| ighting in your aquarium is very important for two | | | | and wattages, but the main two types used in |
| reasons. Most importantly it is needed to the health | | | | aquarium lighting are T8s (1" in diameter) and T5s (5 |
| and well-being of the fish and plants living in it. But it | | | | 8" in diameter). The smaller T5s are available in a high |
| is also important from an aesthetic point of view. An | | | | output version which output approximately one and a |
| aquarium can be a large and imposing piece of | | | | half that of a standard T8. This means that for cold |
| equipment, and without appropriate lighting, it can | | | | water aquariums, small aquariums, or aquariums with |
| look dull and uninteresting. | | | | few plants the standard T8 fluorescent tube would |
| So there are two main questions to be answered in | | | | be fine. Where as if you have a tropical aquarium, |
| relation to aquarium lighting. One is how much lighting | | | | you may be best going for a couple of T5s.The |
| do you need and the other is what type of lamps | | | | intensity of the light from fluorescent tube can be |
| should you go for. | | | | improved by using reflectors, to focus more of the |
| As mentioned above, the quantity of lighting depends | | | | light into the aquarium. |
| on what you are keeping in the aquarium and it's | | | | The other main type of lamp used in aquarium lighting |
| depth. | | | | is metal halide. These types of lamp have a much |
| If you are only keeping cold water fish and only a | | | | higher output than the fluorescent tubes and are |
| few, or no plants then you will only need a single | | | | therefore more suitable for use in the marine |
| lamp. | | | | aquariums, where the inhabitants are used to living in |
| Tropical aquariums, which always look best when | | | | areas with intense light, or in very large aquariums. |
| they have a lush planting of aquarium plants, will | | | | These are generally much more expensive than the |
| require more lighting. In this case you could either use | | | | fluorescent tubes, but give out a more 'natural' light. |
| more lamps, or ones that have more output. | | | | You may even decide that to get the visual affect |
| Marine aquariums containing coral, or invertebrates, | | | | you desire, that you want to use a combination of |
| require the highest amount of light and would | | | | both fluorescent tubes and metal halide lamps. |
| therefore need either three or more standard lamps, | | | | It is also worth remembering that most aquatic |
| or the use of high output lamps. | | | | lifeforms are accustomed to a photo-period of 12 |
| The depth of the aquarium will also affect the | | | | hours light and 12 hours dark. To this end you could |
| required light levels, obviously, the deeper the | | | | employ a timer switch at the socket to automate |
| aquarium the more lighting you will need to penetrate | | | | this process, or in some of the more expensive |
| all the way to the bottom. | | | | metal halide systems you can get computer assisted |
| The most common type of lamps used in aquariums | | | | functions that replicate the current lunar cycle, which |
| are fluorescent tubes. They come in varying lengths | | | | believed to influence the spawning of corals. |