Aquarium Lighting Effects

When you first set up an aquarium, lighting is a critical component. Invertebrates and fish have different lighting requirements, and proper lighting is important for the overall health of the tank and its species. You can also use lighting to customize the aesthetics of your aquarium, creating a look that really shows off your tank.

  1. Color

    • Lights have a color spectrum that is rated on the Kelvin scale. Different Kelvin ratings and types of lights can change the color of the light and how the tank looks. A standard daylight bulb produces a color temperature of 5,500 Kelvin, and it covers the spectrum of colors. Bulbs below 5,500 Kelvin produce more red and orange, and bulbs over 5,500 Kelvin produce more blue and violet.

      The 10,000 Kelvin lamp is commonly used in reef tanks because it has a bright white light with a slightly blue tinge. It is considered one of the most natural-looking, and it helps bring out the colors of the fish and corals. A higher Kelvin rating, such as 20,000 Kelvin, looks significantly more blue. You may have livestock that require that intense, high end of the spectrum. However, you can also choose a high rating because you like the look.

    Glimmer Lines

    • Glimmer lines are ripples or shimmers on the floor of the ocean. You can imitate these glimmer lines in an aquarium by using metal halide lights. Metal halides are very directional, which means that they act like spotlights. That spotlight is what creates the natural-looking glimmer effect.

    Lunar Lights

    • Natural habitats have both daytime and nighttime lights. Nighttime lighting is important in nature because that is when some corals spawn and when some species hunt for food. Having both types of lighting can benefit the health of your aquarium because it simulates the complete day/night cycle your species would experience naturally.

      One way to add lunar lights is to use LED lighting. LED lights give a soft, diffused moonlight kind of glow, typically in white or blue. Like natural moonlight, they do not put off a lot of light or heat.

    Light Mounting

    • The most common type of light mounting is above-tank lighting. With above-tank lighting you suspend the lights above the tank, mount them under the aquarium hood, or clip them to the edge of the tank. This creates downwelling, which is when light travels from the surface to the floor.

      The opposite of downwelling is upwelling, when light scatters back upward to the air. You can achieve an upwelling effect with the type of substrate you use, or by mounting lights underwater. Underwater lighting also allows you to create different light and shadow effects depending on the part of the tank you want to highlight.