In order to buy the right kind of lighting depends on what plants are to be used in the layout. This is due to the fact that too much or too little lights will equally have unpleasant consequences. Too little light would cause the stems to elongate. Too much light would cause algae to breakout, as well as rise in temperature, which in turn would cause the plants to wither.

Two major types of lighting used are the fluorescent lights and the metal halide HQI

Fluorescent lighting

FL is a single tube with plugs on both ends. Diameter is used to differentiate between T8 and T5

T8 is the typical light bulb used in the household. There is a version suitable for aquatic plants keeping.

T5 has thinner diameter than T8, but maintains the same luminosity. Therefore more bulbs can be placed on the tank. Usually there are two suitable types of such bulbs; HE(high performance) and HO(high output).

PL is commonly called chopstick light bulbs, and is another kind of fluorescent light. It is formed by fusing two fluorescent light bulbs or an U-shaped light bulb, lining parallel to each other. There is just one plug, and its output and performance outshine the regular fluorescent bulbs.

Metal halide HQI

Metal halide lighting is perhaps the closest thing to the full spectrum. And its penetration is the highest among all other lightings. However, its light generating capability is low, and therefore is the hottest in terms of heat.

Color temperature

Color temperature is the color perceived in terms of luminosity. Its unit is K(Kelvin). Typically used range is from 5500K-8000K. The lower the index the more yellow the bulbs appear. The higher the index, the more toward blue.

Illumination

Aquatic plants grow based on their own biological rhythmic clock, going from active during day-time to inactive during night-time. Photosynthesis is activated by the sun light, and will not stop until after the sun down. Adequate usage of illumination can thus enrich this process, thereby making plants grow healthier. If the plants have become inactive during night time (usually by folding up their leaves), even under strong lights they might not reactivate. Fast growers will have more needs for longer lighting hours than the slow growers. It is best to have 10 hours of lighting everyday.

Lighting quality and its effect on plant growth

Photosynthesis is not a phenomenon that occurs equally amongst different wavelengths of light. Different colored lights will have different effect on the plants. For instance, red colored plants are more receptive to the blue spectrum that closely resembles ultra violet. Coupled with the appropriate fertilizers, it will make red plants even more stunning. The fluorescent bulbs used for plants really don’t have an even distribution of spectra. Their intensity will also diminish over time. This can be seen when the plants start to grow slower and become discolored. At the same time plants are not adequately growing the unused nutrients will go to algae, which has different lighting requirements. So a periodic replacement of bulbs will guarantee their effectiveness on plant growth. Typically, the fluorescent bulbs should be replaced every three months. The higher output T5 should be replaced after every six months.

Illumination quantity

There is no set rule on just how many bulbs are required for a tank to have. Some say to follow the rule of 1L of water=1 W of light. So in a 100 L tank, one would need about 100W of light. However, each tank might have different amount and type of plants as well as different degree of water depth. So only through trial and error can one reach a proper conclusion about his own tank. Most often, fast growers prefer to have more lights than just 1L=1 W rule. In deeper tanks with heavier volume of fast growers, one might even need as much as 1.5 to 1.7 more. So in a 100L tank, that would be about 150W and above.

Penetration

Penetration means the light’s ability to go through the water, and thereby becoming weaker in intensity the deeper the water level is. Different lumens will also different penetration, with red light being the weakest. In the deep sea, due to the red light’s inability to penetrate, therefore only the blue light is seen. Different lighting equipment will also have different penetration.

Comments (8)

3. Written by jike.yan, on 29-08-2008 21:09 我的 缸體是1200m長。500mm高和寬，用了6根飛利浦T8 865 燈管據水面有20厘米 感覺還可以 請問 最佳的高度是多少呢？我的缸裡 後面是小圓葉，前面是細葉鐵皇冠以及迷你小 榕 前景是迷你牛毛，謝謝 請指點

4. 請問我應該用邊種類別&型號的 Written by Adrian, on 17-06-2009 14:35 我的缸長40cm, 闊25.5cm, 高23cm.  我的迷你矮珍珠,黑木蕨,珍珠草,一直以來養植 得不美麗.我用PL-11W 6400K.我想問我應該用邊種類別&型號的燈.  ~非常感激.

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