An aquarium near a sunny window may require less supplemental lighting than one on an interior wall. The biggest obstacle to maintaining a uniform period of aquarium lighting is that owners find it difficult to turn the lights on and off at the same time each day. Fortunately, there is an inexpensive and easy way to remedy that problem.
Purchase an on-off timer and plug the lighting unit into it. On-off timers are highly recommended for all aquarium owners. Remember that aquarium lights may not only produce light—but many produce heat, and sometimes a lot of it. Lighting types that produce heat include incandescent, VHO-fluorescent, and metal halide.
In smaller aquariums, these types can cause a significant rise in water temperature, sometimes enough to kill your fish and plants. If you use one of these types of lights, make sure to monitor the water temperature constantly, and avoid leaving the lights on overnight.
Standard fluorescent lights produce cooler light and are a better choice for most aquariums. You can leave them on for long periods without danger, and many tropical fish and plants thrive under fluorescent lighting. Light Emitting Diode LED lights come in a variety of colors and are inexpensive to run and they are cool in operation. True aquatic plants must be kept wet at all times or else they might die.
Do not run them under running water, the chlorine can damage or even kill the plants. If you see a whitish slime on plants, this slime layer is good bacteria. Fish eat it, it is entirely natural, and is part of what keeps an aquarium in homeostasis. Ensure that live plants are well anchored in the substrate. Do not plant in big thickets bunches or clumps. The plants need room to grow and get full light on all the branches and leaves. Your fish should be able to swim cleanly around and through your aquarium plants.
Many aquarium plants can increase their numbers naturally. Pondweed and Amazon Sword are a favorite for most hobbyists. Well, if you have an outdoor aquarium, then the natural light that it receives during the day is enough. Because the natural light is indirect therefore might not be enough for the plants. That said, a brightly lit room will require a few hours of LED lighting.
Also, different colors have different ratings. That is, not so bright colors have a rating of more than k while warmer colors ratings fall below k. Most hobbyists prefer a daylight rating of k. So, choosing between k and k will enable the plants to thrive while providing you aesthetic appeal. How can you ensure that your aquarium is well lit? Below, we look at some of the factors you need to consider.
Lumen refers to the amount of light a lighting source produces. Most LED and fluorescent bulbs have lumen ratings on them. Plants require different lumens. The light must reach every corner of the aquarium to ensure optimum plant growth. Therefore opt for two LED or T5 bulbs to reach shaded areas.
Alternatively, you can opt for an LED array that evenly distributes light and mitigates decorations from blocking light. Avoid using one bulb as it provides uneven light spread. The color of the light also affects plant photosynthesis. Besides, the red color enables the optimum coloration of red-colored plants. The trick is to go for a color spectrum that will improve the look of the tank.
LED lights do not produce excess heat experienced when using fluorescent bulbs. LED Light Emitting Diode — Relatively new to the aquatics scene, LED lighting is fast becoming the favorite for aquariums due to their slim design, shimmer effects and colors, cool operating temperatures, and low cost to operate.
A wide selection of sizes and types are available for any aquatic environment. LEDs also generate a consistent color of light through their lifetime. This is an advantage over fluorescent lights that experience a shift in color spectrum white to yellow over months. How much lighting do I need? The calm lighting will accentuate your aquarium but still allow your finny friends to get some sleep.
Most people will remember to feed their fish when leaving for vacation but fewer remember to schedule their aquarium lights for when they are away. While some aquarists are not even sure whether to leave the lights on or off while they have a good time away from home.
If anything, leaving the lights on could be a fire hazard and will encourage algae growth. But if you have plants in your aquarium, then you will need to leave the lights on with a timer recommended running a diurnal setting. Alternatively, if your aquarium room is properly illuminated, leave the tank near a window to take advantage of the natural day-night cycle. This is especially true for smaller aquariums where the possible increase in temperature can be significant. Generally, metal halides and incadescent bulb produce a lot of heat and are therefore not the best for aquariums.
Besides, incadescent technology is pretty much outdated. The more obvious and appropriate light source would, therefore, be either LED or fluorescent, but given the two, LEDs are the harder hitter. A thing to note if you choose to go with fluorescent; T5 or T8 fluorescent lights are not synonymous with VHO-fluorescent, which like metal halides, will spike your aquarium water temperature.
Also, T5 bulbs are preferable as opposed to T8 and T12 because of their skinny bulbs, narrow footprint, availability, efficiency, and low heat output. Each aquarium environment is different, thus the only sure way to know how long to keep aquarium light on is trying out different setting until you find the perfect fit.
Even so, consider variables like natural and ambient lighting since every home is inherently unique. First, think of your plants before the fish since fish tanks are less fussy about lighting. If anything, lighting a fish tanks is mostly for your own amusement. Then do a little due diligence before buying or replacing aquarium grow lights, compare different products in the market to make sure you get the best bargain. If you are located in the USA more so Florida and are looking to buy tropical freshwater mentioned in this or any other post and more , check out Consolidated Fish Farms Inc.
Also Consider using Aquariawise Coupon Code for a 10 percent discount on eligible purchase. They are a great source for healthy aquarium fish, plus we get a small commission with no extra cost to you. Resident Content Creator and Marketer at AquariaWise who talks about aquariums and fish and aquascapes a lot.
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