Dive lamp project for underwater bio-fluorescence

[LarsB]

nice video.

Thanks!

450nm seems to work better.

It does indeed.

I'm assuming you used a yellow filter to block the blue light.

Correct!

with my UV lamp, I could only see the green fluorescence. You seem to get blue and red as well. Is this visible with the eye or only on camera?

Both, as long as you use a yellow mask filter.

I think I'll change my light to use blue leds instead of UV...

You should!
Some corals do not even fluoresce with UV, but they do with blue light!
UV LEDs are also 10x less efficient (less luminous flux) than blue LEDs but 10x as expensive.
As unnecessary as it may sound, but you'll also need a dichroic blue-pass filter for your torch with blue LEDs, in order to get the best results.
See http://www.firedivegear.com/science/excitationfilters/ to find out why.
See also http://www.firedivegear.com/science/barrierfilters/ for the right mask and camera filters.
Good luck!

 

[horstartur]

As LarsB already mentioned UV is not the best choice. I use as the first since 2007 blue LEDs with excellent result. With UV you get mainly green and green/yellow only. Have a look on my newest development on my WEB-page > http://www.uni-due.de/zoophysiologie/ Regards

Horst

 

[darkavenger]

Has anyone tried this in southern California? We don't have coral here(mostly anyway) so would there be anything interesting to see?

 

[horstartur]

Hi darkvenger, several fishes show fluorescence. If you have lizard fishes there, they show nice yellow/green fluorescence. But also some crabs. Even Lion show some blue spots on their fins. You could have a look on my YouTube movies. > http://www.uni-due.de/zoophysiologie/

 

[horstartur]

Hi gcbryan, bioluminescence is a different story. Certain animals show the phenomena on the basis of luciferin/luciferase. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bioluminescence Fluorescence needs energy (light of torches) from the outside. So it would be not realistic to use fluorescence on bioluminesce active animals, for example on fireflies.
Hi Linger, I have now constructed a better and easier to handle filter system for the mask. I like to repeat it > the best results you will get with blue LEDs (450 nm) with dichromatic excitation filter and a yellow barrier filter on the mask. This combination I use with my HighTech fluorescence torches since 2007. The new mask filter you can see with picture on my WEB-page > http://www.uni-due.de/zoophysiologie/

 

[Grunsven]

I build a set myself. But tried to do it cheaply.
I used this flashlight http://dx.com/p/cree-6500k-100lm-ipx8-1-led-diving-flashlight-4-x-aa-112889 (8 euro)
changed the resistor and added a FET (otherwise you kill the reed) (cheap stuff).
As the LED is on a star it is easily replaced with a royal blue XP-E on a star (about 6 euro).
This resulted in a 3 watt royal bleu divelight for less than 20 euro.

Off course you need a filter with this. LEE makes these, a 500 nm long pass filter (Oklahoma yellow) is 5 euros for 120 by 50 centimeters.
I used dust goggels (5 euro), cut off the "skirt" and now I can place it over my mask.
So the total set is about 30 euro.

Tried it last year on the Great Barrier reef and works great.
It is not as good as the stuff Horst uses off course but for me it is just a toy.

 

[LarsB]

BTW, everything you ever wanted to know about underwater fluorescence explained:

On The Rise: Fluorescence Night Dives - Background, Basics and Techniques

See also FluoMedia.org: Science for more technical and practical information and FluoPedia.org: Publications for more articles.

 

[scubaGimp]

Just learning about this now...

Wondering if you came across a source for LEDs that peaked at 455nm.

I'm looking to have a HOG Morph 1000 Backup modified to fluro, but wanting 455mn instead of true UV (395nm).

In theory, it would be a 1000lumen (if you even measure fluro in lumens?), so the output would be decent for the size of the light.

I have a few of the HOG lights and they're great dive lights. I imagine a UV / fluro version would be just as good.