[coral reefer]

Originally Posted by geekdafied

Its the lights. They are causing you see things you never saw before. All of the DOM particles etc floating through your system. Its how you get the "shimmer" effect. If the water was absolutley crystal clear, you wouldnt get the shimmer effect because there would be nothing for the light to pass through. If you shine a light through RO/DI water, you dont get the "shimmer" effect because the water is crystal clear.

I think I know what geekdafied is trying to say. However, the shimmer effect resulting from the halide lighting is not due to DOM suspended in the pelagic area of our tanks. The shimmer is caused by the angle by which the light from the sun or our artificial lights refracts or becomes absorbed by the water movement on top of our tank. A good example of this is a diamond and the way it sparkles as the light hits it from different angles!
The shimmering lines are a result of very short and quick lighting intensity fluxuations that pierce the water like a magnifying glass. Variables such as turbidity, DOM and the like will alter and inhibit this light by refracting it of the suspended material and back up to the outside of the tank. This reduces the PAR that is available for our corals...That is the only thing that this turbidity and excess DOM does as far as lighting is concerned...it doesn't have any effect on the shimmering effect of light on the water IMO!