The importance of aquarium lighting

To keep your plants and fish healthy, proper lighting is essential – without the amount and type of lighting, life in your aquarium will have the opportunity to thrive. A home aquarium does not receive adequate light, in relation to what the fish are exposed in nature. Fish need about 12 hours of light, so it is advisable to set a timer for the lights to ensure consistency. Inadequate or unreliable amounts of light will highlight the fish.

Most basic aquariums come with lighting already installed, but you can also buy lights if you want something different. For a beginner aquarium lighting should be sufficient if it is fluorescent, however, this only applies to freshwater tanks. If you plan on setting up a saltwater aquarium, better lighting is a necessity.

Fluorescent lighting keeps fish healthy, and that most closely resembles natural light – and it makes your fish look better! Do not use incandescent lighting in an aquarium, as it emits very hot and has a tendency to heat the water, possibly causing damage to the fish. Fortunately, Incandescent bulbs are easily replaced by other fluorescent.

Aquarium fish only, use 3 watts of light per gallon of water in the tank. This amount of light perfectly algae control – nothing stronger and can see the green algae that forms. Remember to change the lights once every 8 months to maintain will light.

For aquariums with plants, lighting requirements are different. Unfortunately, many people make mistakes with lighting, making beautiful aquatic plants to wilt and die within a few weeks. But if you know how much of the lighting used to keep the plants alive, which will flourish, and remain vibrant and colorful. Install a tri-phosphor tube or full spectrum fluorescent bulb to supply the plants with the full spectrum of light they need to grow.

Despite the lighting used depends on the type of plants you have in your aquarium, a broad-spectrum light bulb covers the red, blue and green parts of the light spectrum should work for most configurations.

A fluorescent lamp should do the trick for saltwater tanks containing only fish, but if you go to add other elements to the mix, such as rocks, coral or live, everything changes. This type of aquarium you need more light. If you start with just fish, then expand to add other features, buying an aquarium with room for two tubes so you have room to add more light as they change needs. Corals require large amounts of light, between 5 and 8 watts.

Creating and maintaining an aquarium fish can be fun, and makes a great hobby. While researching your lighting needs early and know exactly what you have to keep your aquarium fish, live plants and other features well, you can enjoy your aquarium in the coming years.

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