Marine Aquarium Lamps - Lighting Your Saltwater Aquarium

!±8± Marine Aquarium Lamps - Lighting Your Saltwater Aquarium

It's vital that you light your marine aquarium correctly; mostly standard aquarium lighting will be adequate but if you want to keep coral reefs or if you have a particularly deep tank, you should consider specialist lighting.

As always, colour temperature is what you're looking for and, for reefs, full spectrum lighting is essential. To achieve this full spectrum, you are looking for a Kelvin rating of 10,000K or higher on metal halide lamps. If you are going with fluorescent, your tubes should be marked as VHO, which simply stands for very high output. To be honest, with corals and deep tanks, metal halide lamps should be your first choice; the Kelvin range is wider and the quality of the light is higher than with other types of lamp. Not only will this enhance the overall colour of your tank lighting, but will also greatly enhance the colour of the plants, corals, fish and anenomes in your tank, which is after all, the effect we're after.

Something else to consider is the addition of an actinic bulb. This type of bulb emits a blue tinged light in the exact spectrum that corals require for photosynthesis. Beware though, the spectrum range of actinic lamps is very narrow and they should never be used in isolation. A wonderful side effect is the way these bulbs enhance the colours of your fish.

Who would have thought that lighting could be so complex? The truth is that lighting is a specialist subject and aquarium lighting is specialist lighting!

Marine Aquarium Lamps - Lighting Your Saltwater Aquarium

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40 Breeder LED Lighting Salt Water Reef Aquarium

!±8± 40 Breeder LED Lighting Salt Water Reef Aquarium

Video of my 40 breeder salt water fish tank with LED lighting

40 Breeder LED Lighting Salt Water Reef Aquarium

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Saltwater Aquarium Lighting

!±8± Saltwater Aquarium Lighting

The type of lighting that we will select for use in our saltwater aquarium is largely dependant upon the grouping of livestock that we will select to inhabit the tank. Regular cycles of light are commonly used to simulate day and night for fish and invertebrates. This encourages a feel of a natural environment among our livestock, cultivating the proper periods of rest and similar such circumstances that are most conducive to their successful and healthy adaptations to our aquariums.

Tanks containing only fish and live rock do not commonly require overly specific lighting techniques. However, invertebrates and the required propagation of various forms of algae that are commonly needed indeed calls for more specific and customized lighting. Choices for lighting our tanks include natural sunlight, Light Emitting Diode (LED), various forms of fluorescent bulbs, and metal halide lights.

Natural sunlight is only effective as a light source for a saltwater aquarium in geographic areas located in the vicinity of the equator. This is due to the levels of intensity of sunlight found in such areas. Such aquarist techniques involving the use of sunlight and in the vicinity of the equator are only implemented among large reef tanks. In tanks that are much more commonly found among hobbyists throughout the world, natural sunlight is avoided as a light source as it is potentially detrimental to many forms of livestock for a variety of reasons.

LED sources have a great deal of potential. The jury is somewhat still out on the extent of their practicality and effectiveness, however, so it can depend on which expert we ask as to how they will evaluate LED. One way or the other, the aquarist community would be well served to keep a watchful eye on evolving technological developments among LED light sources, as implications currently include advances in lighting schedules, simulations of lunar lighting, and even the effective simulation of cloud coverage.

Different types of fluorescent bulbs all have about the same intensity, but it is their various shapes and reflectors that result in their unique specifications. The newer fluorescents have improved reflectors, allowing more amounts of light into the aquarium than in years past. The more recently designed bulbs are a bit more costly to maintain than their predecessors, so some aquarists continue to use traditional fluorescent lighting sources.

Metal halide lights are comparable in practicality to fluorescent lighting. Many aquarists consider the primary difference to be that metal halide may be concentrated into specific areas of the tank while fluorescent light is distributed evenly. Metal halide lighting systems are usually more of a financial investment than fluorescent lights, but are required for certain reef tanks.

Overall, it will depend on the specific types of livestock that we desire to maintain as to the importance of our choice for lighting. This is of course directly related to the amount that we should be willing to invest in our lighting and the extents that we will go to achieve and maintain our optimal light conditions.

