will turning on your fish tank lights have a purpose at all besides looks? and does it help heat up the tank water a little?
lighting
- Thread starter vtnamezeboi
- Start date
HQI lightning produce more heat than normal fluorescent bulbs. T5 produces less heat that T8 i think. Like sqratch says, it depends on which type of lightning you have. Fish can do well without lightning, but you should have a type of light over your tank. And of course you need it if you are growing plants.
Howdy,
it all depends on where your tank is located at. If it sits in a dark basement w/o windows: Your fish will enjoy having the lights on. If your tank is next to a window: Doesn't really matter if you have lights on or not. If you have plants: 12-14h of light are a must. If you keep blind cave tetras, it obviously doesn't matter. If you keep blackwater fish, a modest amount of light is appreciated. Creek/whitewater fish like Chinese hillsteam loaches want lots of light.
Just think "Nature" and reproduce it
And yes, lights heat up your tank just a bit. Old fluorescent lights have ballasts that emit lots of heat. During hot Summer days with problems keeping your tank temp low, it might be worth it to reduce but not completely cease lighting.
HarleyK
it all depends on where your tank is located at. If it sits in a dark basement w/o windows: Your fish will enjoy having the lights on. If your tank is next to a window: Doesn't really matter if you have lights on or not. If you have plants: 12-14h of light are a must. If you keep blind cave tetras, it obviously doesn't matter. If you keep blackwater fish, a modest amount of light is appreciated. Creek/whitewater fish like Chinese hillsteam loaches want lots of light.
Just think "Nature" and reproduce it
And yes, lights heat up your tank just a bit. Old fluorescent lights have ballasts that emit lots of heat. During hot Summer days with problems keeping your tank temp low, it might be worth it to reduce but not completely cease lighting.
HarleyK