Underwater lights

[JenH]

Thanks for all the answers. I guess I'm just gonna have to try a couple options and see what I like better. There's just something about the ambiance that underwater lights create. But, I do really want to see my fish and don't want the water to look too bad. But also when I tried the HD lights out it was in a little preform half full with 22 goldfish in it (holding) So while the water looked pretty good in there during the day, I imagine my new pond will look (and already does) much better then that did anyway.

 

[herzausstahl]

Sissy I believe the ones Michael has are LED, at least the underwater ones I get would be. I was more looking at low voltage around the pond for Jen if she wanted the brighter look, but I do believe they make low voltage LED lights as well for landscape lighting. For me it depends on the area where I want to use them, sometimes I like the warmer (color wise, but guess also temp wise comes with them ) look for how it affects the area around it, but obviously to each their own. I will probably employ both kinds at some point. LOL Yeah the batteries are expensive as my mom found out last year when she had to replace a set for a bigger solar light she had, but the tiny solars I have were about $1 a piece when i bought them so I have extras, guessing the cost of replacement batteries would be more than that. I've been wondering if you can use any rechargeable battery or if they have to be made just for solar lights? Thanks for the pics Michael, your pond and patio area looks awesome. Jen I would say give the underwater LED's another try in the pond you want to use them in and see if they look better, guessing the preform was probably not the best place to test them out. Good luck! Looking forward to seeing pics of the new pond.

 

[brokensword]

Thanks for the kudos, Nathan.

And you're right; there are low voltage garden lights, but I'd suggest using the LED solars which CAN use any rechargeable battery (mine use AA)and be done with wires. These lites I'm using can be in or out of water, so one can also go the above route too. I use the rechargeable solars for above water/garden effect and the underwater LEDs for water effect. I'm not trying to light up the whole pond to see fish, though, I'm using the lights for effect. When the fish swim through the light, it's a ghostly effect and just adds to the overall ambiance. Looked much better when all the plants were mature, and I'll post more pics prob about midsummer, just to show that 'look'.

Jen; really should look into the LEDs as Nathan suggests; best use of power consumption (and therefore cost) as well as inexpensive ($10 a unit, compared to approx $3-4 for battery/garden units) and the light is fairly bright. I have to tilt my underwater ones down so as not to 'blind' viewers looking into the pond. The waterfall (blue portion in the pics) is lit up by 3 of the units, all facing one tier of the falls each, and is quite vivid, imo. Also, any light is going to show floating particulates, if you have them, so best to create the clear water if you want nothing but fish and light to be on display. What I especially liked is when the plants are mature, their undersides is lit up and interesting patterns emerge.


Michael

 

[HARO]

Country; I can tell you exactly where your lights are. They will be in the last place you look!!! :lamp5:
John

 

[CountryEscape]

I'm so glad you told me that, John, because I found them! Woohoo!!! It was in the FIRST place I looked, but obviously not very well, and the last place I looked. LOL They are now under my waterfall but I think I will maybe add the color lenses to them and put them up in the waterfall, rather than under the waterfall in the pond. I really like how you did yours with blue lights in the waterfall, Michael, so may "steal" your idea as well!

 

[sissy]

I have LED's going down both sides of my driveway so you can see at night where to drive easier .i love them and only 5.87 cents for electric use on them last year and they last longer and are brighter than the low voltage .I have had mine on the driveway for over 6 years now and not a problem yet .

 

[brokensword]

Country;

sounds like grand larceny to me...hmm, wonder if JW has THIS gif...

 

[brokensword]

or this one...

 

[CountryEscape]

Haha, send them after me ... they have to catch me first though. LOL I drive a Charger. And, I never take the time to put up cute little animated things like JW (and you, Brokensword), but it would be me racing ahead of the cops! BTW, I work in the same building with the State Police, so I drive on the straight and narrow .... most of the time.

 

[sissy]

SURE CE AND WE BELIEVE YOU 100% believe you lol

 

[JenH]

The blue lights under your waterfall are very pretty, Brokensword. The solar led lights in the stores don't seem to be very bright at all, at least not the $3-4 ones, but maybe there really is a big difference outside at night, then me trying to find a dark spot in the store to "test" them in, LOL! As for the underwater ones, is it better to put those on the floor of the pond and direct the light up or better to put them near the surface and direct the light down or horizontal across the surface?

 

[brokensword]

Jen;

It sort of depends on the effect you want; I WAS going for a 'light up the upper third of the pond' look by placing lights on both sides, aimed at each other (my pond is roughly 6x18 across much of the length) but the 10 lights would not have permitted that, so I went for one side only and knew I at least wanted to 'light' up the falls. Putting the blue filters on was my wife's and son's idea as I probably would have been happy with the clear ones. This particular kit comes with 5 different colored filters for each light, so there's obviously other effects you can have. I tried the amber one, but thought the clear looked better. There's green, clear, amber, red, and blue. The blue was just an obvious choice (I guess) for the waterfall. Now, I don't think you'd get a lot of light if you place these on the bottom (unless you have a shaller pond; mine is 4'), pointing up. I have mine about 12-18" down, with some being near the surface as I tend to put them inside the potted plants. I liked the patterns that evolved when the plants were more mature last summer. But there's different effects to be had, that's for sure.

IMO, I like directing the lights slightly downward as they tended to 'shine' in the eyes as we sat around the pond at night. Had similar problems with the falls' lights before I covered them from view as their light was especially bright if you were sitting at the right angle. The ones on the falls are basically behind more fallen rock, and pointed at each tier's fall. Last summer, I only had two tiers lit and thought when I set them up this spring, I'd include 3 for a more dramatic effect.

I like lighting just like I like the ambiance a pond gives in general, that's why for my 'pondhouse', I'm stringing more LEDs at ceiling height and weaving them into fake ivy so they, perhaps, appear more like starlight. Thought about stringing lines across the whole celing area but thought the pond might suffer as it would be less of a focal point. I also have hanging rechargeable solar LEDs near pond-edge, in the garden part of the pond, and one haning LED windchime. So, as you can see, I like the lighting effects!

The good thing with these low power units is the LED bulbs that should last a very long time, and be low cost. So far, maintenance has just involved cleaning the filter as algae occurs (only did it once last fall as I put them in late last summer).


Michael

 

[CountryEscape]

I love outside lights, too, Michael. I have some butterflies, hummingbird and dragonflies on 3' tall "sticks" in the ground that are solar, changing colors. Also have 2 spotlights that are solar that I have directed toward the pond surface, to hopefully attract bugs for the frogs. I also have a frog and turtle that are solar, with glass beads on their backs covering the holes that light comes out of. I only have 3 lights in the pond so far, under the waterfall, but planning to move them into the falling water IN the waterfall. Would love to have more, but they are pretty expensive, keep waiting to find some on sale. I had to clean off my lenses a few times last summer, as I have probably more trouble with algae than most. But, it's worth it.

 

[brokensword]

Not sure I've ever seen them for less than about $9 - 10, and that from ebay. I suppose in time, they should come down, but if you can, go for it now and enjoy the effect longer. And it DOES seem like you and light go together like the sun and moon, hey? I imagine with all your lights, the neighbors complain about not being able to sleep with the curtains open???

heh

 

[CountryEscape]

Well, considering my closest neighbor and I have a field between us that is about 3 acres ... nope, no complaints. Not so much light from the solar lights, just pretty. And, if neighbors complained, I'd just laugh. heehee
I looked on Ebay last night and did find a set of 5 for about $57 including shipping, but less shipping if I got 2 sets, so it was about $10 per set. May order them, like you said, and enjoy them all year!