytime bulb. Here's a link to one of the bulbs at PetSmart: http://www.petsmart.com/reptile/heating ... %3Dfaceted

YouTube · Post by **GotButterflies** » Wed Aug 17, 2016 7:15 pm

Please be careful- certain light fixtures can crack your glass lid if you set it directly on top of it.

isadoraisacat · Post by **isadoraisacat** » Wed Aug 17, 2016 9:02 pm

No i only intend on putting it in my lamp on the tabel.beside the tank

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MrTeacherDude · Post by **MrTeacherDude** » Wed Aug 17, 2016 11:46 pm

I made the mistake of putting a moonlight bulb in a metal clamp lamp directly on my glass lid. I was just adding their food into the crabitat and didn't think 3 minutes would hurt anything! Yeah...right...

YouTube · Post by **GotButterflies** » Thu Aug 18, 2016 11:04 am

I have put a light on my glass lid on my fish tank before and it cracked, so I was speaking from experience- it was not fun! Luckily it only cracked and didn't fall into my water!

How did the moonlight bulb turn out? Did you take any pictures?

Brian_T · Post by **Brian_T** » Thu Aug 18, 2016 3:49 pm

For night viewing I just use a small LED flashlight that has a "nightvision" mode, which is a single red LED. The red LED uses hardly any power and the batteries last forever.

I plan on attaching an LED light strip eventually.

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isadoraisacat · Post by **isadoraisacat** » Thu Aug 18, 2016 10:38 pm

Brian_T wrote:For night viewing I just use a small LED flashlight that has a "nightvision" mode, which is a single red LED. The red LED uses hardly any power and the batteries last forever.

I plan on attaching an LED light strip eventually.

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can you recommend a light strip?

Brian_T · Post by **Brian_T** » Fri Aug 19, 2016 12:40 pm

isadoraisacat wrote:

can you recommend a light strip?

Sorry I haven't really done much research on it yet, but this one on ebay looks interesting:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Remote-Control- ... 2040747920

It's a little overkill with all the various light-flashing modes on the remote (unless you are planning a crab disco), but the price is good. I would just spin the suction cups around and mount it on the outside of the glass lid.

I actually plan on buying the components separately and customizing something. I have some other home projects that are taking precedent, but I'll post something in the DIY forum if I ever get around to it.

isadoraisacat · Post by **isadoraisacat** » Mon Aug 22, 2016 6:00 pm

Crabinski wrote:Yep! You can get a "moonlight" bulb to use in a regular lamp to shine onto the crabitat. A gooseneck desk or floor lamp is ideal as it can be easily adjusted to shine over the tank or through the side. PetSmart and Petco carry these bulbs in a variety of wattages: just buy the wattage for your particular lamp. Be sure to get the moonlight bulb and not the blue daytime bulb. Here's a link to one of the bulbs at PetSmart: http://www.petsmart.com/reptile/heating ... %3Dfaceted

I picked up the moonlight and got a small goose neck desk lamp which will shine the light on the side of the tank excited to test it out tonight

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MrTeacherDude · Post by **MrTeacherDude** » Mon Aug 22, 2016 6:20 pm

I haven't decided if I want to shine my moon glow bulb through the side glass (used in a clamp lamp on my supplies cart) or just leave it on top like it is. I'm afraid that if I use it on the side, it may crack the glass if it gets too hot. So for now, it sits on my lid and my other day bulb is in the clamp lamp. You think the moon glow bulb will be too hot from the side of the tank? (It would be a good 6" from the glass...)

isadoraisacat · Post by **isadoraisacat** » Mon Aug 22, 2016 7:46 pm

I have mine i just got 6 inches away and it did bring up the temps by a degree. I may move it farther away I'm using a goose neck desk lamp and its a 25 watt bulb
Hopefully it doesn't crack the glass i really only needed it for viewing not hear

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isadoraisacat · Post by **isadoraisacat** » Mon Aug 22, 2016 7:46 pm

*heat

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HCA: Hermit Crab Association