Coralife 48" Lunar Aqualite

Coralife Lunar Aqualite - Moonlight Mode

About a week ago I brought home a few items:  15 more pounds of live rock, 10 dwarf red hermit crabs, and a 48" Coralife Lunar Aqualite.

Rocks... Ok.  Crabs... doing their job & more on them later.  Light... AWESOME!

I wanted to get a couple items in preparation for the boys' first fish / first coral.  The light that came with the tank wasn't going to cut it, even with a 48" T12 Daylight bulb from Home Depot.  Honestly, I didn't even notice much of a difference in light quality between the bulb that came with the tank and the daylight bulb...  I think maybe the brown algae did, but I sure didn't.

Anyways, back to the light:

  

Here it is in all it's glory.  It's the "T5 H.O. Lunar" on this page.

Specs from the company:

Lunar Aqualight High Output T5 Fixtures include four high output lamps and directional LED moonlights making these fixtures a great choice for saltwater reef tanks. The directional  LEDs can be positioned to add a shimmering moonlight accent over a specific area in your tank or the LEDs can be set to provide a more even distribution of moonlight.

• 4 H.O. T5 Lamps Included 2 each 10,000K and Actinic

• Directional Moonlight LEDs

• Separate Power Cords for Daylight lamps, Actinic lamps, and Moonlight LEDs

• Quick disconnect ballasts and cooling fan

• Adjustable mounting brackets

• Powder Coated Aluminum Housing

• Acrylic Splash Guard

It has two switches on the back, one for the Actinic and one for the Daylight lamps.  The Moonlight LEDs simply have a cord coming from the fixture (no switch at the hood).  I grabbed three 3-pronged timers from Home Depot (one for each mode) and got everything set up.  Here's how I'm running them (as least for the moment):

• Moonlight mode comes on from 6am to 8am.
• At 8am, the Actinics are activated (plus the Moonlight).  I've set the timers up for a 1 hour "dawn" period.
• At 9am the Daylight bulbs kick in (plus the Actinic and Moonlight).  That runs until 8pm.  Then the daylight shut off.
• Actinics provide "dusk" for another hour between 8pm to 9pm.
• From 9pm to midnight, back to just Moonlight.

I work odd hours anywhere from 4am until 11pm.  I set the timers up this way so no matter when I'm working, I'll be able to enjoy the tank a majority of the time I'm home.

As I mentioned, the algae (even if it IS a nuisance algae) loves the light, and the mood the tank sets in the room is difficult to replicate.  It the center of attention when guests are over.  The light even seems to bring the tank more to life...  Every few moments, algae on the live rock will release a small bubble.  The fish are brighter and more vivid (Actinics really light up the blue in the Damsels and Moonlight accentuates their profiles, especially on translucent fins).

Daylight Mode (with Actinics and Moonlight also running)

Actinics (also with Moonlights)

Moonlight Mode