Fish Tank Lights

Buying the right fish tank lights for your aquarium will ensure that your tank provides a good environment for your fish and will also show off your fish's colors better. Ideally, your fish and plants need around 12 hours of light per day, to recreate their natural surroundings and make them most comfortable. A timer for your lighting system will eliminate the problem of inconsistent lighting, which can throw off a fish's circadian rhythms and lead to illness.

Even though it's costlier than incandescent lighting, fluorescent lighting is the wisest choice for fish tank lights because it will show off your fish's colors better. Lots of heat is emitted by incandescent lighting, so don't use it around your fish tank or you may discover dead fish as a result of water that has gotten too warm.

If you want to add plants to your fish tank, you cannot use standard aquarium lighting; in order to thrive, most plants need a full-spectrum fluorescent bulb or tri-phosphor fluorescent tubes that concentrate light in the red-blue-green range in the spectrum.

When you add corals to your tank, you'll also need to strengthen your fish tank lighting system. For a reef tank with corals you want fish tank lights that can provide 5-8 watts per gallon.