red leds

[simple]

Since i would like to watch my octopus at night, and i rather not use blue leds, and red leds don't allow you to see as well, i was wondering if it would be ok to put red leds on the hood thats on the tank but to also have a strip around the bottom of the tank so i can get better visibility. I wouldnt place it on the inside since im sure the octopus will make a toy out of it, but instead line the outside with the lights facing in towards the tank? would this bother the octo? and will all the light just be reflected off since itll be on the outside of tank?
Any suggestions would help, thanks,

 

[Nancy]

Have a look at what dwhatley did with red lights for her mercatoris. I think she used a small bulb in a red Folger's coffee can (must be plastic) - anyway, you can have more light without using LEDs, but it would be OK to have red LEDs outside the tank.

Nancy

 

[Paradox]

Theres tons of options for red led strips on ebay for cheap!

 

[DWhatley]

The Folgers "cans" are plastic but I only used one as a light until I devised something a lot more attractive . On my 15 gallon I use an outdoor flourex bulb (50 watts) with red high temp (although the flourex does not get hot), low fade red film (several layers). It provides great lighting for visibility (lousy for photography) and does not seem to bother my Mercs at all.

On the larger tank, I have a 24 LED dome light but the strips Paradox mentions might be easier to work with using a standard lid.

 

[Bigpapa]

I just got some clear red gift wrap and covered the plexiglass that the light shines through. It seems to be working fine for me and is a cheap way to go.

 

[Animal Mother]

Kind of a pricey option Petco: Pet Supplies, Pet Food, & Pet Products

 

[simple]

i might try the gift wrap idea, but during the day do you switch the top on it or something, because wouldnt they need regular light during the day and red light just at night?

 

[Animal Mother]

They don't need any light at all. It's pretty much a matter of your own personal preference. You only need the red lights if you get a nocturnal octopus, and if you get a nocturnal octopus, you aren't going to need any day lighting anyway.