Fish Tank Lights:Why Change Colours?

Fish tanks are awesome-Obviously!. But what effect does light have on the tank mm gets you thinking Fish Tank Lights Why Change Colours?.

Well, the colour change has no real effect on the fish. Other than distinguishing between night and day!. Changing the colour will help certain plants and flora grow but the main reason to change the tanks lighting colour is so we can see them better! 

I’d like to start by pointing out a few effects lights can have on our Aquariums. Although we are in this article talking primarily about the colour of aquarium lights and the colour’s effect on the said tank.

I still feel we should point out some overall bad points to lighting.

THINGS TO LOOK OUT FOR WITH TANK LIGHTS

The three main reasons would be overheating the tank. Some lights produce too much heat which can rapidly increase the temperature of the tank.

Secondly, too much algae growth leaving the standard white lights on for too long will have a major effect on algae!. And of cause leaving lights on too long will stop the fish’s natural cycle of day and night.

And will eventually stress the fish!

Let’s get back to the colour of light in our tanks starting with the standard white light were all familiar with!

WHY CHOOSE WHITE LIGHTS: PROS AND CONS

The standard light we all see in tanks is indeed white. The best type would be an LED. Which stands for Light Emitting Diode! (fancy.)

This is true of all colours as led lights have the best tech to control heat, brightness and time.

The white spectrum starts at around 6000k up to 8000k the k stands for kelvin by the way. The white spectrum is amazing for the photosynthesis of your plants.

White also enhances the colours of orange, red, and yellow in your fish!.

White in my opinion is also best for checking for fish health and water conditions as we can see the tank as a whole much better.

Cons: If left on too long which face it can be a regular occurrence (well it was in our house) until we

invested in lights with timers lol,

Anyway, if left on too long it becomes a nightmare for algae growth and in some cases overall water conditions.

We suggest no more than ten hours a day for these reasons also because the fish also need to know when it’s time to sleep rest etc!.

WHY CHOOSE BLUE LIGHTS: PROS AND CONS

The blue starts at around 12000k (kelvin.) But is present at 10000k within the upper white spectrum these are good for penetrating light deep into tanks and stimulating the fish’s natural cycle.

As it simulates the effect of moonlight which will also help the nocturnal fish you may have.

As we’re talking about LED lights you can leave them on longer. With the improvements over time with led tech, you can leave overnight amazing!.

The blue light brings out red, green, And blue hues in your fish. With the added advantage of no algae growth!.

The main con is that plant growth will be limited. Although you can run both white and blue mixed which is called

magenta – which will give you the best of both worlds.

Also bringing out orange, yellow as well as the red, green and blue hues!. And great plant growth. You can of cause turn the white down to simulate moonlight giving you more time to view the fish awesome.

RED LIGHT PROS AND CONS

Red light starting at 2500k is great for nocturnal fish. Best for us viewing fish at night.

So it works well as a night light!. Plants do very well within the red light spectrum.

Algae will grow but nowhere near as much as in white or blue spectrums. Fish also feed faster and better in red light and it doesn’t affect sleep patterns!.

Overall red lights don’t look as good in the daytime but for night viewing seems to make sense.

WHAT ABOUT GREEN LIGHTS

Greenlight will look brighter for us as humans looking at our tanks. But will have little effect on showing the fish’s colours.

Greenlight is not so good for plant life either as plants don’t absorb the green they emit.

Green does work well in coral reef tanks and can bring out the colours of the different corals. I personally feel that it may show reds and orange fish off better.

Maybe good in short spells in the evening or early mornings but not as normal daily light. We also don’t want to disrupt the day-night cycle too much.

Greens may well do this whereas the other colours don’t overly disrupt this day-night cycle.

MIXING COLOURS BEST OF ALL WORLDS?

Maybe the best thing we can do is to mix the colours. Play around with them to get the best possible effect. For both showing the fish colouring and for growing plants and flora.

Without overgrowing algae and being able to view our fish at night.Without disrupting sleep patterns and the day-night cycle!.

Thank god with today’s led tech we can not only have different colours. We can have them interchanged at the same time or set on timers to change colour throughout the day.

CONCLUSION FISH TANK LIGHTS: WHICH COLOUR?

In conclusion, in order to get the best experience out of lighting. To best appreciate your fish and to show them at their best.

We should mix the light. To reflect early sunrise and then daytime and then moonlight into the night. Getting

the best for fish colour and plant life without too much algae growth .

With everything on a timer, you are good to go. Just sit back and enjoy your fish. Of cause, the lights can be set to automatically switch off these days.

So no more forgetting. Which used to happen in our house all too often before setting a timer!.

Hope we’ve helped a little here in our post and as always happy Tanking!.