Aquarium Lighting
Aquarium lighting guide
Paying attention to aquarium lighting can be a daunting task but the results of a well prepared aquarium can mean less required cleaning and a happier life for whatever you choose to put inside. After all, how would you like it if you had no lights in your home?
Fish tank lights vary in form, size and price and most of all quality. It’s not like you can just pick up a desk lamp and tape to the inside of your aquarium and expect it to look beautiful, although I have seen it done and a quick note on that, masking tape does not stick to the inside of the water tank. T5 lighting has grown in popularity and is considered to be one of the greatest choices you can make for aquarium lighting.
One of the golden rules for aquarium lighting is to not exceed 2.5 watts per gallon, while it’s debatable upon the quality of the light you can use it as a measuring stick to ensure that you make the correct decision. Make sure you understand that there are other things to consider now, based of new types of aquarium lighting that a light can be the same size, yet its utility can be completely different and can also overwhelm the ecosystem of your aquarium.
The most important aspects to consider when choosing aquarium lighting, whether it be T5 lighting or LED aquarium lighting is the lumens per watt, the lumen focus, the PAR, the PUR of workable energy and as mentioned before the watts per gallon. It is important to pay attention to these characteristics because a watt is not a clear director on light. As watt , as some of us learnt in science class is simply the measure of the energy that it uses and creates. Which is why, the PAR,PUR and focus of the light, whether it be T5 or not have a very different output and focus of heat and as a result effects the environment in which it illuminates.
LED aquarium lighting has a much higher lumen output then a regular modern bulb at 20 inches, and as a result creates a higher temperature effect on the aquarium itself and it also lasts for over +40,000 hours so it will mean less money out of your pocket and more money into making your all-star aquarium.
T5 Lighting is a very bright fluorescent light. It has a lumen per watt rating of about 2000 per 2ft of light. That is astonishing when you consider the lumen output of an old lamp that creates a warmer temperature which is contrary to this type of light. Aquarium lighting that includes T5 lighting , does not raise the temperature as much as LED lights or any other kind of light. It is unique. However, they do have their disadvantages and especially in aquarium lighting. If they are not properly used or put in place, they do create a certain amount of glare and that could potentially get very annoying.