Aquarium
lighting is important for the health of your tank inhabitants
and also helps present your aquarium in an attractive
manner. An aquarium without artificial light is unthinkable.
Tropical water plants require 12 to 14 hours of light
daily throughout the entire year. During the winter
months we would not have enough light for these water
plants, and during summer months there would be in excess
of light. This would cause excessive algae growth in
your aquarium. See our
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It is advisable to purchase an aquarium cover with built-in
fluorescent lights at the same time the tank is purchased.
Your aquarium dealer will be able to advise you about
the proper wattage of the bulbs. Caring for your tropical
fish and plants is very much simpler than for native
species. However, we also need an aquarium here, because
room temperatures would be insufficient for fish in
the long run. In most cases with aquarium lighting it
is best to buy a combined heater/thermostat unit, and
a so-called automatically regulated heater. Combined
heater/thermostat units are available in both submergible
and nonsurgical form; the advantage of the submergible
here is that can be concealed from view more easily.
Virtually
all Marine aquarium's are in need of an artificial light
source, both for the enjoyment of viewers in the health
of the viewed. Natural sunlight provides the elusive
perfect spectrum that advanced reef aquarists crave,
but it has severe limitations for most of us. Aquariums
placed in direct sunlight will quickly or heat unless
their waters are officially chilled. During winter months
in northern latitudes, there aren't enough hours of
sunlight in the day to keep marine creatures alive and
thriving. Finally, the sun doesn't shine when most of
us have are treasured viewing hours..... In the evening.
It
follows that one of the most significant investments
in a marine aquarium system is the lighting. I have
seen setups in which the lighting equipment cost more
than the rest of the aquarium combine.
This
emphasis doesn't seem unreasonable. After all, humans
are visually oriented beings; it makes little sense
to have beautiful fish and a wonderful aqua skate that
is poorly lit. Additionally, there are photosynthetic
needs in aquariums that have more than fish is in them;
and even piscine vertebrates require light energy (as
we do) for good health.
But
what an ocean of controversy and expense this can be!
There is, however, really no need for confusion. Your
concerns about aquarium light and lighting can be reduced
to three considerations...quality, quantity, and duration.
Florescent
lamps of differing types abound. Be warned that the
majority of lamps sold for aquarium use are not properly
matched to the needs of a marine system. Plant-growing
, warm, and broad-spectrum florescents are a bad joke
for aquarium livestock and plants. I want to be completely
clear about this: when buying basic florescents, you
only want full spectrum lamps.
Some
of the common manufactures of good full spectrum florescents
are Phillips, General Electric, and Verilux. Full spectrum
lamps, in my opinion, are great for the Marine aquarist,
aquatic gardener, photographer wanting to skip filters,
and deskbound office human. They grow aquatic organisms
better than any other ASIC, affordable lighting system,
without specialized fixturing ends at the lowest cost.
What is more air fishes and photosynthetic organisms
look and live better under these lamps. In choosing
among the brands, you'll have to look for the CRI, temperature
in Kelvin, luminosity in lumens, power curve, and average
life ratings to make your own consumer judgments.
Again
when choosing your aquarium lighting, be wary of lamps
termed wide or broad spectrum. These are not the same
as full spectrum lamps that provide the total range
of necessary spectra, including some UV. Daylight, cool
white, and warm white are also not full spectrum and
used by themselves will not support hermatypic life.
Cool white labs, which are the most readily available
for home and business use, are the cheapest and most
efficient for those settings, but the wavelengths produced
are not suitable for aquatic systems. Cool whites had
a CRI of 62, which is in adequate for our purposes in
setting up aquariums.
Full
spectrum fluorescents are available in a variety of
lengths and wattages in three formats: regular, high
output, and very high output formats. The HO and VHO
types require special ballasts, and caps, holders, and
fixture pins. Their popularity is due to greater luminosity.
Many aquarium owners have found they like the effect
of adding 03 actinic, or blue actinic, fluorescent lighting
to their systems. These bulbs tend to bring out the
florescent greens and blues of fishes and corals, and
they do work well as gentle lighting during dawn and
dusk periods in aquariums that have the timers to accomplish
this. Keep in mind, however, that full spectrum lights
still provide the most biologically effective lighting
power, and the actinics may be doing more for your eyes
than for your specimens. A generally accepted recommendation
is one blue actinic bulb in combination with three full
spectrum fluorescents.
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