Freshwater Aquarium Lighting
Artificial Biodiversity Luminescence: Freshwater Aquariums
Lighting for an aquarium? Do fish need light as well as humans do?
Well, if you are referring to the need to see things clearly, yes, and as a matter of fact fish do need some form of optical enhancement to be able to see well. You don’t really put fish tanks in dark, uninhabited corners of your house, do you? Lighting for aquariums, as far as the aspect of enjoying the hobby is concerned, is practically used for aesthetic purposes, or should I say, aesthetics enhancement purposes.
Lighting gives a lot more than just a clear view of the fish and the landscape inside. It can also give visual emphasis to whatever you want to put the viewer’s eyes on. Think of the lighting used in art museums: although they do provide a clearer view of the art presented, it also provides certain emphasis on the art by means of manipulating how light spreads throughout the entire artwork.
Additionally, some hobbyists like to put live plants inside their aquariums, so having an artificial light source is a necessity for these plants to grow and stay healthy.
What are these different artificial lighting equipment anyway?
There already exist several commonly used lighting sources that are also used for different purposes other than lighting aquariums, such as fluorescent lights of different types and variations, metal halide lamps, and light emitting diodes (LED). Each of theses light sources differ in the way that they emit light energy (frequencies), and how the light expands and scatters throughout the available range of a specific light source (if they are reflected, refracted or concentrated in a specific direction).
Fluorescent lighting largely varies on the type of light source that you are using. For example, compact fluorescent light bulbs has a power range of about 10 to 100 watts and has an average temperature of 4700°C to 9700°C, which is why they usually come with cooling fans connected to the outer (out of the water) part of the light bulb, as they risk heating the water to undesired temperatures.
Metal halide lamps, unlike conventional fluorescent lighting, are quite expensive and a little hard to maintain, but offer lighting that can almost simulate the overall look and feel of the sun, perfect for reef tanks that require a relatively high level of lighting.
Light emitting diodes or LED’s may perhaps be the next generation of artificial lighting that has the capability to surpass even the already energy efficient fluorescent lighting systems. First, LED’s are relatively small. Yes, even smaller than compact fluorescent light bulbs. Second, the energy needed to light up a LED is very small: much, much smaller than conventional light sources. Also, because of the low energy requirements of a LED, it is relatively cooler and would not risk heating the fish tank higher than the temperature required.
So, what would be the best lighting source to put in an aquarium?
For freshwater aquarium lighting, you must know your limits and capacity first.
Are you busy often?
Do you have lots of spare time to see and check your aquarium?
If you have a fish tank that has no live plants on it, then you can just settle for low watt fluorescent lighting.
If you have live plants, then you have to check the depth of the tank and the population of plant life inside your aquarium.
You also have to ask an expert or do some research about the specific lighting requirements of your aquatic plants, but they usually set a standard of 2-5 watts per aquarium gallon of lighting power, regardless of the light source used.
