An aquarium is a closed environment that is kept by you in your own home, acting like a mini aquatic ecosystem. In order to ensure the growth and survival of your little ecosystem, you have to consider the natural habitat in which the flora and fauna inhabit and reconstruct it within your aquarium.
The perfect amount of light and a balance between day- and night-time lighting is thus crucial to the health of your aquarium. The tank size, the fish kept, and the plants grown all factor into how you should properly illuminate your saltwater aquarium. Fresh water tanks are easier to light than salt water tanks, so you may consider keeping organisms from fresh water.
Incandescent lights are not suggested for aquariums, as the bulbs do not emit light in the blue or UV spectrum, which is detrimental to the productivity of your plants. In addition, incandescent lights have a red-yellow spectrum of light that encourages the growth of undesirable algae.
The ratio of heat to light from incadescent bulbs is also higher than other types of bulbs, making it suitable only for a terrrarium environment. Instead, florescent bulbs should be used for aquariums.
Florescent bulbs emit light that cover many of the colors of the full spectrum. The small amount of blue and UV light from florescent bulbs can be supplemented by actinic lights, which can generate light in those ranges of the spectrum.
Great post.
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