| This article is part of a three part series on | | | | Here's a quick rundown of the various lighting |
| aquarium lights; be sure to read the entire series! | | | | options.o Lights rated at 5500K and below are |
| Choosing the proper aquarium lights is very | | | | typically incandescent bulbs in the red/yellow |
| different from lighting your home. At home, you | | | | wavelength. These are not good choices for |
| probably just buy a bulb that fits the fixture, put | | | | aquarium lights as they promote excessive algae |
| it in place, and go on your way. Your biggest | | | | growth. Natural sunlight is also to be avoided for |
| choices are between overhead lighting and lamps, | | | | this reason.o 6500K lights are lights in the greenish |
| and traditional incandescent bulbs and compact | | | | yellow wavelength. They are appropriate for |
| fluorescents. | | | | freshwater tanks that are somewhat shallow |
| If you own an aquarium, however, lighting | | | | (these lights are not good at penetrating deep |
| becomes a more important consideration. After | | | | water), as a supplement to saltwater or reef |
| all, if you keep pets in an aquarium, you are | | | | tanks using actinic light (more on that below), and |
| responsible for providing them with a healthy | | | | for live plants.o 10,000K lights produce a white |
| environment that closely mimics their natural | | | | light with a light bluish cast. This is a good choice |
| habitat. To do this successfully, you need a few | | | | for most tanks, including freshwater and saltwater |
| pieces of information. | | | | tanks, and especially reefs tanks and tanks for |
| What's in your aquarium? | | | | deep water fish and plants. This type of light |
| The first step in choosing lights is knowing what | | | | really shows off the beauty of your animals and |
| type of animals and plants you will be keeping in | | | | plants to best advantage.o 12,000K to 20,000K |
| your tank. For the purposes of this article, we will | | | | lights produce very intense white light with an |
| be focusing on the care and keeping of fish.o | | | | increasingly bluish cast. These lights are best when |
| Freshwater fish: These are fish common to | | | | the tank is deep, or you have fish that are |
| freshwater lakes and rivers, and are often | | | | natives of very deep water.o Actinic light is not |
| referred to as "tropical fish." Freshwater fish | | | | rated on the Kelvin scale. The numbers you will |
| include goldfish, guppies, swordtails, and cichlids. | | | | see on actinic bulbs are 420nm or 460nm, which |
| Freshwater tanks may also include plants which | | | | are nanometer measurements. Think of actinic |
| grow in freshwater.o Saltwater fish: These are | | | | light as being on the very upper end of the blue |
| fish and animals found in the ocean. They require | | | | spectrum nearing the ultraviolet range which we |
| the owner to prepare a saltwater solution that | | | | cannot completely see. The use of actinic light as |
| replicates ocean water as closely as possible. | | | | aquarium lights is still undecided. They are most |
| Popular saltwater fish include damsel fish, clown | | | | appropriate for reef tanks, and are often used in |
| fish, triggerfish, pufferfish, sharks, and more. | | | | combination with other lights to provide light that |
| Other common "pets" in saltwater tanks include | | | | more closely represents the full spectrum of |
| sea stars, anemones, sea cucumbers, and fan | | | | natural light.o Lunar or moon lights typically |
| worms.o Brackish water: Fish who live where | | | | produce a blue light that does not provide much |
| freshwater and saltwater sources meet are said | | | | illumination, although white lunar lights reproduce |
| to live in brackish water. The water in a brackish | | | | the light of a full moon. These lights are usually |
| tank is less salty than that used for saltwater fish. | | | | LEDs and can be used in any type of tank, but |
| Mollys are among the most popular brackish | | | | are most useful when you need to simulate lunar |
| water fish. Generally, lighting requirements for a | | | | cycles to breed fish. |
| brackish water aquarium are the same as for a | | | | Different colors of lights function better for |
| freshwater aquarium.o Reef tanks: These are | | | | different purposes. For example, a light that is in |
| saltwater tanks that include more than just fish, | | | | the greenish to yellow spectrum is good for the |
| such as living coral, living rock, living sand, etc. | | | | growth of live plants. Saltwater aquariums often |
| What color is your light? | | | | do well with light from the blue end of the |
| We generally think of light as having no color. But | | | | spectrum. Toward the red end of the spectrum, |
| think about what happens when light shines | | | | a light begins to produce more heat than light; |
| through a prism. The rainbow that results is | | | | think about the infrared lights you see over the |
| because ordinary light has been broken up into its | | | | fries in a fast food restaurant. |
| various color wavelengths. Without a prism, these | | | | When choosing aquarium lights then, knowing |
| different color wavelengths are quite difficult for | | | | what kinds of fish, animals and plants you will be |
| the eye to distinguish, but they are there. The | | | | keeping will help you know what color of light to |
| color of light is expressed according to the Kelvin | | | | buy. |
| scale, which also measures light temperature. | | | | |