Finnex Stingray

[Eyeless Potato]

I bought a 20" Finnex Stingray (1 - without the moonlight feature) for a standard ten gallon tank.  Holy Moly, the light is intense.  I think it is actually too bright for the fish, as they all immediately cowered in shadows of plants and rocks.

As a temporary fix, I placed tissue paper on the glass to diffuse and block some of the light.  I don't anticipate this will work long term, as tissue paper and water will likely just cause a mess.

So the questions are: (1) Will the fish eventually become accustomed to the more intense light, or (2) Anyone know where I can find an opaque piece of plastic that I can cut to size as a more permanent solution?

Thanks!

[MickS77]

First that comes to mind is privacy window films. 

[Sleepy]

They might just be spooked from the change but also a quick cheap fix you could just put some electrical tape over some of the led's

[Paul]

Try frosted glass or plastic as a diffuser.

[Ryan W]

Instead of putting the tissue paper on the tank lid, attach it directly to the Stingray. It WILL NOT get hot enough to cause concerns. I’d just scotch tape the tissue paper directly over the Stingrays splash shield. You could even just cover a few sections of the splash shield to cut down a little less light if full coverage proves to diminish too much light.

 You could also use wax paper to diffuse some light or some window screen. You could also use in an inline dimmer from Amazon for like $5-$15. You’d have to cut your cord to splice on the dimmer but people have been doing dimmer mods to Stingray lights since they came out. It’s very simple to do but I understand not wanting to hack apart your cord but a dimmer wood be your best solution. Another thing you could do is (if you can) physically raise the entire fixture farther away from the waters surface. My favorite part about Stingrays is the flush-mount they include (or use to, I haven’t bought a stingray in years). Another thing you could try if you really wanted to would be to take out the splash guard and clear coat it with a matte clear coat. The matte finish will diffuse the light. I don’t suggest that unless you’re really ambitious because it’s a permanent mod that if you screw up you need to replace the splash guard. If that happens, the splash guard seems to only be either 1/32 or 1/16 plexiglass/lexan (I’m not 100% sure on the thickness). Most home improvement stores (Lowe’s, Home Depot, Menards, etc,.) should carry plexiglass in several thicknesses. Use the old splash guard as a template, trace it on the new sheet, use a razor knife to cut out new splash guard. Plexiglass comes with a protective film over both sides, it usually comes in blue or a foggy matte clear. If it’s foggy matte clear, remove it from one side only. THAT will be your light diffusion. If it’s another color, remove both sides and take a very fine grit sandpaper (1000+) and evenly scuff the entirety of one side. The scuffs will diffuse the light.

Although the Stingray isn’t a very powerful light, it does produce good lighting for what it is. In my experience, over time your fish should become accustomed to the brighter light. Some species do tend to be a little “gun-shy” when the tank goes from dark to high-noon bright in a split second but in my experience, most species get use to it. It’s like someone coming up from behind and scaring you. The first handful of times they get you every time but after a week or so, you start to anticipate it so when it happens it’s not such a sudden shock anymore. Again, that depends on species and what’s in the tank that provides natural shadows and hiding spots (overhangs, caves, dense plants, etc,.). 
 

In all honesty, I’d be more concerned with new algae growth due to the brighter light. If you can’t get the light “dimmed” within a reasonable time, I’d consider reducing your photoperiod (how long the light is on) by a few hours for a few weeks and slowly lengthen the photoperiod over those few weeks until your tank is back up to the brightness you want.

 

TL;DR........ So, there are several different methods of diffusing excess light. The method you choose is up to your abilities, confidence, motivation, and the tools at your disposal. It can be an easy task or an involved project. Personally, I’d just tape the tissue paper to the fixture and add/takeaway layers until the brightness level is where I want it. If I wanted a permanent solution, I’d just make a new matte splash guard. In my experience, the Stingray shouldn’t really need diffusion unless it’s on a very shallow tank and as long as your fish have a spot to hide for a second or two they should get use to the difference in brightness in a few weeks. I also experience fish becoming startled when lights suddenly turn off too so this may be something we think is “bad” but it really isn’t. That’s why I prefer to use controllable LED’s and ramp up/down the lighting so it’s not such sudden a shock.

[Eyeless Potato]

5 hours ago, Ryan W said:

Instead of putting the tissue paper on the tank lid, attach it directly to the Stingray. It WILL NOT get hot enough to cause concerns. I’d just scotch tape the tissue paper directly over the Stingrays splash shield. You could even just cover a few sections of the splash shield to cut down a little less light if full coverage proves to diminish too much light.

 You could also use wax paper to diffuse some light or some window screen. You could also use in an inline dimmer from Amazon for like $5-$15. You’d have to cut your cord to splice on the dimmer but people have been doing dimmer mods to Stingray lights since they came out. It’s very simple to do but I understand not wanting to hack apart your cord but a dimmer wood be your best solution. Another thing you could do is (if you can) physically raise the entire fixture farther away from the waters surface. My favorite part about Stingrays is the flush-mount they include (or use to, I haven’t bought a stingray in years). Another thing you could try if you really wanted to would be to take out the splash guard and clear coat it with a matte clear coat. The matte finish will diffuse the light. I don’t suggest that unless you’re really ambitious because it’s a permanent mod that if you screw up you need to replace the splash guard. If that happens, the splash guard seems to only be either 1/32 or 1/16 plexiglass/lexan (I’m not 100% sure on the thickness). Most home improvement stores (Lowe’s, Home Depot, Menards, etc,.) should carry plexiglass in several thicknesses. Use the old splash guard as a template, trace it on the new sheet, use a razor knife to cut out new splash guard. Plexiglass comes with a protective film over both sides, it usually comes in blue or a foggy matte clear. If it’s foggy matte clear, remove it from one side only. THAT will be your light diffusion. If it’s another color, remove both sides and take a very fine grit sandpaper (1000+) and evenly scuff the entirety of one side. The scuffs will diffuse the light.

Although the Stingray isn’t a very powerful light, it does produce good lighting for what it is. In my experience, over time your fish should become accustomed to the brighter light. Some species do tend to be a little “gun-shy” when the tank goes from dark to high-noon bright in a split second but in my experience, most species get use to it. It’s like someone coming up from behind and scaring you. The first handful of times they get you every time but after a week or so, you start to anticipate it so when it happens it’s not such a sudden shock anymore. Again, that depends on species and what’s in the tank that provides natural shadows and hiding spots (overhangs, caves, dense plants, etc,.). 
 

In all honesty, I’d be more concerned with new algae growth due to the brighter light. If you can’t get the light “dimmed” within a reasonable time, I’d consider reducing your photoperiod (how long the light is on) by a few hours for a few weeks and slowly lengthen the photoperiod over those few weeks until your tank is back up to the brightness you want.

 

TL;DR........ So, there are several different methods of diffusing excess light. The method you choose is up to your abilities, confidence, motivation, and the tools at your disposal. It can be an easy task or an involved project. Personally, I’d just tape the tissue paper to the fixture and add/takeaway layers until the brightness level is where I want it. If I wanted a permanent solution, I’d just make a new matte splash guard. In my experience, the Stingray shouldn’t really need diffusion unless it’s on a very shallow tank and as long as your fish have a spot to hide for a second or two they should get use to the difference in brightness in a few weeks. I also experience fish becoming startled when lights suddenly turn off too so this may be something we think is “bad” but it really isn’t. That’s why I prefer to use controllable LED’s and ramp up/down the lighting so it’s not such sudden a shock.

Thanks for the advice.  I will probably keep with the tissue paper and slowly remove bits of it to raise the brightness over time to give the tank and fish time to adjust.