African Lighting

[Knife_Punch]

Im setting up a new tank for my brother, he wants African Cichlids.. He also wants the best lighting for their color.. So, I was thinking a Daylight Spectrum should be good, I mean its a natural spectrum... But then I was thinking, maybe a color max spectrum.... OOOORRR, since he is paying for it, should I do compact flors?

Its a 4foot long x 4foot wide x 2 feet tall... I was debating on leaving it open top aswell... What do you guys thing?

[yourmylunch]

you cant tell untill you try out the bulbs i use the bulbs from home depot that are half the price and just as good

dont use pc lights because they will fade out in the bright light trying to blend in and use a dark gravel and background to show the best effect.

fill it up with fish right away not a little at a time to difuse agression and use extra filtrarion

[yourmylunch]

i would cover it well to prevent evaporation and space the lights out 2 work lights "2 flor tubes each"from homedepot $30 each would work great

[Knife_Punch]

Awesome, thanks for the suggestions.. Ill look into that.. Is there a certain wattage I should use?

[Knife_Punch]

Also, Im planning on planting my girlfriends tank, and keep it uncovered with Discus.. I was told that comact flors would be best for them, and I would need a chiller... Would you suggest that for the Africans..

Could I use lights from Home Depot for my Discus and skip the chiller? its only going to be a 55 with 3 discus..

[Zoodiver]

Generic shop lights won't give any of the things a fish needs from a light source. The housing will work, but put in the correct bulbs. I have a basic shop light fixture (twin 48" flo) over my 90 gallon Malawi tank at home. However, I'm running a full spec and an 03 actinic in it. The color of my fish couldn't be better. UV, UVA, UVV and a host of other things are given off by the correct lighting which will result in healthy fish coloration. Believe it or not, correct lighting (or incorrect) will also effect a fish's ability to matabolize food properly. Compart flo will also work well - as long as the bulb is full spec. If you go that route, try the lights on a water only tank and check the temp. You may not need it to control temp, and then you haven't wasted any money on a chiller you don't need.

As for the discus tank, the compact flo is the way to go with planeted tanks. Check them temp as well on this one first. I ran two 1000 watt units over an 800 gallon and it worked perfect.