Aquarium Lighting--How to Choose the Best Aquarium Lighting System

Choosing the proper aquarium lighting system for your tank is one of the most important components of creating a healthy aquatic environment for your fish. It is imperative that you thoroughly research the type of species you plan on keeping in your tank, and their specific lighting needs.  The aquarium lights needed  will depend on the type of aquarium and organisms that you want to keep.  There are four basic lighting scenarios:

• You may have a freshwater tank with only fish and no live plants,
• A freshwater tank with both fish and live plants,
• A saltwater tank with fish only, and
• A saltwater reef aquarium with fish, live corals, and invertebrates.

Generally, fluorescent light bulbs can provide adequate lighting for saltwater fish. A basic lighting set up would consist of choosing a light that fits on the hood on top of the tank.

Freshwater tank with no plants

A freshwater tank can use the simplest and most inexpensive lighting available at your local hardware store. A fish only freshwater aquarium can be lit with regular fluorescent bulbs, but using a full spectrum fluorescent light would be your best bet. This particular lighting will provide your fish with all of the UV wavelengths needed to keep them healthy. Alternatively, incandescent bulbs can be used for smaller tanks under ten gallons in size. One thing to keep in mind, however, is that incandescent bulbs can precipitate the growth of undesirable algae which lowers the water quality and results in more frequent cleaning.

Freshwater tank with living plants

Lighting an aquarium with live plants can be a little more complicated since each type of plant has diverse lighting needs. Plants need more high quality, wavelength light rays in order to produce energy by photosynthesis. Before setting up your aquarium, you should research the lighting needs of each plant you wish to keep. Generally, plant aquarium lighting should have 2-5 watts of lights per gallon of water.

There are two basic aquarium lighting systems available: metal halide and fluorescent. Metal halide lights are the costlier of the two systems, and may be too expensive for a beginning aquarist. However, metal halide lights are more superior to fluorescent lights in that it provides high quality and high intensity light without the need of multiple tubes. Using fluorescent light tubes may be the best choice for a beginner. Fluorescent lights can provide more than enough adequate lighting for plants, but you will most likely have to use multiple tubes. There are specialized aquarium plant light bulbs, but these are actually not the best type of lights to use. Instead, the bulbs should be full spectrum to allow for photosynthesis. Fluorescent lighting comes in many varieties, but the most commonly used for aquariums are the normal output (NO) and very high output (VHO) bulbs. The VHO bulbs produce the most light, but requires a ballast to ignite them.

The latest trend in aquarium lighting is the power compact light bulb, which is quickly replacing the traditional fluorescent light. Compact fluorescent lights take up less space than traditional fluorescents, and produce more intensity while using less power.

Fish only saltwater tanks

Setting up marine lighting for a saltwater fish only tank is simple and only require full spectrum fluorescent lights.  Even though the fish do not necessarily need full spectrum lighting, high quality NO or VHO lights will promote the growth of green algae, which is healthy for fish.  Poor lighting will promote growth of undesirable algae, lowering the quality of the water.

Saltwater reef aquarium tanks

Choosing the proper aquarium lights is one of the most important aspects of setting up and maintaining a reef tank.  High quality, intense fish tank lights are absolutely necessary for a reef aquarium.  Proper lighting intensity is vital for the survival of corals and invertebrates.  Like plants, corals and some invertebrates need full spectrum lighting to generate enery and food through photosynthesis.  Improper lighting can ultimately cause death to your corals and invertebrates.

Reef tanks need 4-10 watts of power per one gallon of water.  Power compact lighting and VHO fluorescent lights are ideal for corals that need low to moderate lighting, such as mushroom corals, polyps, leather corals, and LPS corals.  T5 fluorescent light systems are ideal for corals that need moderate to high lighting.  Metal halide lighting is ideal for corals and invertebrates that require high light intensity, such as anemones, clams, and SPS corals.  Metal halide lighting is often supplemented to actinic lights to create blue coloration and dusk/dawn effect.  You can also use lunar lights to create a realistic night cycle, which may promote lunar spawning cycles.

High intensity aquarium lighting may produce excessive heat that has to be treated properly to prevent overheating.  Overheating can be counteracted with fans and sometimes a chiller can be used to maintain the ideal temperature for your fish.  It is also recommended to keep your fish on a consistent day/night schedule, which can be easily achieved by a timer.