Saltwater Aquarium Lighting
Saltwater aquarium lighting is one of the most important aspects of a good tank. Many people do not give much attention to the lighting needs of their aquarium however this can cause major repercussions once you start adding various fish, corals and rocks to your tank which all have different lighting needs.
There are quite a few different types of lighting you can use in an aquarium tank. Some of these include:
- Regular fluorescent
- Compact fluorescent
- High output (HO) fluorescent
- Very high output (VHO) fluorescent
- Metal halide
The cheapest lighting would be the regular fluorescent. They have a range only up to about 40 watts. If you want lighting that will last longer than regular fluorescent then try the high output fluorescent light. You will however need a T5 light fixture for this type so keep that in mind.
Very high output fluorescent lighting operates up to 160 watts and is expensive. They product a large amount of heat and have fans in the lighting unit to keep the lights as well as the aquarium cool. Even then, your tank can still overheat with VHO lighting so you may need a chiller for your tank. Very high output fluorescent lighting should be used only on the most advanced of tanks and only by experienced aquarists. Most tanks will never require this sort of lighting.
If you are running a reef tank with corals and anemones then you will need to look at metal halide lighting. They are again quite expensive and operate up to 1000 watts. Just like VHO, they generate alot of heat and should be fan cooled.
Saltwater aquariums with reefs, corals and other light reliant organisms require high output fluorescent lighting (or metal halide lamps). You should know the requirements of each organism before placing it in your tank as certain corals and other things need very intense light.
I hope this has given you a brief outline of saltwater aquarium lighting!