For both beginners with a first tank and professionals with many years of experience, tank lighting can be a tricky and at times, even a downright challenge. Choosing the right lighting can make all the difference in the world, make the wrong choice and your tank may not look it’s best.
Whether it’s LED lighting, incandescent, fluorescent, compact florescent, moonlights or WHO lighting, let Petware House take the guess work out of this challenge and save you both time and money, not to mention a potential headache. This short guide is written with beginners in mind so if you have any questions, don’t hesitate to reach out to us.
Petware House fully understands the importance and value when choosing the right lighting system for your aquarium and the adverse, negative affects it may have on your aquarium life may be directly related to the quality of light, spectrum and intensity of your lighting. This may have a direct effect on the survival rate of your plants, corals or invertebrates. When designing your aquarium lighting system , your primary goal should be to duplicate natural conditions and thanks to recent advancements in the lighting technology, this has become an easier task.
An important item to keep in mind would be that of room temperature combined with heat being omitted from your fish tank so always keep in mind that you may consider counter-balancing a temperature controlled room.
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For fish-only aquariums: artificial plans, fish, decorative ceramics and/or wood, Petware House recommends a standard or a power compact florescent system. We carry a number of items in store if you should be interested in this product.
A lighting system between 1 to 2 watts per gallon should be sufficient to simulate a day-night cycle in a fish-only aquarium. Because the requirements of a fish-only aquarium are forgiving, you can choose the spectrum of bulb that best suits your preference. Avoid the use of standard hardware store bulbs, however, which promote the growth of brown algae.
Marine Reef Aquariums: Invertebrates, fish, corals, and liverock. Petware House recommends lighting systems: T-5 HO, VHO, Power Compact, Metal Halide/HQI
Many invertebrates and corals rely heavily on light for a major portion of their nutrition. However, the amount each type will vary dramatically. In the wild, many corals come from depths of sixteen to sixty five feet where the light is extremely intense. However, many other orals have adapted to low-light conditions by hiding themselves within the reef for safety.
To correctly light a reef aquarium that is 24" deep or less, use a lighting system between 4 to 8 watts per gallon. You will need to relax requirements significantly by choosing to house only corals and invertebrates that require low levels of light, as well as non-photosynthetic invertebrates.
Many large polyp stony corals are found at deeper depths, below 65 feet. Many corals at these depths fluoresce. They use blue light at these depths because of the ability of water to filter out the various spectrums. Because metal halide and other reef aquarium lighting systems generate substantial heat, they often require cooling. Hot air surrounding bulbs can be removed by fans. Removing this heat can increase the usefulness of your bulbs as heat adversely affects their life span. Ideally, the room temperature can be maintained at a level to counterbalance the radiant heat absorbed directly by the water. If not, a chiller may be needed.
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With the advent of electronic ballasts which dissipate less heat and deliver longer bulb life, have also come a wide-range of light spectrums and intensity bulbs which are now available in the marketplace. Lastly, systems now, with a high degree, replicate the lighting that organisms experience in the wild.
Energy Efficient Lighting Options
T-5 High Output (HO) Fluorescent Systems
High output, tiny size - the most advanced fluorescent lighting available!
With only a 5/8" diameter, thin T-5 HO Fluorescent bulbs produce almost twice the brightness of standard fluorescents. In addition to their brightness, you can also fit more of these slim bulbs into the same amount of space.
Compact Fluorescent Lighting Systems
Bright, efficient, cool - great for every application
The next generation in fluorescent lighting, compact fluorescent systems utilize a twin-tube design, which results in much greater intensity and higher light outputs than standard fluorescent lamps. Their small size requires only half the space of standard fluorescent tubes, which makes these bulbs particularly appealing. Compact fluorescents have a low operating cost and produce significantly less heat than other intense light sources
Energy Efficient Lithing Options
Many novices to the world of aquarium lighting, particularly LED light fixtures, are often subject to much confusion. LED technology employs a very different approach to light generation. LEDs emit ligLazzo
Movers.com ht as energized or existed subatomic particles pass through a semiconductor material. This disting process of light generation called electroluminescent requires much less energy to product a brilliant light for an energy-efficient choice to aquarium lighting.
A consideration for both newcomers and hobbyist’s alike should be to look for PAR values of LED fixtures. PAR or Photosyntetically Active Radiation designates a spectral range of light that photosynthetic organisms utilize during photosynthesis. We should keep in mind that PAR values will vary at various depths and distances from the LED light source. In short, the same LED fixture will have multiple PAR values capable of supporting different species with different light requirements. In addition, due to the relatively complx nature of expressing PAR levels and a lack of standardization, not all manufactures will provide PAR details in the same fashion.
Did you know that there are more than 7,500 species of reptiles? That’s a lot! We at Petware House carry the largest selection of reptiles in Fort Wayne. Whether your looking for snakes, lizards, amphibians or insects, look no further than Petware House.
We are expert reptile breeders and have the most diverse selection of Ball Pythons in Fort Wayne. Don’t hesitate to reach out to us for more information and your welcome to stop by to see what we have available.
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