Captive Sun Light Fixtures for a Saltwater Aquarium

Captive sun light fixtures for a saltwater aquarium should be chosen carefully in order to preserve the health of your fish and plants. The important features of any captive sun light system are the heat of the lamps, the lunar lighting feature and the projected life of the lamps themselves.

  1. Heat and Lighting Overview

    • To choose the best captive sun light fixture for your saltwater aquarium, first determine the types of sea creatures that will live in your aquarium. If you have near-surface dwelling fish, a captive sun lamp may be too hot for your aquarium. Fish that live in deeper water need more heat to survive, which is usually measured in terms of Kelvins, or K. Select a captive sun light fixture that produces anywhere from 10,000 to 20,000K of measurable heat. Any sun light that produces less than 5,500K will generally not be appropriate for saltwater aquarium use.

    Lunar Feature

    • Set the timer on your captive sun lamp so that you have regular intervals of night and day. Fish need a sense of day and night in order to set their own internal rhythms. However, your aquarium should also have a lunar light source to simulate moonlight. You may buy a separate lunar light if your captive sun light does not come with this feature.

    Lamp Life

    • Choose the lamps that you use in your captive sun light fixtures while considering their total usable life. VHO, or Very High Output lamps, are a form of fluorescent lighting that tends to have a short life. Metal halide lamps are a form of HID, or High Intensity Discharge, lighting. Metal halide lamps offer greater intensity at smaller sizes, and last longer than VHOs. Also, VHOs need special end caps and ballasts to operate. While VHOs are generally less expensive than metal halide lamps, metal halide lamps offer better performance and a longer lamp life.