Reefs.org Forums

[Soultwater]

I had an idea of using fiber optics and using direct sunlight or at least moving the hot bulbs away from your tank and piping the light in with the fiber optics.
OK basic idea is to take let’s say a MH bulb and build a housing around it and plug fiber optics cord into the housing all around the MH bulb. The other end of the cables goes to your tank and light is piped in.

Only problem I see is fiber optic cable is probably very expensive.
Ideas like this keep me up at night

what do ya think?

[Louey]

I think it would work, but would be very expensive. Such products exists, but I don't recall anyone ever applying them to aquarium applications. Google "fiber optic lighting systems" or "fiber optic illuminators" for a start. Star-field ceilings are one such application. We installed one of them at a Ritz Carlton Spa once, about 10 years ago.

Please give it a go, post lots of pictures, and track all of your expenses in this thread.

Louey

[Soultwater]

I'm an aircraft Mechanic so we use fiber optics in our work, I got my first fiber optic taste about 20 years ago and immediately thought it would be nice for an aquarium.

[dupaboy1992]

People come up with this idea on and off in past few decades. There is some research in Greece for application in indoor lighting applications, for example. The issue with it is that you need to get rid of the IR radiation so that it won't damage the fiber optic. The Greek research, for example, IIRC, the use of either a cold mirror or a IR filter to protect the fiber. If you are not careful with this, you can burn down your house. It is kind of like a solar oven if you have it in sufficient scale.

Another related project that people had talked about is the use of solar tube for aquarium lighting. Much cheaper, less technical, but just barely bright enough for indoor lighting.