The normal life of aquatic plants and living things depends directly on the quality of illumination. And every novice amateur of aquarium fish will necessarily have questions: do you need light in the aquarium and why is it needed. Let's try to find the answers to these questions.
In former times, fish lovers put their aquarium next to the window for better illumination. However, soon noticed that if the light from the window falls on the small house for fish at an angle, then its walls begin to overgrow with algae.
Later, with the advent of modern lighting devices, the natural light for fish in aquariums was replaced by an artificial one.
In addition to the decorative function, light in the aquarium also implements an important physiological load. After all, for proper development, light is necessary for all living organisms, and its absence causes stress in them.
When to turn on the light in the aquarium?
Almost all aquarium fish and plants originated from the tropics, where a light day lasts approximately 12 hours regardless of the season. Therefore, for their aquarium pets it is better to organize such illumination, to which they are accustomed in nature.
An unequivocal answer to the question: whether it is necessary to take breaks in the illumination of the aquarium, is still not present. You can turn on the lamps at about 10-11 am and turn them off at night. And it's better if you have to provide a special timer to turn on and off the light in the aquarium, which will do it even in your absence.
How to calculate the light in an aquarium?
Many aquarists advise to set the intensity of illumination per one liter of water - a lamp with a power of 0.5 watts. Do not forget to take into account the depth of your aquarium: for fish living at depth, light is needed less than for shallow water.
As practice shows, you can select the light in your aquarium experimentally, starting from averaged 0.5 watts. If there is an excess of light in the aquarium, the water in it will begin to bloom, and the walls will be covered with algae. Under insufficient illumination, the fish will be hard to breathe, small-leaved plants in the aquarium will die, and brown spots appear on the walls.
Spectrum of illumination in the aquarium
The most demanding of spectral illumination is the underwater plants . In order for photosynthesis to occur in them, a violet-blue light range and an orange-red band are necessary. The usual fluorescent lamps can not be achieved. But modern LED and phytolamps with the task to cope perfectly.
How to choose a lamp for an aquarium?
Lamps for aquariums have several options:
- incandescent lamps - the worst option, they shine badly, but they heat a lot;
- fluorescent lamps do not fully provide the necessary spectrum of illumination;
- Phytolamps provide the necessary intensity of light, but their cost is high enough;
- LED lighting is closest to the sun. With it, a stable water temperature is maintained. With their help, you can adjust both the brightness and spectrum of light illuminance in the aquarium.