Why Leave the Fluorescent Lights On?

This aquarium has hood lighting.

Well-planted, decorative aquariums filled with tropical or saltwater fish are a miniature ecosystem of life. Watching life in a fish tank is relaxing and mesmerizing as fish interact, lay eggs or give birth. Fish tanks should recreate the natural habitat as closely as possible for fish, plants, snails or frogs, and lighting is a requirement for maintaining life in this underwater world. Fluorescent lights provide the necessary light to keep fish and plants happy and healthy.

Benefits

Fresh water fish admire wreck

Fluorescent lighting helps simulate the natural environment so fish do not become stressed. Fish that are stressed often fall prey to disease. Just as nature provides day and night cycles, the habitat in the tank must be re-created to simulate these same conditions. Turning lights on and off to represent day and night in their environment keeps fish and plants healthy.

Live plants require light to photosynthesize--produce chlorophyll. Plants reproduce using light and provide shelter for fish. Marine life, including fish, corals and anemones, need good light to survive.

Bulbs

Live aquatic plants.

Three types of lighting include fluorescent, special fluorescent and compact fluorescent. You can buy inexpensive fluorescent lighting that doesn't promote algae growth in tanks at aquarium supply stores.

Reefs, live plants and deep tanks need special fluorescent bulbs consisting of high output or very high output using ballasts and end-cap fixtures. They provide higher wattage than regular fluorescent bulbs, but don't last as long.

Compact fluorescents require less space, produce more intense light and use less power. Compact fluorescent bulbs require special fixtures or retro-fit kits.

Lighting Requirements--Tropical Fish

Excellent lighting aids fish.

You should equip fish tanks without live plants that contain gravel, rocks and decorative wood or ceramic pieces with a power compact fluorescent bulb or standard fluorescent bulbs. Many diseases can be attributed to unhappy, stressed fish that don't live in a well-managed aquarium with adequate light. The aquarium hood should provide a minimum of one watt and a maximum of two watts per gallon of tank space for adequate lighting of a tropical fish tank.

Lighting Requirements--Tropical Fish/Live Plants

Tropical fish forage among live plants.

Aquatic plants in a tank with fish require sufficient lighting. Standard fluorescent, metal halide/HQI, T-5 HO, power compact or VHO are all types of lighting that will provide proper light. Aquatic plants require full-spectrum light even though they were grown in semi-murky waters. Exotic species of plants may require special lighting. Purchase the proper plants that the of lighting system you are using best supports. Lighting requirements are two to five watts per gallon with a standard fluorescent.

Lighting Requirements--Salt Water Fish/Coral/Marine Reef

Good balance of marine life.

Saltwater fish, invertebrates and corals require proper light to maintain good health. Obtain lighting recommendations for each type of marine life you buy from fish store personnel with expert knowledge. Purchase lighting for saltwater aquariums that provides the proper spectrum and lighting requirements for everything in the tank. An average saltwater tank 24 inches deep requires a lighting system that will illuminate four to eight watts a gallon. Lighting systems adequate for marine life include metal halide/HQI, power compact, VHO and T-5 HO.

References

• First Tank Guide: Aquarium Lighting
• Foster and Smith Aquatics: Lighting Guide: How to Light Up Your Aquatic Life