Aquarium lighting
Proper aquarium lighting belongs to one of the most important things in your tank. Aquarium with a proper light looks better, but it's not the most important reason for a quality aquarium lighting system. Aquarium light is needed to simulate day and night conditions in your tank. Bad lighting would cause stress to fishes. Even more important is light for aquarium plants. They require light for photosynthesis and proper grow.
Aquarium lighting requirements
Aproppriate lighting for your fish tank should provide full spectrum of light. Red part of the spectrum is important for planted aquarium. Green part of color spectrum is good for better look of our fishes. Another important thing is light intensity. If you have planted aquarium, you should provide 2 to 5 W per gallon of water. Some plants demand a lot of light. You should always find out the light requirements of plant you're going to buy and make sure you can give enough power for proper grow. Lack of light is the most often reason for dying plants. When choosing light avoid common bulb. They support algae grow. You should used only bulb made for aquariums.
Types of aquarium lighting
Fluorescent aquarium lighting is the most common. Flourescent bulbs can provide full spectrum light or they can be designed to emit only some part of light spectrum. They are cheap to run and replace. Compact fluorescent lights give more light intensity, last longer, consume less energy, but produce more heat. Metal halide aquarium lighting is the most expensive and offers big light intensity. It's usually used for saltwater reef aquariums. When choosing proper aquarium light, consider also bulb life.
