does the light mean anything in a fish tank?

Question

for exsample which light is best..
A, black light or a white light?

Answer 1

Well, the light helps you see your fish and it gives them light to see by and a way of telling day from night.

Light is most important if you've got plants growing (or don't want algae to grow!). For plants, you should use lights specifically made for plants. Even though the light looks white, it's made up of different colors mixed together to make white light. Plants need certain of the colors (measured by wavelengths) more than others to grow. And some plants need more intense light than others to grow. You only want the lights on about 8-14 hours a day, because too much light can let algae overgrow your tank. If you have algae and not plants, one of the best ways to control it is to turn the lights off for a few days.

In saltwater tanks, lights are even more important because not only the plants and "good" algaes need light, but some of the animals do as well. There are corals, anemones, and clams that have photosynthetic bacteria that live in their cells. The bacteria make their own food, just as plants do, and any excess food is used by the animal. If the bacteria can't make the food by photosynthesis, these animals can die.

If all you have in your tank is fish, a black light won't really hurt them, especially if it's only on for a short time each day. In fact, it makes glofish look better. But blacklight is close in wavelengths to ultraviolet radiation, which isn't so good for your fish, so it shouldn't be on all the time. Blacklight wouldn't do much for plants - the light isn't bright enough for them to grow.

Lights can also be a source of heat if your lighting is incandescent bulbs. That's not always a good thing, because your water will mabe get too hot for your fish, or be hot in the day and cool off at night. Fish should have a stable temperature. Incandescent lights aren't the best for growing plants, either. Fluorescent lights are better as far as plants and not changing the temperature.

Answer 2

Light has many benefits in an aquarium. If you have a planted tank, lots of light is needed to help plants grow and do photosynthesis. If you have fishes that you want to enhance their colors (such as discus'), you can either get power-glo or 6500k (full-spectrum) lights. For reef tanks, lights with a blueish/purpleish (antinics) tint to them enhance sealifes color. These are just a few.

Do not use black lights. They are used in aquariums, however, as a pathogen killer (UltraViolet).

Depending on what setup you have, you can figure out what light you need. Or you can just stick to the basic light if you have a normal setup.

Answer 3

Light is critical to a fish's well being just as it is to ours. Fish should have daylight hours just as they do in the wild. That is when they should be fed as their metabolism is up and food is better digested. Equally as important is a resting period of "darkness" or very low light levels (such as would occur during a full moon). Reef tanks and tanks of certain breeding fish actually benefit from seasonal lighting changes such as a gradually longer daylight period during the summer and a gradully shorter daylight period during the winter. Nearly all of the fish we keep in captivity live close enough to the surface of the water to be affected by photoperiod of light/darkness.
Equally as important in a home aquarium is the type of lighting you use. Fluorescent lighting is the best if you use the correct bulb with a more natural spectrum of light. A warm white light like we would use in our homes casts an unwanted yellow cast to the water and doesn't look very natural. Cool white light appears more natural, to us and the fish. Black light serves no purpose other than a night light and can actually cause stress in some fish if that is the only light provided. Fluorescent lighting also doesn't cause the water to heat up which is bad for the fish. Fish need a constant temperature and heating the water during the day and allowing it to cool off at night can contribute to things such as stress and problems with disease. Of course, the larger the tank, the less problems with temperature fluctuations, but all in all not good to do to your fish. Other types of lighting such as metal halide are beneficial for a reef aquarium but serve no purpose in a fish only aquarium. They are very expensive and get very hot and require fans to keep them cool.
For general purposes, leave your lights on no longer than 10 hours or so a day. Lighting also plays a critical part on creating unwanted algae problems. (so does water quality, but that is another question!)
So, the answer to your question is YES :)

Answer 4

For tropical fish it could be survival, to keep the water temp at proper levels.Be careful not to oversize your light it could make the tank to warm.But mostly the light is to accent the fish's bright colors, and show them off.

Answer 5

Light does means a lot in the fishtank if you have live plants in it, even if you do not have them, its still important. When talking about light in fishtanks, you have to keep in mind that you are trying to create and simulate a daylight atmosphere for your fishes.

The best thing to do that, is to go for either white tube lights or the ordinary golden light bulbs.

Answer 6

i would use white light isntead so that the fish can see in the dark room . but if u use black light then how can a fish know where it swimming to .

Answer 7

Lights are recommended if you want to be able to see the fish that you buy. But why buy fish if you can't admire them??

Answer 8

the light is mostly for you. the fish dont need it you can keep it on during tha=e day and turn it off when you go to sleep.

Answer 9

It should be a regular white light to help the fish know day from night.

MM

Answer 10

Fluorescent is best it brings out the colors in your fish and plants.It also does not heat the water as white bulbs do.Fish need light to develop their color and it is healthy for them.