Aquarium lighting

[bpb21]

Although I've maintained a tank for a year or so without lighting (I have great natural sunlight exposure in the room the tank currently is in) I may be moving it to another location.

So I don't know much about aquarium lighting. What I am referring to is this: I was in a local fish store the other day and I saw (for aquarium/reptile use) blue bulbs, red bulbs, green bulbs, I think there was an orange bulb and perhaps a yellow, or purple bulb.

What's the difference in all of these things? What kind of bulb/color is best for encouraging plant (even algae) growth? And is it true that fish don't see in the red spectrum, so you can fool them into thinking it's dark if you use a red bulb (and can then watch them move around in the dark)?

Thanks for the info!

 

[totalbolshevik]

Don't use any fancy colored lights... Mine is just plain old white. Don't know about that fish eyesight thing though.

 

[Rusty_S]

I think most fish can see red light, that's why you get so many red lures in fishing, and have you ever seen David Attenborough's Blue Planet series, with the deep sea fish with the red "headlights"? That's awesome