Trying to provide comfortable conditions for the inhabitants of home aquariums, we willy-nilly strive for the most accurate reproduction in it of the conditions characteristic of the natural habitat. One of the most difficult tasks in this regard is to ensure a normal light regime.
It would seem, what is simpler: he took a light bulb, hung it near the aquarium and - let there be light! An no. You see, after a week, either the water bloomed, or the walls were covered with algae, or the plants that looked handsome in their former owner suddenly acquired a very deplorable appearance. So something is wrong. You need to buy specialized lamps for the aquarium, which give increased radiation in the blue and red parts of the spectrum. As an example, let's take Osram-Fluora And Sylvania Gro Lux. Sometimes, in order to get well-developed plants and beautiful looking fish, you have to combine different types of lamps. What would not mess with the inclusion of lighting in the aquarium manually. You can entrust this to automation. The photo sensor in the room will monitor the overall level of illumination and in the summer, when there is enough light, turn off the backlight. A daily timer completely de-energizes the lamps for the aquarium at night.

LED lighting type more and more enters the aquarium trade, which is greatly facilitated by the changing market for LEDs.

LEDs (LED)

LEDs (LED) are getting brighter, consume less and less electricity and have an ever larger spectrum of radiation ...

Aquarium LED Lighting appeared about 10 years ago, abroad. We, in Russia, still prefer traditional lamp lighting.

A couple of years ago, several aquarium equipment companies decided to make LED-based equipment as well. The idea was to replace the traditional metal halide aquarium lights on the market with more economical and durable LED arrays.

Red radiation in combination with orange (Orange) is the main form of energy for photosynthesis in aquarium plants. This light enhances the formation of carbohydrates during photosynthesis, as it is extremely well absorbed by chlorophyll. The zone of these radiations is one of the most important for all physiological processes in plants.

Radiation purple And blue LEDs are needed to stop the growth of stems, leaf petioles, plant plates. That is, this light makes yours more compact, which in turn allows for better absorption. Such rays stimulate the formation of proteins and organic synthesis in aquarium plants. The blue and violet part of the spectrum is almost completely absorbed by chlorophyll, which in turn creates excellent conditions for the maximum intensity of photosynthesis.

Green LED may be needed if you need to give your aquarium plants a pronounced green color. Since its radiation actually passes through the leaf blades without being absorbed by it. The latter under their action become very thin, and the axial organs of plants are stretched. The level of photosynthesis in this case is very low.

Yellow LED creates a glow as close as possible to natural lighting. Yellow radiation, unlike warm white, does not reflect off the surface of the water and its light penetrates deep into the aquarium, allowing you to create an effective lighting as close as possible to natural light The intensity and type of lamps affects the health, color, photosynthesis and reproduction of the inhabitants of the aquarium. Choose the light according to all the preferences of the fish and their natural habitat. Many tropical species are unfamiliar with bright light, even on hot sunny days, so too much light can make them feel stressed and unwell. Some organisms need powerful rays of light, as a rule, these are the inhabitants of shallow tropical rivers, where the water is clear and the sun sends rays for 12 hours. Coral reefs in nature have settled in shallow waters, so they also need to provide good and bright lighting. UV radiation is very important for corals, the rays pass into the very depths of the water, where corals and invertebrates are already waiting for their arrival, since ultraviolet activates the process of photosynthesis.

