Question about lighting

[siphon]

I have a 7.5 gallon tank without any live plants, just fish. I'm still a newbie but I have an idea for my tank and I was just wondering if it's doable. I've decided to go with an all black & white setting. The gravel, plants and decortations are all black & white. What I would like to do is to some how make the white parts glow, I want to duplicate the same affect you get from a black light. But for one thing, I don't know if a black light is even healthy for a tank. I have seen bulbs that are referred to as "Actinic Blue" and "Moon Blue" but I don't know if they'll create the affect I want.

Does anyone have any suggestions or is my glowing affect doomed for failure?

 

[Dragonslair]

This is only my personal point of view.
To have no living plants in your aquarium whatsoever will bring water problems in the future. As to the effects you desire- I would consider if you were only going to keep blind cave Charcin(which incidentally are white) you would be putting "ordinary" fish under a lot of stress, just to please you.
As to the "blue" tubes you mention, they are mainly for marines to simulate darkness of the sea at night. The only way you are going to achieve the glow you desire is to either find naturally phosphorous rocks or paint rocks with glow paint and seal the rock with polyurethane varnish. I would not recommend either, but as I say it only a personal perspective.

 

[mrV]

have a 7.5 gallon tank without any live plants, just fish

First, the "tank" is too small for any fish.. Atleast 9 uk gallons (11 us gallons) for small fishes like few neontetras or small Rasboras.. The bigger the better...

Edit. uk<->us, gallons were the worng way.

 

[ostrow]

I disagree with MrV in part. I think you could get away with 2-3 platies or (not and) mollies or (not and) swordtails. In that small a tank they aren't likely to breed. But I wouldn't go for more than 2-3 fish of that size. You could handle a small shoal of tetras but those will be less easy to keep as they are more finiky about water quality. But the livebearers should be fine as long as you keep the number small.

I've seen many swordtail-only tanks of under 10G that are pretty nice, actually.

 

[mrV]

I've seen many swordtail-only tanks of under 10G that are pretty nice, actually.

Yes and I have seen godlfish in a goldfish bowl and it was pretty nice. Was it pretty nice for that fish too?

Swordtail is a big fish too and needs space to swim. Atleas 80cm long aquarium (about 150 liters, 33 UK gallons)

But I wouldn't go for more than 2-3 fish of that size

What about shoal for shoal fishes? Is 2 already a shoal??

I think 40 liters (9/11 gallons) is still too small tank for any fish to keep permanently in it if fishes are bigger than neontetras. I only hope that people use their common sense when buying fishes. There is still people who think "fishes are only fishes" or use them like decorations.

And if the tank is small, it's real dificult to keep it in good condition. And difficult to put filter into the tank etc... My personal opinion is, I wouldn't put any living fish into that tank. I'd use it like quarantine tank.