Why Does My Fish Light Look Dim?
Fish lights look dim in some waterways due to a combination of factors. The clarity of the water coupled with the power of the light bulb will determine how effective the light will be. If a weaker bulb is placed into murky water, the light will definitely be dim. If a stronger bulb is put into murky water, the light will work much better. For this reason, we carry two levels of lights. We have a 175-watt system and a 250-watt system. Our 175-watt Natural Green system is ideal for customers that have clear to moderately murky water at their dock. Our 250-watt Vibrant Green systems are for customers that have murky water. The Vibrant Green is a larger bulb that is designed to cut through murkier water and give those customers a satisfying color in their waterway.
Some customers notice that their bulbs get dim at certain times of the year. Our customers on the west coast of Florida experience this every summer. During the summer in Florida, it not only rains every day, but the Okeechobee river is also released and drains out through the rivers and canals that lead to the Gulf of Mexico. During this time, the water in the canals all around southwest Florida gets extremely dirty. In some areas, the water will go from rather clear, to almost coffee-colored. Because of this, customers will notice their lights becoming very dim. Once seeing this, some will think their bulbs are going bad or the system is malfunctioning. Fortunately, that is not the case, but sadly, there is no way to fix this issue with the water. Customers that purchased the Vibrant Green Series will most likely only notice a small difference, while those with the Natural Green Series will see a drastic change in their light. While this is quite inconvenient, there is no way to avoid the drainage that comes from the Okeechobee or the rain Florida experiences every summer. Most customers simply wait it out, and their light goes back to normal within a few weeks as the dark water drains out.
The important thing to remember is that whenever your light goes dim, it is not a fault within the bulb. If a bulb were to go bad or “burn out”, it will simply never turn back on. If you ever notice that your light has become dim, you have two options; wait for the water to clear back up, if you know it is due to weather, or upgrade your bulb by purchasing a larger, more powerful system.
