The aquarium white light is both a design feature and a practical need for your aquarium, and it is very necessary. The soft inner illumination of a lighted aquarium makes it a beautiful element of room decor. The fish and living plants in the fish tank need light to thrive. But determining how much light aquatic creatures like fish and plants need, and controlling the amount of light, can be a tricky issue.
So how much day night aquarium light does the aquarium require? Generally speaking, most aquariums require 8 to 12 hours of light per day (10 hours is a good starting amount) and are provided by the aquarium lights. But this is still a large number range, here is a brief summary of several factors that determine how long your aquarium lights need to be turned on each day:
Number and species of living plants in an aquarium
How much ambient lighting is already in the room
Types of fish in your fish tank
Algae content in the fish tank
Ambient Room Lighting
Deciding how long to turn on the fish tank lights has a lot to do with how much ambient light is already in the room. You may not even need additional lighting at all, for example, if your aquarium is in a bright south-facing conservatory with lots of windows or an active family room with a lot of activities going on with ceiling lights and ordinary lights on most of the time. Ambient room lighting is often rather indirect, though, and chances are good that no matter how much light already is present in the room, you will need to run aquarium lights each day. But a room with good ambient lighting will not need 12 hours of aquarium lights.
In winter, when the natural light is reduced due to the season and the light intensity is weakened compared to the summer, as the distance between the sun and the earth becomes farther, it is always a wise choice to let the aquarium light on with longer time. This will promote better growth of aquatic plants, which will be beneficial to the ecological environment of the entire aquarium. As the time of lighting on the day is extended, the lighting cycle of the aquarium can be shortened.
Light Needs for Different Fish Species
Speaking of the fish itself, the lighting of the aquarium is primarily about you and your behavior, not fish. The lights in the fish tank will make it easier for you to see and appreciate your fish, but it usually doesn’t have too much effect on the fish. The nature of an aquarium, with its four glass sides and relatively small size, means that most fish are getting more light than they do in natural settings, whether or not you are using supplemental lights. Most fish do not mind getting more light. It is particularly worth noting that some species, such as cichlids and tetras, can thrive with less light. For this special case, excessive supplemental aquarium lighting may negatively affect them.
When deciding how much extra light is needed in your aquarium, it’s not wrong to always consider the conditions a species experiences in the wild. Tropical fish have evolved under conditions that provided roughly 12 hours of light each day, so logic suggests that an aquarium with tropical fish will likely need a combination of ambient and aquarium lighting for roughly half the day. To create a more natural environment, match the length of aquarium lighting to what the species experiences in its native environment.
Aquarium Lights and Heat
Remember, the light in the aquarium not only generates light but also a lot of heat sometimes. Lighting types that produce heat include incandescent, VHO-fluorescent, and metal halide. In smaller aquariums, these types can cause a significant rise in water temperature, sometimes enough to kill your fish and plants. If you use one of these types of lights, make sure to monitor the water temperature constantly, and avoid leaving the lights on overnight. Standard fluorescent lights can produce cooler light and are a better choice for most aquariums. You can leave them on for long periods without danger, and many tropical fish and plants thrive under fluorescent lighting. Light-emitting diodes (LED lights) come in a variety of colors, with low costs, cool operation, and ornamental features.
By adding proper lighting to your fish tank, you can ensure that your fish has a healthy growth environment. We provide the best quality freshwater water tanks and aquarium supplies at the best prices. For more information or to make a purchase, please continue to visit our website senzeal.com or call us.
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