Anyone got any advice on the best bulbs to use to bring out the colour of the fish but with out colouring the water? Ive got a 48 inch t8 unit that holds 2 bulbs
PLEASE HELP!!!!!!
PLEASE HELP!!!!!!
Best lighting for AMERICAN CICHLIDS COLOURS
- Thread starter mondyst2000
- Start date
Color max bulbs work well for me. Or powerglo bulbs.
Sent from my iPhone using MonsterAquariaNetwork app
Sent from my iPhone using MonsterAquariaNetwork app
I bought a 13 foot string of waterproof blue LEDs for about $13 on amazon. Then I bought a 12v ac adapter from goodwill for a dollar. A little electrical tape later and the colors pop on all my fish! Super cheap, and super easy to add to any tank! Every aquarium I set up I put them on now!
Sent from my iPhone using MonsterAquariaNetwork app
Sent from my iPhone using MonsterAquariaNetwork app
Whatever the light source, it seems to come down to the wavelength and the size/shape of the light source.
Personally, I like a "daylight" type bulb frequency, somewhere about 6500K. It's a nice bright white. I don't like a warm white (about 3000K) at all. Personally, I don't like to add blues or greens or reds either. The bright white is enough if the fish have good colour themselves.
The next choice is for point source or traditional tubes. Point sources are nice as you tend to get shimmering patterns underwater caused by water surface movement. But point sources (spotlight-type) can be expensive.
I also am a great lover of LEDs for cichlid lighting. If you look around they are getting cheaper all the time. Get 5050 LED-based units, which are good and bright but not too expensive. THey also tend to give more of a point light source type of effect as each LED gives off it's own small point of light.
Personally, I like a "daylight" type bulb frequency, somewhere about 6500K. It's a nice bright white. I don't like a warm white (about 3000K) at all. Personally, I don't like to add blues or greens or reds either. The bright white is enough if the fish have good colour themselves.
The next choice is for point source or traditional tubes. Point sources are nice as you tend to get shimmering patterns underwater caused by water surface movement. But point sources (spotlight-type) can be expensive.
I also am a great lover of LEDs for cichlid lighting. If you look around they are getting cheaper all the time. Get 5050 LED-based units, which are good and bright but not too expensive. THey also tend to give more of a point light source type of effect as each LED gives off it's own small point of light.
Aqueon Colormax T8 bulbs bring out the color better without coloring you tank. Makes greens and reds really pop.
IMO what it really comes down to is personal preference & each individuals eyes. In T8's, I have always found that a combo of Hagen Powerglo & Aquaglo nicely capture the natural color of most fish, without casting a yellow or greenish tint to the water. Just nice crisp colors to the fish. In HO T5's I prefer a combo of Hagen Powerglo, and Geisemann Aquaflora. The only LED fixture that I have tried is the Marineland "double bright" fixture, which a friend recently gave me. What a major disappointment. The only thing good about that fixture is that for me, it was free. lol
I completely agree with the Marineland LED review given in the following link.
http://aquariumdigest.wordpress.com...eview-tmc-xg-1500-maxspect-more/#doublebright
My advice, try a few different combos of bulbs out, and let your own eyes be your guide.
I completely agree with the Marineland LED review given in the following link.
http://aquariumdigest.wordpress.com...eview-tmc-xg-1500-maxspect-more/#doublebright
My advice, try a few different combos of bulbs out, and let your own eyes be your guide.
I have pictures, but I use cfl spotlights so it won't show the color blending you're looking for.
They do however blend very well with any existing lighting. They're not high output LEDs so you may have to do a few rows to get the desired coloration.
Sent from my iPhone using MonsterAquariaNetwork app