Aquariums lightning
 

The amount of lighting required for your aquarium will depend on the fishes needs and the effect you want to create for the tank. The deeper your aquarium is, the more intense lighting you will require for the light to reach the bottom. Lighting this intense will only be required if you are intending to grow plants in the substrate.

One of the more common ways of lighting for an aquarium is with fluorescent tubes. For example: on a 2m x 75 cm x 75 cm (79" x 30" x 30") aquarium, you should use at least 4 80 watt tubes in a combination of colors, including a balanced daylight tube and maybe even a 'pink' plant growth enhancing tube within them. If you are building your own canopy, whenever possible, install these with waterproof end caps and best to accommodate all the control units outside the canopy (e.g.: ballasts). This will help cut down the build up of heat in the limited space between the cover glasses and the canopy, and also avoids running electrical equipment in a damp environment. If you do have to put the electrical
lighting equipment within the canopy, then there is sufficient air circulation through the hood to disperse the heat and moisture.

For a more 'natural effect', control the illuminating and deluminating sequence of the lights with time switches so they come on and go off in stages. For example: one tube comes on every 1.5 hours, giving the highest light intensity over the greater part of the day. If you are trying to imitate the tropical day, time the lighting to be on for 12 hours and off for the other 12 hours.

Fluorescent Tubes: This form of lighting is by far the most popular and most cost effective form of lighting in most cases. Fluorescent tubes run relatively cool and don't scorch the leaves of floating plants. Mercury Vapor / Metal Halide: These types of lights can be either wall mounted or suspended over the aquarium so that they are at least 30 cm (12") above the water surface.

The spread of light from these lights are limited so fluorescent tubes used in conjunction with these spot lights will help. They are ideal for accentuating features within the aquarium, such as a specimen plant, decorative piece of wood, or for corals. Metal Halide and Mercury Vapor lights are excellent sources of light, but produce way too much heat for them to be confined within an aquarium canopy. The best way of using these lamps is to suspend them above the aquarium so that they are about 50 cm (20") above the water surface. Any lower will heat the surface layers of the water. It is a good idea that you use cover glasses on the aquarium if you are using Tungsten Spot lamps or be sure to mount the lights away from the 'splash zone' because the bulb may crack (if not shatter) in the event that a fish splashed water onto the bulb accidentally feeding at the surface. Be sure the clean the cover glasses often as they get
covered in algae very fast with these high intensity
lights.

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