 Firstly, I want to make it clear that I do not work for, nor am I on any commercial company's retainer relating to this great hobby. A wide range of articles on this topic can easily be found in most marine aquaria publications today, but all the information discussed here is based upon personal observation and implementation. With the information that I am going to share in this series on saltwater aquarium lighting, I hope to help you learn how not to drive yourself insane, broke, or both! Having said all that, let's begin. There are many variations of marine life keeping now popular in this country and abroad. For the sake of simplicity, I will categorize this article into the two major subdivisions: fish-only and reef lighting. Naturally, any lighting package suitable for a reef system would also be useable on a fish-only tank, but it would be rather like hunting squirrel with a stinger missile! Seeing as how the majority of folks entering the hobby begin with fish-only systems, I will address this area of lighting first. Many of us who contemplate getting started want to begin with the idea of upgrades and expansion down the road, or after "getting their feet wet". This is wise, as it is always preferable to over-compensate in our hobby. Why? The primary consideration is cost. Better to buy that which can be reused or recycled later when that bigger tank and more delicate species catch our eye. The basic fish-only aquarium set-up usually consists of the tank, filter and lighting. There are many other factors to consider, but for my purposes of addressing aquarium lighting here, I shall keep it simple.
Pre-manufactured plastic hoods with a single or double fluorescent tubes, such as offered by Marina Aquarium Hood by Hagen and others, are ready-made packages that are easiest to install and maintain. You have no options here. Buy it, set it on the tank rim and turn it on. The quality of the actual tube is generally geared for freshwater guppies and goldfish, rather than marine fish. Not to worry though, as there are essentially no differences other than color enhancement for the viewer. If you are amongst the majority of first-time aquarists, you will most likely choose a package or light hood that is recommended by your local fish shop. These packages normally consist of the one-piece plastic hood with the light fixture already installed. The ease and convenience of these light hoods are very attractive to the beginner as they require no specialized knowledge other than where to plug them in! By simply installing these hoods on the tank, we have accomplished and eliminated all the worry and frustration over what to do about illumination. This frees the aquarist to concentrate on the learning of other basics that ultimately result in long-term success in their new hobby. These hoods use a "can" electro-static energizer to get the bulb glowing and are easily replaced when they eventually go bad. Plastic hoods, while not cheap, certainly provide all the fundamental requirements needed for the first time fish-only aquarist or long-term fish-keeper. Fluorescent tubes provide varying degrees of color enhancement to the fish, that results in the gorgeous splash of vibrant colors that attract most new folks to the hobby. The basic wattages in standard "stock" tubes here vary from 15 watts to 40 watts output power. Newbies will soon learn that tube length generally equates to tube wattages, although we shall see how this can differ as we progress. For those wanting a small system up to 55 gallons, and have no intention beyond fish-keeping, these plastic hoods with their Standard "stock" or NO fluorescent tubes do a fine job and provide many years of reliable service. NO (Normal Ouput) fluorescent tubes like the Vita-Lite feature a color temperature around 5500K and come with a stated useful lifespan of approximately 20,000 hours of illumination. They also have a two-year warranty that make this choice ideal for the fish-only set up. The beauty here is that these NO tubes are quite reasonable in price and the experimentation process can be fun and stay well within a reasonable budget. However, they will not be able to accommodate nor support any photosynthetic animals, or provide the output intensity required for other extremely light hungry marine denizens. What is to be expected and what is to be accomplished by these hoods is simple and straightforward. Basic illumination and the simulation of the day-night cycle as found in Nature. By replacing the stock tube that comes with these pre-manufactured light hoods, one can influence the coloration of the fishes and other aspects of the aquarium’s environment. So, what if you do decide you want to keep some reef life in the future? Reef Tank LightingÂ
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