The choice of lamps for aquarium lighting

If you only have fish in your aquarium, for example, African ones, and there are no living plants, then everything is simple. You only need light to make you feel comfortable. Of course, you should not go too far and install a 1000W arc lamp from a nearby parking lot because the lamp was cheap. too bright for fish lighting to nothing - it will only cause stress for them and, as a result, illnesses and other problems - remember the detectives, where the main character is kept in solitary confinement with a bright lamp on the ceiling around the clock. Usually, the lamp that comes with the aquarium will be enough for you. You can put a lamp with any spectrum. To have a more natural color reproduction of fish color (and who knows what color is natural?), put a lamp with a full spectrum (full-spectrum) or tri-phosphate (trichromatic, triphosphate) - optionally Triton. A very good GE Chroma-50 lamp which is very inexpensive. Lamps, in the spectrum of which there is a lot of blue light, reveal the color of fish due to the “glow” of fish scales (although is such a color natural?) - for example, in an aquarium with African cichlids - pseudotropheus, aulonokarmi, etc. you can put a lamp with actinic light - the blue color of the fish will look very beautiful. In general, the choice of lamp is determined by your taste and financial capabilities.

For planted aquarium- it's more difficult. As always, planning first. Think over the lighting system in advance so that later you don’t have to think about how to place additional lamps or paint over the extra ones with black paint. System planning includes more than just a trip to the local shops. Think about what kind of plants you will grow - Javanese fern and s do not require a lot of light, but will require bright light. To improve plant growth, you may want to use carbon dioxide and fertilizer. In this case, you will need a lot more light. Conversely, bright light, in the absence of fertilizers and carbon dioxide, will only lead to the development of algae. It does not make sense to spend all the money on superfood lamps and not think about fertilizers, it does not make sense to install a carbon dioxide tank and put in an old lamp. If you do not have the opportunity to purchase good lamps, then it will be much more difficult for you to grow plants, although it is quite possible - after all, aquarists grew them 50 years ago, when only incandescent lamps were in use.

If you are going to seriously deal with plants, then it makes sense to think about using modern lamps - high power (HO, VHO, SHO), metal halide (HID), compact fluorescent (PC - power compact), electronic ballast. Compact fluorescent lamps - they have a high light output and brightness, a high color rendering index (CRI) and, in combination with an electronic ballast, represent the most optimal combination for small powers - up to 200W. Their compactness allows efficient use of the reflector.

Metal halide lamps, such as DRI, are practically not made at low powers (due to problems with arc discharge at low current and low light output). It makes sense to put them if you need a power of 300-1000W. For them, it is necessary to consider a fan cooling system, since all the heat radiated by them is concentrated in one place.

If you are installing expensive lamps, then consider an electronic ballast for them, which is much preferable to a conventional ballast.

Use a reflector - a well-designed reflector will increase the efficiency of the lamps. The reflector is effective with compact lamps - if you have 8 T12 lamps close by, then the reflector will not change anything.

Think over the wiring diagram in advance, especially if you assemble everything yourself. Electricity, especially in a humid environment, is not to be trifled with. Be sure to use grounding and fuses that turn off power when current flows to the ground wire. Plan how you will make the cover, ventilation, what wires you will use - significant current can flow from the ballast to the lamp, many ballasts cannot be placed at a considerable distance from the lamp. The ballast, especially the inductor, gets very hot, so place it so that it does not heat lamps whose light output decreases with increasing temperature.

Think about the size of the lamps, especially if you are purchasing an aquarium with a prefabricated lid. If any rare lamp is installed there, then it will be difficult to find a replacement later. Remember that a 40W lamp is much more common and costs (standard, non-aquarium) several times less than a similar 25W lamp.

Remember to replace lamps regularly as their light output decreases over time. Therefore, it makes sense to use PC lamps, for example, which have a longer life.

Lamp Spectrum Selection

There is a constant debate among aquarists about the choice of spectrum. It is especially fueled by advertisements about the need to use the very best spectrum of a particular company.

As mentioned above, there is no such spectrum that "helps" plants and "interferes" with algae. If you have a fairly “good” spectrum, then the intensity is more important to you than the spectrum. If you have enough light, then the spectrum is not very important, and if you do not have light, then the spectrum will not help you. This is also evidenced by the successful cultivation of plants under the light of conventional lamps - LB (Coolwhite) or a combination of LB / LD (coolwhite / daylight) with electric lamps.

VIDEO LIGHTING FOR AQUARIUM PLANTS