AQUARIUM LIGHTING

Welcome to our online community!

 

We hope you enjoy our blog posts. This first series of blog posts are geared towards the beginner aquarium hobbyist. Within the next few months and going into the new year we'll cover more advanced and in depth topics.

 

Please feel free to browse some of the links below, you will find further information on aquarium lighting from our web store. 

Aquarium Lighting

Proper lighting is essential for tanks containing live plants, or marine animals that are dependent on light for food. Good lighting will also make the aquarium and the animals within look more attractive. Since the animals are no longer exposed to natural sunlight, providing the proper spectrum and intensity is vital for their overall good health.

Lighting in a fish-only aquarium is usually less intense than a reef aquarium. Fluorescent tubes will usually be fine, with perhaps a blue lamp or blue lunar L.E.D.'s for night viewing.

If there are invertebrates in the tank, lighting becomes more important. Many corals, anemones, and mollusks rely on algae known as zooxanthellae for food. These require high intensity light at the correct wavelength.  In a reef aquarium, therefore, correct lighting is of utmost importance, and this usually means metal-halide lamps. Soon the hobbyist will be able to purchase full scope L.E.D. light fixtures which will provide sufficient lighting for reef aquariums.

There are two key elements that contribute to the suitability of a particular lamp for a given marine aquarium setup. - light intensity and color temperature. Understanding these factors will help you to choose the best lighting system for a fish-only tank or a reef aquarium with invertebrates. Proper lighting is very important and we'll be talking about it more.  In the meantime, happy fishing, for new pet friends.

In the next blog posting, we'll talk about Aquarium Light Cycles

Thank you for your time.

Sincerely,

Team OCReef.com