Aquarium Lighting

Guide to Aquarium Lighting

Too often you think that an aquarium doesn’t need any form of special lighting. You should think twice though, as there is a right way to light an aquarium to imitate a true under-water environment. Not only will appropriate aquarium lighting make your aquarium visually appealing; it will also have a positive impact on the aquarium environment the marine life is thriving.

Picture the way a typical aquatic life in its natural environment gets its regular lighting throughout the day. It gets it naturally from the sun, and the full spectrum of light it receives can greatly affect how they will flourish in their marine environment.

This is what you must keep in mind and consider when planning for your aquarium lighting. Remember also that sunlight has 3 wavelengths: UVA, UVB and UVC. UVA is the visible wavelength and basically important to marine corals, and also for fishes to stimulate their feeding and breeding behavior. UVB is the non-visible wavelength and is needed for better calcium absorption by animals. UVC is the wavelength that kills harmful bacteria.

The main types of light that can be used for aquarium lighting are: regular fluorescent lights, compact fluorescent, high output (HO) fluorescent, very high output (VHO) fluorescent, and metal halide.

Regular fluorescent ranges from 15 to 40 watts and have Kelvin ratings range from 3,000 degrees to 10,000 degrees. These are affordable and easy to replace.

Compact fluorescent have around 10 to 100 watts and are in the 5,000 to 10,000 degrees Kelvin ratings range. They offer very bright lights but may give off heat that raises the tank temperature, which is why special hoods with fans are needed for installation.

High output fluorescent light ranges from 20 to 60 watts, and their Kelvin ratings range from 6,000 to 11,000 degrees. These lights require a T5 light fixtures. These are quite expensive aquarium lights but lasts longer than the regular ones.

The VHO fluorescent light ranges from around 75 to 160 watts with Kelvin ratings ranging from 10,000 to 20,000 degrees. These would usually require a chiller, even with the ballast, fans and special fixture these come with, to counter the intense heat it produces.

Metal halide lights come in 175 to 1,000 watts range, with their 5,000 to 20,000 Kelvin ratings range. Though they come closest to the sun’s brightness, these are very expensive.

Remember that the quality of your aquarium lighting degrades as the end of its life span nears – meaning the color spectrum it produces diminishes. It is advisable to monitor this aspect and replace as necessary. Also remember that it is not advisable to have your aquarium lighting on at all times, preferably this should be at around 8 to 12 hours. This number of hours would be similar to the natural marine life’s environment. The use of a timer would take out the hassle of constant daily monitoring.

Saltwater tanks with fishes can make do only with regular fluorescent full spectrum bulbs. A better alternative though would be the use of both fluorescents and actinic lights (blue lights). Saltwater reef aquariums with corals and anemones will need high output fluorescent lights. A good guide to follow is around four to ten watts per gallon of aquarium.

Depending on the species you have or you plan to keep, it is wise to find out the ideal aquarium lighting requirements for them to thrive. The more you want your aquarium environment to mimic that of the natural ones, the more you need to use better light sources.