Saltwater Aquarium Lighting

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Understanding Aquarium Lighting

!±8± Understanding Aquarium Lighting

Marine life is regarded as the most beautiful of all life forms in the universe. An aquarium helps us to display marine life to capture a portion of this amazing splendid state. A reef aquarium or planted aquarium decorated with fish, invertebrates and plants is a glimpse of the astonishing beauty of a world thousands of miles away from our sight and imaginations. Having the proper lighting is one of the major key components to bringing it all together.

Our goal in providing sufficient aquarium lighting includes replicating the natural lighting conditions, to provide an innate habitat. Several notable factors determine the lighting scheme for a given aquarium. We will discuss some of the basic terminology regarding aquarium lighting, including Photosynthetically Active Radiation (PAR), LUX, and Kelvin Temperature (K). This will help to give you a better understanding of how to measure the light you are providing for your own aquarium.

When hobbyists refer to light "intensity" in an aquarium, PAR is what they are actually referring to, as PAR is literally the amount of light energy usable by chloroplasts per given area. Photosynthetically Active Radiation (PAR) is considered by many the best way to measure light energy and quantity for the aquarist, and is much simpler to define and measure than any other form of light measurement. For the home aquarist's purpose, PAR is the number of photons per meter squared per second of light that falls between ~400 nanometers (nm) and ~700nm in wavelength. Photosynthetic efficiency peaks at around 430 nanometers, which is approximately the major spectral output of a standard blue (actinic) bulb, and 680 nanometers, which is approximately the major spectral output of a (white) daylight bulb. Both bulb types and wavelengths are useful in providing PAR to photosynthetic invertebrates, therefore it is recommended to use both types of lamps.

LUX is a unit of measurement of lumens per square meter, sometimes (and incorrectly) used synonymously with light intensity. Instead, LUX is the measurement of apparent intensity, as viewed by the human eye, per square meter. Because the human eye weights certain parts of the spectrum (certain wavelengths) as brighter than others, two light sources can have the same intensity but a different LUX. LUX was somewhat useful to the aquarist before PAR meters became relatively affordable, and can still be useful if a PAR meter is unavailable. Hobbyists that use LUX as a unit of measurement would typically keep their reef aquarium or freshwater planted aquarium light intensity between (3000-14,000 LUX), depending on how heavily stocked it is with soft corals, hard corals or plants.

The Kelvin temperature (K) is the scientific unit for temperature, and is often used to measure the color temperature of light, or more accurately, the measurement of the temperature of an object emitting black body radiation (also known as thermal radiation, or radiant heat) as visible light (to be useful to aquarists). Kelvin temperature is a very useful way to measure the color spectrum of a bulb. Kelvin temperature has become the common color-rating index among bulbs produced for the hobby. A combination of fluorescent actinics, 6,500-degree K, and 20,000-degree K metal halides are what many aquarium hobbyists consider the most pleasing, not only for the tank inhabitants, but also for viewing pleasures.
Aquarium lamp types, include metal halide, fluorescent, compact fluorescents also called power compacts, incandescent and LED. LED lighting sources are one of the latest options in aquarium lighting. Some hobbyist would say they are the best, as they consume less electricity and produce less heat. Moreover, Led's can be used in different colors in different areas of an aquarium. The LED lighting source is generally assembled using a Plexiglas board with fitted Led's. In addition to lamp types, other lighting accessories include fixtures, hoods, canopies and light timers.

In essence various lighting schemes will be needed to facilitate the needs for different aquariums, including fish-only aquariums, fish-only-with-live-rock (FOWLR), freshwater planted tanks, and reef tanks. To save yourself some frustration, we recommend continuing researching about the lighting requirements for your particular fish and aquarium, before making your first purchase. An important reminder! Don't forget to check online aquarium supply stores, as they typically have a more diverse selection with better pricing than a neighborhood fish store. In conclusion, once you are familiar with the lighting requirements, it will be easy for you to obtain the specific lighting you need. With dedication you will be rewarded with a beautiful thriving piece of the ocean that you can be proud of.

Understanding Aquarium Lighting

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