Most popular aquarium lighting

Most popular aquarium lighting

Most popular aquarium lighting

With the advent of newer and better technologies, increasing intensities and a growing spectrum, there are many options to consider.

Many, if not most aquarium corals contain within their tissue the symbiotic algae called zooxanthellae. It is these zooxanthellae that require light to perform photosynthesis and in turn produce simple sugars that the corals utilize for food. The challenge for the hobbyist is to provide enough light to allow photosynthesis to maintain a thriving population of zooxanthellae in a coral tissue. Though this may seem simple enough, in reality this can prove to be a very complex task.Some corals such as mushroom corals and polyp corals require very little light to thrive. Conversely, large-polyp stony corals such as brain coral, bubble coral, elegance coral, cup coral, torch coral, and trumpet coral require moderate amounts of light, and small polyp stony corals such as Acropora, Montipora, Porites, and Pocillopora require high intensity lighting.

Of the various types, most popular aquarium lighting comes from metal halide, very high output or VHO, compact fluorescent and T5 high output lighting systems. Although they were once widely used, many reef tank aquarists have abandoned T12 and T8 fluorescent lamps due to their poor intensity, and mercury vapor due to its production of a limited light spectrum.

Recent advances in lighting technology have also made available a completely new technology for aquarium lighting: lightemitting diodes (LEDs aquarium light). Although LEDs themselves are not new, the technology has only recently been adapted to produce systems with qualities that allow them to be considered viable alternatives to gas- and filament-based aquarium lighting systems. The newness of the technology does cause them to be relatively expensive, but these systems bring several advantages over traditional lighting. Although their initial cost is much higher, they tend to be economical in the long run because they consume less power and have far longer lifespans than other systems. Also, because LED systems are made of hundreds of very small bulbs, a microcomputer can control their output can be controlled to simulate daybreak and sunset. Some systems also have the ability to simulate moonlight and the phases of the moon, as well as vary the color temperature of the light produced.

The choices for aquarium lighting are made complicated by variables such as color temperature, (measured in kelvins), color rendering index (CRI), photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) and lumens. Power output available to the hobbyist can range from a meager 9 W fluorescent lamp to a blinding 1000W metal halide. Lighting systems also vary in the light output produced by each bulb typelisted in order of weakest to strongest they would be: T8/12 or normal output lamps, compact fluorescent and T5 high output, VHO, and metal halide lamps. To further complicate matters, there are several types of ballasts available: electric ballast, magnetic ballast, and pulse start ballast.

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