Strange lighting question

[Anonymous]

You know how sometimes in plays they have the stage completely blacked out and dark and there is one spotlight shining down on someone and you can actually see the cone of light?

Is it even possible to contain a bright light like that in a tank?

What I am looking at is a tank in a really dark corner where there is barely enough light to see to read, with the back, and sides of the tank painted black, black sand in the tank with dark rocks for the rockscape around the sides, and a single cone of light shining down in the center. Something where you could actually see the ring of light on the sand.

Am I dreaming? or will the water diffuse the light and make it light up the whole tank?

 

[Anonymous]

It's all about reflectors. Take a 150 watt HQI with a tight reflector (custom probably) and you can do it.

 

[Anonymous]

I was thinking it should be possible

Its a 2 gallon tank

I am going to have to start working on that, it should be fun

 

[Anonymous]

LOL!! Skip the HQI please!

You need an intense point source of light and a tight reflector (spotlight).

 

[Anonymous]

So I am thinking about trying some sort of a grow lightbulb with a homemade cylinder shaped reflector made our of thin aluminum

That should do it

I wonder how the wife will like this :lol:

 

[Anonymous]

This is what theaters use:
http://www.etcconnect.com/docs_download ... asheet.pdf

This is what I'd use for your tank.

http://www.allelectronics.com/cgi-bin/c ... type=store

solder this on for power:
http://www.allelectronics.com/cgi-bin/c ... ype=store#

I'd also add a small resistor just to be safe. if you added a potentiometer, you could dim it a little bit. (however, it's not the correct way to dim an LED)

I made a blue moonlight that's a single spotlight in my tank.

looks like this in the dark. Sorry for the blurry pic, but it's what I have on my pc right now. I'll take a pic of the 'fixure' tomorrow.

 

[Anonymous]

Dang, that is way cheaper than I thought, I could get like 5 or six of them and cluster them together really tightly and they would act like a single point light source

would I have to have a transformer for each you think?

Man, I am getting a bit excited now

 

[Anonymous]

if you need seperate control, go for it. but since most led's are around 20ma, a 100ma transformer would light 4 safely (with resistor) Search around and you should be able to get a little bit biger one (200 ma DCTX-320 is the one sittin on my desk from the same company) for the same price.

I also bought little led holders for $.15 or so each, and they come with 3 leds. I took out the leds, glued 2 holders side by side and stuck 3 leds back in. The led's that come with it are the small ones, and to get three big ones in place, you need to stagger them.

here's one white one I had sitting here (and a 3 v lihium battery for power.)

B

 

[Anonymous]

Don't ya just love it when you get the bug to start a totally different kind of tank?

 

[Anonymous]

actually, now that I have roommates, I'm not allowed.

DOH!

B