A Look at Aquarium and Terrarium lighting

A Look at Aquarium and Terrarium lighting

Here at Light Online, we specialize in a range of niche lighting areas, including Aquarium and Reptile lights for your terrariums and tanks. When it comes to aquariums, there is no one correct choice for lighting, as tank size and budget will ultimately play a part on your choice. That being said, lighting can make all the difference in the presentation and colours of your fish – and is essential for reef and coral tanks while Lighting for Terrariums plays a huge role in the health and wellbeing of your reptiles.

Below, we’ll go over the benefits of different light types and what tank types will best benefit from them, a general guide for what to choose that will help you make the best choice for your fish, reptile, or plants.

Plant, reef and coral tanks:

Reef tanks with coral and other water plants require proper lighting to thrive and grow, and will help maintain the vivid colours you want to get out of your plants.

Common in reef aquariums are Metal Halide aquarium lights, as they produce an intense light that is well suited to deep tanks, and encourage growth through daylight simulation. The Kando Lite Aquarium Metal Halide is the perfect product for these tank types, creating vivid and rich colours for your coral without the need of filters.

It should be noted that these lamps do run hot, and may require a fan installation to remove heat from the water. As with any setup, finding the balance between the right amount of light for growth, while reducing the risk of algae is important to consider for any Aquarium owner. Many opt to use a mixture Fluorescent and Metal Halide lamps to create the lighting setup and aesthetic they desire.

For those looking for a cooler alternative to a Metal Halide, the Sylvania Coralstar is another specialist lamp for coral tanks, and reproduces the light conditions of a coral reef through actinic blue lighting.

Fish-only tanks:

Lighting is not essential for fish only tanks, but can make all the difference in the presentation and colours of your gilled friends. Consider using a daylight replicating fluorescent such as the Sylvania Daylightstar Fresh Water Aquarium Light, which limits algae growth and accurately highlights the true colours of your fish and plants.

Terrariums:

Lighting for your cold-blooded friends plays a big role in their wellbeing, as heat and UVB and UVA helps facilitate your pet’s growth, appetite and behavior. There are a range of suitable UV bulbs on the market, including the Reptistar Reptilux Lamp, which promotes vitamin D3 production through a high UVB (5%) and UVA (30%). This lamp will also provide enough light to display your reptiles in their true colours.

As well as UV lamps, Basking Lights are also a requirement for any Terrarium set-up. Infra Red bulbs such as the OSRAM Ultra-Vitalux UV Lamp produce very little light on their own, but generate a large amount of heat, as well as UVA, and are perfect for providing heat to nocturnal species such as Ball Pythons.