Which lighting?

[chemflex]

I have a Juwel Rio 180 fish tank. At the moment I still have the original lights in the tank with reflectors. The lights have been in the tank for 14 months. I am considering changing the lights and was wondering what lights other people us i.e bright white, blue lights etc....

Which lights do you use, and which ones do think I should try?

 

[Bol]

Do you have live plants?

 

[chemflex]

Yes I have live plants

 

[heresmike]

My 36 gallon has two 18" bulbs. I left one of the originals in, and got one Hagen Life Glo. It seemed to brighten it up just a bit, but not too much so as to wash out the colors.

Here's a link which might be helpful. It shows the same aquarium illuminated with several different types of bulbs.

http/www.aqua-web.org/users/saurama/index.htm

 

[chemflex]

What do you think it would look like and affect the fish and plants if I put and Interpet beauty light and abd Interpet blue moon light in the tank?

 

[lou_zerr]

I think it would still look like you got WAY too many fish in your tank.



Sorry, I couldn't resist.

 

[chemflex]

It may still look like that but like I said the fish are happy and healthy, the water parameters are spot on and the nitrate is low.

What do you think of the lighting scheme though, have you got any suggestions?

 

[lou_zerr]

Sorry, dude. I'm not familiar with those light bulbs you speak of.

 

[Bol]

I'm ot familiar with the bulbs you mentioned, but "blue" lights generally don't do much for plants. Most plant enthusasts will recommend lights listed as 6700 or 10000 K.

 

[chemflex]

How about a blue light in combination with another light?

 

[Bol]

Many people do that, with good reported results. Just keep in mind that the blue light probably isn't doing much for your plants, so you may not want to count all of it in your "wattage total" if plant problems arise.

However, in the end, it all comes down to what you like. If your plants are growing sufficiently, and you like the look of your tank, then you've got the right lights.

 

[chemflex]

Which type of lighting does everyone else use?