LED lights for aquariums are an excellent option. They cost less to run, use up to 80% less power than fluorescent lights, last longer, and emit less heat that can be harmful to fish.
Fish are not as reliant on light as plants. In general, aquarium owners can use incandescent, fluorescent, or LED lights for fish but should be aware of the heat issues that incandescent lights cause.
How long should I keep my aquarium lights on? To provide animals and plants the lighting they need, 10 to 12 hours a day is sufficient. Installing a timer or purchasing a unit with integrated timing can make lighting easier––just set it and forget it. Keep in mind algae loves light as well.
Without aquatic plants, low light conditions will favor the growth of algae, since there is no competition for the light or other nutrients. In freshwater planted aquariums, the use of a LED lighting system for aquatic plants will promote the healthy growth of plants, which will restrict the growth of algae.
Your best lighting options for freshwater aquariums are standard fluorescent bulbs, compact fluorescent bulbs, metal halide lights, and LED lights. You want to avoid incandescent bulbs as they are suitable only for small aquariums and can give off too much heat.
Green Light and White Light are the most common colors used to attract fish to Boats, Docks and Piers because they are brighter and will attract fish from a greater distance.
Red, blue and green LEDs are in popular use for standard aquarium lighting since these light temperatures greatly enhance the colors of the objects inside the aquarium. The colors of aquatic plants appear much more rich and vibrant, red fish, shrimp and of course red-leaved stem plants look much flashier.
Is LED Light Harmful to Your Fish? No! LED lights won't harm your fish or hurt their eyes. In fact, your fish need lights in their tank to remain healthy and thriving.
But in general, the lighting shouldn't be too bright for a regular tank since it could stress the fish. Too-bright lighting can also lead to algae growth.
FULL RGB SPECTRUM
This is our go-to spectrum and we HIGHLY recommend this spectrum for most freshwater aquariums. Nothing brings out the vivid colors and enhances your tank like a full, rich RGB (Red,Green,Blue) spectrum of light. It not only makes your fish pop in color, it also won't promote algae growth.
Aquarium fish do not need light and it is best that you turn it off during the night. Leaving the light on can cause stress to fish as they need a period of darkness to sleep. Too much light will cause algae to rapidly grow and make your tank look dirty. So the short answer is no, do not leave your lights on.
HIDE THE LED LIGHT
Whichever you choose, its best to make sure the LED is located at the very top or bottom aquarium edge. Ideally, place the light below the level of your substrate.
Causes of Algae in Aquariums
Too much light or too many nutrients in the water will cause algae to grow rapidly. If you experience algae overgrowth, it could be caused by: Leaving house lights on too long. The tank receiving too much direct sunlight.
Even though an LED may be water resistant or waterproof, it doesn't mean it's designed to be submerged and used underwater. Exposing your LEDs to water for any length of time will damage the LED circuit board and likely cause your heat sink and hardware to corrode.
Blue light can affect fish reproductive cycles and damage their eyesight, but most fishkeepers have no blue light issues. Blue light is essential if you have live plants in your tank as without it, they will be unable to photosynthesize. However, too much light will fuel algal growth, which is hard to get rid of.
While fish do need light, which can be sunlight, fish in your aquarium do not need direct sunlight. Placing your aquarium in direct sunlight is something you want to avoid for good reasons. Direct sunlight is so strong and contains a lot of energy, which will be harnessed by algae to grow like crazy.
Fish don't necessarily need complete darkness to sleep, but it's best to provide them with the amount of darkness they would have in their natural environment. They may sleep when tired if the lights are on, but it will be better for their sleep and overall health if they can rest in darkness.
Set the tank so the lights are on for 6-8 hours a day. This will keep algae down and should keep your aquarium running smoothly.
Keep aquarium lights off for at least four hours after the new arrival is introduced into the aquarium. Most invertebrates and marine plants are more sensitive than fish to salinity changes.
Far from being obsolete, neon lighting (especially T5) can guarantee excellent performance, being satisfactory in freshwater aquariums, which are generally considered to be less demanding than marine versions. In any case, especially when dealing with large aquariums, LED lamps are recommended.
What color light attracts fish the best? Overall, green light attracts the most fish. Green has a high lumen output of 130 per LED alongside a 520 nm wavelength. Shrimp and insects have both of these wavelengths in their color vision alongside green light receptors around 530 um.
The White, or Day-Lite bulbs offer the best lighting in terms of brightness. It allows the best visual to see exactly what's in the tank, and will highlight already bold colours, such as corals or red plants.
Here are our recommendations for fish-only, freshwater planted-tanks and reef tanks. For lights that simply turn on and off, you should leave your lights on for 6-8 hours a day. Even though the sun is up far longer than this, the sun does not shine at full strength all day.
Many of these fish know that they can't relax until the nighttime comes. Blue light is known for helping fish to relax in the tank. If you gradually turn on that blue light of an evening, you will notice that your fish start to calm down. They may even try and find somewhere that they can sleep.
Change the water regularly to keep nutrients low and if you have plants, use a liquid fertiliser to actually strengthen the plants and help them to fight off algae naturally. If the tank contains no live plants then you can use nitrate and phosphate resins to soak up those spare nutrients and starve the algae.