Choosing The Right Aquarium Lights
Aquarium lights come in a wide range of shapes, sizes, and types. Each type of aquarium lighting will have advantages and drawbacks. The general rule of thumb when choosing the right type of aquarium lights is to know the needs of whatever is in your aquarium. Here are some tips to help you out:
Reef tanks
Reef tanks that hold different types of life forms, such as fish, living coral, sand, and rocks. For this reason, it can be hard to choose the proper type of lighting for this aquarium environment. In most cases, however, metal halide or VHO fluorescent bulbs are used because of the high intensity that allows the light to penetrate through the water and down to your reef tank.
Freshwater tanks
For freshwater tanks, the two main types of bulbs to choose from are incandescent and fluorescent bulbs. These are lower in intensity, but they generate enough light to illuminate freshwater aquariums, which are typically smaller in size than reef tanks. Freshwater tanks with living plants may need higher-output bulbs to encourage photosynthesis.
