The Trick to Getting That Perfect Shimmer With LEDs

[hydra]

Maybe this is no secret, but I just figured it out and thought I'd share.
When I finally upgraded to LEDs, I bought a 24" fixture with about 80 diodes, expecting that nice LED shimmer.
The light was great, but the shimmer was disappointing. I also needed it to be a little brighter to grow some tricky plants, so I tried again.
This time I went in another direction. I bought a big 100 watt outdoor floodlight with just one, single, big, honkin', rip-snortin' LED.
The light may have the DEA wondering what I'm growing up in here, but the shimmer is glorious. It looks like a snorkling video and it will zonk your butt OUT. Zzzzzzzz
It didn't take long to figure out what was happening.
Every diode is a source of light, each one hitting the water from a slightly different angle, each one having it's own set of shimmers.
All those different sets of shimmers overlap and wash each other out.
One diode - one clear set of shimmers.
Like the sun.
So if you're after that strong hypnotic sparkle that you see in the pool on a sunny day, just get one big, mean, butt-kickin' LED.
It's even reflecting all over my ceiling.
No more operating heavy machinery in my livingroom.

[ROB281]

any video of the shimmer by any chance?

[LordBarron7692]

For real. LOL.

[mistahoo]

For even more shimmer, create surface agitation. Powerheads aimed at the surface.

[hydra]

I'll try to get a video tonight, but be warned. My camera sucks at night shots, and I'm still in the process of getting this tank set up, so it looks like crap on a stick. I'm fighting diatoms at the moment, (AKA brown hair algae) a common new tank issue.
And I haven't figured out how I'm going to hang the light yet. It's just resting on a board for now. :P

[ptran]

[hydra]

LOL
I got kinda busy.
I will get video ASAP, I promise. :P

[BiGPiNK]

Like mistahoo said...A quicker way to get better shimmer is just raise the lights and make sure you have a lot of movement on the surface. If you do this, you can even get shimmer from t5's

Sent from my SGH-T889 using Tapatalk

[hydra]

Like mistahoo said...A quicker way to get better shimmer is just raise the lights and make sure you have a lot of movement on the surface. If you do this, you can even get shimmer from t5's

Sent from my SGH-T889 using Tapatalk

Exactly.
Because the farther away from the surface you hang your lights, the more it makes several diodes appear and behave more like one.
Raising your lights brings your shimmer more into focus, just like adjusting a manual camera lens, but that wasn't an option for me.
When you raise the lights without a hood, as in my case, 100w of blinding white light begins to spill out about the room, searing everbody's retinas like an Ahi tuna steak.
It also diminishes the amount of light that reaches the bottom of the tank.
I don't think it diminishes enough for the human eye to notice, but most sources say your plants will.
So if you have a hood and no plants, raising the fixture works almost as well.