Mollusk with coated shell
View Patent ↗Embodiments of the present invention relate to mollusk with fluorescent coatings. Also disclosed are aquarium kits comprising a tank, mollusk and an excitation light source.
1. A mollusk comprising:
a body;
an external shell; and
a fluorescent coating applied to the external shell, wherein:
the coating is configured to fluoresce light when subjected to an excitation light;
the relative brightness of the coating is determined by the difference in the intensity of the fluorescent light from the coating and the intensity of the excitation light; and
the coating is configured to produce at least 25 percent of the maximum relative brightness of the coating when subjected to a light having a wavelength in a specific range.
2. The mollusk of claim 1 wherein the coating is configured to produce at least 40 percent of the maximum the relative brightness of the coating when subjected to a light having a wavelength in a specific range.
3. The mollusk of claim 1 wherein the coating is configured to produce at least 50 percent of the maximum the relative brightness of the coating when subjected to a light having a wavelength in a specific range.
4. The mollusk of claim 1 wherein the coating is configured to produce at least 75 percent of the maximum the relative brightness of the coating when subjected to a light having a wavelength in a specific range.
5. The mollusk of claim 1 wherein the specific range includes 380 nm to 450 nm.
6. The mollusk of claim 1 wherein the specific range includes 450 nm to 495 nm.
7. The mollusk of claim 1 wherein the specific range includes 495 nm to 570 nm.
8. The mollusk of claim 1 wherein the specific range includes 570 nm to 590 nm.
9. The mollusk of claim 1 wherein the specific range includes 590 nm to 620 nm.
10. The mollusk of claim 1 wherein the specific range includes 620 nm to 750 nm.
11. The mollusk of claim 1 wherein the midpoint of the specific range is approximately 460 nm.
12. The mollusk of claim 1 wherein the coating is a paint.
13. The mollusk of claim 1 wherein the coating is applied to the shell by brushing the coating onto the shell.
14. The mollusk of claim 1 wherein the coating is applied to the shell by spraying the coating onto the shell.
15. The mollusk of claim 1 wherein the coating is applied to the shell by dipping the shell into the coating.
16. The mollusk of claim 1 wherein the mollusk is a gastropod.
17. The mollusk of claim 13 wherein the gastropod is a snail.
18. An aquarium kit suitable for fluorescent ornamental mollusks comprising:
a tank;
a mollusk comprising a coating configured to fluoresce on an external shell; and
an excitation light source, wherein said excitation light source is mountable on said tank and said excitation light source is configured to produce excitation light at a first wavelength that causes the coating to fluoresce light upon exposure to said excitation light source.
19. The aquarium kit of claim 18 wherein:
the relative brightness of the coating is determined by the difference in the intensity of the fluorescent light from the coating and the intensity of the excitation light;
the coating and the excitation light source are configured to produce at least 75 percent of the maximum relative brightness of the coating.