Aquarium lighting is often the last item a person is thinking about when buying an aquarium. The lighting of an aquarium, however, is very important.
There are 4 different kinds of aquarium setups that may require different kinds of aquarium lighting:
- Freshwater - fish only.
- Freshwater - fish and plants.
- Salt water – fish only.
- Saltwater – fish and corals.
The most light-sensitive aquarium set up is the aquarium with saltwater fish and corals. Corals are categorized as animals, not plants, and therefore they are feeding from the light. So the proper aquarium lighting is very crucial and will make the difference between growing beautiful and lustrous corals and having them die in your reef tank.
Light is very important for all forms of life. It is no different for all the different forms of life in your aquarium. Corals and fresh water plants are especially in need of proper light conditions.
When growing corals, it is of great importance to change light bulbs regularly. To have proper aquarium lighting, it is recommended to change light bulbs about every 8 months. It may at times not be so apparent to you, but you need to keep in mind that corals are highly sensitive to light.
Today there is an extensive variety of aquarium lighting available. So if you are owning a reef tank for example, you do have to be especially careful to provide the right lighting to have success in growing corals. Corals are strongly photosynthesizing which means they are using light as energy and if there is not enough energy (light) provided, corals will not grow and can even die.
Aquarium lighting is provided by short and long wavelength, blue and yellow light. You need a smaller amount of short wavelength light (actinic) and a larger amount of long wave light (yellow), depending on the type of aquarium life you are trying to promote.
The amount of light that you need does not necessarily depend on how big your aquarium is, but on how many corals you have got to feed daily.
When you use aquarium lighting you want to mimic the natural light. This means you need to have at least 8 to 10 hours of light provided to keep your aquarium with fish and plants healthy.
A timer will help you here to keep up with the light automatically. With the aid of a timer you can enjoy your aquarium without having to keep up with the on and off switching of your aquarium light.
But you do need to keep up with the changing out of light bulbs about every 8 months and you need to do it regularly.
A freshwater aquarium also needs proper aquarium lighting. For most of the freshwater tanks, fluorescent light bulbs are common. The strength of your fluorescent light bulb will depend again on how many freshwater plants you want to grow. Here, too, it may depend on how many plants you are growing in your tank.
Just like there are corals that need more light than others, there are also fresh water plants that may require more light than others. Your aquarium lighting may often be the reason why you are not able to grow healthy plants. So to keep your aquarium looking great and have beautiful growths of plants or corals make aquarium lighting an important priority!
Proper aquarium lighting is also important for all your fish and any other aquatic animal, and if you don't know the type of light they need, check with your pet store or aquarium store to find out what is optimal for them.
Aeration and filter material is another important subject that you need to learn about if you want to have success with your aquarium and if you want to keep your tropical and salt water fish healthy. You have invited them into your home now it is your responsibility to keep them healthy and happy.