Duct tape on a lightbulb??

[mushroomsoup]

How about installing a dimmer switch, then you can have the light at any brightness level you wanted.

my thoughts exactly if your working with an incandescent but to my knowledge you cant use dimmers on flouro's (please correct me if I'm wrong).

for flouros you can get different kinds of bulbs with different wattages or a different 'type' or light output i.e. cool, warm, daylight etc. probably the easiest to just buy another flouro tube if you want a light that isnt as bright.

 

[JakeH]

I like the floating plants idea... You could also put rings of black construction paper around the lamp tube to break it up. You could even slide them around to change up the pattern... Heat wont be an issue if you have flourescents. You could also experiment with spray painting the reflector. Just random light black splotches could change the reflected light pattern alot without dimming it too much.

 

[mfgl]

tin foil is cheap, cant burn, no adhesive burn off to inhale, or get sucked into your airpump or powerhead air intake, and is pretty easy to shape just right....and its not permanent.

 

[Plec123]

While I agree it would work...

My hesitation to use spray paint would be if you goof up and put too much on, it's a paint to scrape it clean and start over... as scraping just a little off would be exceptionally difficult...

not to mention the huge problem there would be if the bulb broke.

 

[Toby_H]

If you have a typical situation… glass tops for the tank… fluorescent bulbs with some sort of ‘shield’ covering them…

Then if you set tinfoil, or any other nontransparent material, on the glass between the bulb and the glass… when viewing the tank you will clearly see a dark spot on the ‘ceiling’…

While the overall lighting of the tank will be dimmed… you will have clearly dark areas and clearly bright areas in the top half of the tank.

Using a thin piece of cloth will allow light to penetrate it, but not nearly as bright. Therefore your lighting will be far more consistent than with the above described approach. If you want it dimmed more, add another layer… if you want a colored affect, use colored cloth. If you don’t want a colored affect, use white cloth.

As for the concern of starting a fire, while this is a very logical concern, go touch your fluorescent bulb… just do it… for real…

While it is warmer than your skin, it’s not any where’s near hot enough to cause a fire.

If it makes you feel any better, yes I’ve used T-shirt material to dim a light before, no fires… I also tried using other nontransparent materials and found the inconsistent blockage and dark spot visible at the top to be undesirable.

 

[greenterra]

not to mention the huge problem there would be if the bulb broke.

Care to elaborate on that one? In the mean time I'll assume you mean if you break the bulb while scrapping it as nc suggested to remove the paint. First as previously suggested, use a solvent to remove the paint such as thinners, acetone or even nail polish which most households will have. As it is only a light coat it will wipe off with ease. Do not go scraping the bulb especially with something metal or hard.

As for the material under the light. Whilst it may have worked for you nc, personally I would never do it. I agree the risk would be very slim of the material ever catching on fire from a fluro but it is still a risk none the less and not one I would wish to take with my home but hey, each to their own.

 

[isa.alhadad]

Careful when playing around with your light. I used a bulb once to illuminate my tank. One of those that get really hot. I clipped the light by the side of my tank. My aro jumped and smacked it right in and the bulb literally exploded in the tank.

I was amazed my aro was still swimming like nothing happened while there was a live wire(from where the bulb connects) dipped right into the tank. Thank god I didnt put my hand in to test it out. I would have probably barbequed myself.

I cant seem to place how this post is relevant to the topic though.

 

[greenterra]

lol...that should read nail polish remover in my above thread